DIY: How to Make a Beautiful Book Planter. A few months ago, Inhabitat featured some great upcycled book planters from Gartenkulter Studio. Since my Italian’s not too sharp, I decided to make my own, and made a video to show others. Hit the jump to find out how you can easily create this poetic planter, and pay tribute to the art of gardening and the world of “real” books. + Curbly. Sewing 101: Yoga Bag. In keeping with January’s theme of fresh starts and healthy resolutions, what better way to get motivated to exercise than with some new exercise accessories? I find that I have a better chance of sticking with new habits if I make them as convenient as possible, so having a handy way to tote my yoga mat makes it just a little easier to get to class.
This DIY yoga bag is super easy to make (it’s really just a big rectangle with handles), and I promise that even a beginner can stitch up this project in no time. Let’s get started! — Brett Bara Materials 2 yards medium-weight fabric (I used cotton duck, which is like a lightweight canvas.)2 yards webbing or any type of strap for handlessewing machineiron and ironing boardstraight pinsscissors 1. To begin, cut two pieces of fabric measuring 21″ x 27″. Trim the excess fabric away from each corner and turn the piece right-side out, gently working the fabric through the hole you left in the seam. 2.
Cut two pieces of webbing about 36″ each. Paper Alice Papermaking and Crafts. Paper Alice make your own homemade paper. Make a wooden hammock from branches! by Samuel Bernier. 31 Insanely Easy And Clever DIY Projects. 30 Unexpected Halloween Costumes You Can DIY. Upcycling Becomes a Treasure Trove for Green Business Ideas. This story first appeared in the April 2011 issue of Entrepreneur. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Like everything about Looptworks, the signature on CEO and co-founder Scott Hamlin's e-mail is a call to action: "Did you know that it requires more than 400 gallons of water to make one organic cotton T-shirt?
Upcycle. " If you're not up on the green lingo, the best way to think of upcycling is that it's like a sexier, even greener version of recycling. Looptworks personifies the upcycling trend. "There's a plethora of people looking into different angles in different industries--the opportunities in upcycling are fascinating," Hamlin says. For its part, Looptworks uses what it calls "pre-consumer excess" as source material for its accessories, gear and apparel. "Our goal," he says, "is to influence consumer awareness and figure out a way to promote this non-mass-produced approach on a large scale. " There's also serious behind-the-scenes innovation happening. No kidding. An Economy That Serves People and Nature. On 26 September 2012, Christine Milne, the leader of The Australian Greens political party stepped out ahead of the flock.
With a rousing speech she critiqued the current economic system, the growth paradigm, and spoke out about the challenges that Australia, and the world is facing. Here is an excerpt from that speech, which can be found in full here. How do we build an economic system that serves the needs of people and nature, both for today and for tomorrow? Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne addresses the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra on Wednesday 26 September 2012. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen That our economic system is broken and needs fixing is not just the view of the Greens. It is the view of the World Economic Forum, which in its report “More with Less: Scaling Sustainable Consumption and Resource Efficiency” of January this year said: “Current trends clearly show that business as usual no longer works. In Australia, this is heresy. Australia’s economy is strong.