Dear readers,

On this cold Friday morning, I would like to share some design ideas we have seen this past week around the web – enjoy and be inspired!

Turn your tin can lids into wall art!

From Righteous (re)Style

Ice Lanterns

From Design*Sponge

Looking to refinish old wood furniture, but don’t want to deal with fumes and headaches of toxic wood stripper?  Check out this post on Soy Gel, a healthy alternative for wood stripping

From Crafting a Green World

Last week we featured some easy handmade craft projects to give as holiday gifts.  This week I would like to share some more projects and gift ideas…look for upcoming posts about experience gifts and last minute ideas!

First up, for those friends and family members in your life who like to craft or aspire to craft, Crafting a Green World posted some new crafting books they recommend:

Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art Ideas, and Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist

And for parents, this is a great resource: Green Crafts for Children: 35 Step-by-Step Projects Using Natural, Recycled, and Found Materials.

I really like this one: The Green Crafter: 53 Eco-Friendly Projects for Every Week of the Year.

There are more books they recommend, so make a visit to their site!

Next, the Advent Calendar.  Though it’s a bit late for this year, I also think yo could make one as a present to give to someone for next year’s holiday season.  It’s a very easy project and great for multiple people to work on together.  All you need are some office supplies, brown paper bags, and surprises for each day.

Next, Superhero capes! I really love these and will most likely make one for my nephew next year.  All you need are some old sheets and a sewing machine.  I also know that recovergirl has made similar capes using old towels.

Holiday Wreaths! I have two to share with you – Design*Sponge featured this clothesline wreath last week that is EASY to make and looks great – I really like the subtle colors.  Also, last year recovergirl made a beautiful, colorful felted wreath out of sweater scraps.  Handmade wreaths are great gifts that friends and family can take out every year and think of you!

What are you making for gifts this year?

How can I turn this:

Into this:

Or this?

This is a question I received awhile ago and since then, I have been trying to think of/ find ways to reuse old fleece jackets.  Fleece is very handy – it is really warm, but after some time, it starts to not look all that great – but never fear, I have found some great ideas on how to prolong the life of a fleece and help with your cleaning and crafting creations, to boot.

- How can I Recycle This?, a great site based in the UK posed a similar question awhile ago and several people responded with pretty interesting ideas, including : using fleece as an insulator for frost-sensitive plants, as hot water bottle covers, rag rugs, dog blankets, bean bags, and cleaning cloths!

- If you are crafty with sewing, this site lists a couple of dozen suggestions (note that some of the links they list no longer exist)

- Homemade dust mops!

- Baby Toys! (no sewing required!)

- Polar Fleece Hats (thanks, Martha!)

- Crafty Fringe Scarf

Do you have ideas on how to use old fleece jackets?  I know there are hundreds of ideas out there.  Please leave us a comment!

Project Laundry List, one of our favorite environmental non-profits in New Hampshire, recently held a “A Touch of Color” clothesline competition in Concord.  This was the first year of the annual competition and 14 businesses participated, including our Goodwill store in Concord!

The purpose of the competition is to install creative window displays with clotheslines, educating the local  community of the many “green” benefits of clothesline drying.  We have written about clothesline drying in past blog posts, but here are some more facts we learned:

1. Dryers use 6-10% of total residential energy use.

2. Americans use more energy on drying their laundry than Africans uses on all their consumption needs.

3. Some communities prohibit clotheslines, ostensibly, for aesthetic reasons.

4. Hang drying your laundry is better on your wallet and on the environment

5. For many people, hanging out clothes is a therapeutic activity.

6. There are numerous different sizes and styles of drying rack/lines available for individual needs and accommodations.

7. April 19 is National Hanging Out Day, a day of recognition and celebration for hang drying.

8. Alex Lee, Executive Director of Project Laundry List lives in Concord, NH

We look forward to participating in the competition again next year!  Enjoy the pictures below!

If you have seen a Goodwill truck on the back roads or highways of Northern New England, you may have noticed this sticker displayed on the back.

About two years ago, the majority of the Goodwill fleet of trucks switched to biodiesel.  Twelve out of the sixteen trucks currently operate on fuel that contains 5% biodiesel.

The trucks on biodiesel go through roughly 68,000 gallons of diesel each a month. Because 5% of that diesel is biofuel, Goodwill saves 54,776 pounds of carbon from being emitted in the atmosphere each month!

While we are excited about this accomplishment, Goodwill continues to look at further ways to decrease our fuel intake as we work together to decrease our carbon footprint.

For more information about Goodwill’s environmental initiatives, please visit our Green page.

What is your organization or business doing to reduce your environmental impact?  Please leave a comment and share your stories!