Keeping the GREEN in our Holidays

If you're tired of consumer-style holidays but still want to give someone you know a gift - first consider making your own, or giving a gift in your friend's name to a charity such as the Heifer Project. If you still want to purchase gifts, you might consider green gifts made entirely out of re-used and recycled materials.

Eco-Artware has a wide range of artsy fartsy stuff like these baskets of salvaged, used telephone wire. The baskets are made using traditional techniques (and nontraditional materials!) by the Zulu of South Africa.

They also offer other imbenge baskets such as baskets in the shape of plates, also made of salvaged PVC telephone wire.

Elsewhere in their online catalog, you can find bells made from used and discarded oxygen canisters (left on Mt. Everest and purchased from the Nepales people who collect them), ornaments made of recycled glass and painted tea bags!

There is lots of other cool stuff - check it out:
Footstools made from 100% used pulp egg cartons (fun design -- it can be used as either a footstool or the base for a coffee table)

Door Handles and Drawer/cabinet pulls made of fused, recycled glass

Business Card Cases of recycled computer motherboard pieces.

These tea light candle holders of salvaged bicycle gears from Resource Revival, are functional and beautiful:

Key rings made of discarded bicycle chains. The inexpensive ($4.50 each) key rings are manufactered by a company in Oregon called "Resource Revival" that was started by a bibyclist, Graham Bergh.

Here's an article about his inspiration for the company and how they operate in Portland now. Graham's own version of his story is here.