Who among us has not walked to their closets and dresser drawers with dread, bored to tears of everything inside and knowing that they can’t just buy a whole new wardrobe just because their picky heart desired it?  Sometimes all that is needed is a creative spark of inspiration, scissors, some string and/or thread, and nimble fingers.

I’m talking about renewing that wardrobe by reusing the clothes in fun inventive ways, so essentially recycling the wardrobe items.  Need some ideas?

With strategic snips of the scissors and skilled ribbon use, a shirt can get new ruched sides that will flatter the waistline and draw visual interest!

Sleeves can be tinkered with by cutting them completely off, shortening them, cutting slits into them for butterfly sleeves.  A strategic cut into the neckline can create a v-cut neck to the shirt.  With a glue gun and crystals or a bedazzler, exciting sparkle can liven up even the most dull shirts.  If feeling really adventurous, mixing up a bucket of dye and changing the total look of the shirt is an idea.  Fabric markers or decals can also be used on the shirt for personalized designs.  There are many options for the thrifty soul who wants to make totally new items from their old shirts.

Jeans that have become ratty on the bottom can become broken in, just like new capris or shorts!  Cut off the bottom part of the jeans as short as you are trying to go and then either leave the hem frayed for a cut-offs look or hem the new pair of shorts.

Have a plain item of clothing that you want to look different?  Buy ribbon or extra materials and add spizazz to it!  No need to have boring looks if you don’t want them.

A rather ingenious way to turn old clothes that you are tired of into something enjoyable is to create accessories out of them.  That outdated denim skirt can become a totally cool clutch handbag with the right sewing!  Love the pattern on a skirt but utterly tired of the fit?  Cut out strips and make it into a headband!  Belt loops on a pair of denim shorts can be cut off along with the rivets on the on the jean’s pockets, glue the rivets onto the belt loop with hot glue and seal it into a loop for a cute new ring.  Turn that old college sweatshirt in to a one-of-a-kind bag!

Seeing the same old clothes in a wardrobe can be oh so boring, but refashioning them in an unexpected, fun way can liven it up enough that it all seems like new!

When it comes to fashion, innovation is the name of the game.  Create what has never been seen, use materials that one wouldn’t expect, blend colors in an inspiring way, and most of all, blow people’s minds!  If you are not the talk of the town, then darling, you aren’t fashionable!  With all things “green” being on trend, is it any wonder that fashion has led the way in creating cool new looks out of the totally unexpected?  Feast your eyes on these expected designs made of unexpected materials:

This incredibly unique dress begs to capture the eye and make the wearer the belle of the ball, who just so happens to be ecologically mindful.  The dress is made from recycled bottle tops, cardboard packaging, plastic bags, and recycled cans.

That's what I call "eco chic".

For the mommy who wants her baby to be “green” chic, why not purchase booties made out of discarded packaging?  Even babies can give back to the enviroment! Purchase at MoJoTrashion’s Etsy Shop.

Teaching kids about recycling and style from the early age.

Gala attire for that Earth Day fundraiser can be completely gorgeous and yet made from distinctly unusual products.  Why not have a dress made from juice boxes?  This creation was worn by  Naturevsfuture designer Nina Valenti for an outing at Carnegie Hall.

Juicebox dress...not much else to say.

For the showstopper who wants to make an entrance, why not make headlines by showing up in a couture dress composed of discarded newspaper?  Not only will you be chic, but you can haughtily tell of the virtues of recycling in this gown dreamed up by Gary Harvey:

I wonder about the rustling paper sound though...

Two New Zealand researchers recently suggested that at over 2 acres, dogs carry a larger carbon footprint than a SUV. Cats are comparable to a small Volkswagen, a pair of hamsters compare to a plasma television, and goldfish have a carbon footprint that is comparable to two cell phones.

Cats and dogs are carnivorous, so they actually live higher on the food chains than humans, because humans are omnivorous. Meat requires much more land and energy to cultivate than anything else in our diets.

Now even your dog or cat can be green! How, you ask? I’ll tell you—and it doesn’t involve dye. Many products, from food to toys, are being made from sustainable materials that keep your pet’s carbon footprint to a minimum.

1. Catupon Pet Mat by Aster and Sage is a great use for recycled plastic soda bottles. This small, brushed mattress in two colors is perfect for cats and dogs alike. $16 per mat

2. Zanies Eco-Friendly Mice Cat Toys are an official “green” pet toy as a result of their low-impact dyes and reusability. $44 for a large package of mice

3. Simply Fido Organic Plush Hemp Dog Toy is made from low-impact hemp with chemical-free fillers and dyes, so if your dog gets hungry you can be sure that this little owl won’t hurt their tummies. $7.64 per toy

4. A Cheerful Pet Tugzees Dog Toys are made from 100% boiled wool and are handcrafted by Nepali artisans. They are natural, durable and washable, and are sold under fair trade guidelines. $19.99 per toy

5. Doggles Sillypulls Dog Toy is a kind of wacky tug-of-war toy made for larger dogs. It is constructed from ballistic, recycled nylon, so even if your dog doesn’t know that he is doing good by chewing on it, at least you will!

And of course, only buy your pet more toys if they need them or if you are already looking to buy some. Reduce what you buy, reuse what you have, recycle what you don’t need.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States generated 249.8 million tons of trash in 2008. Organic materials—including yard and food waste, wood scraps and paper products—made up more than two-thirds of this trash.

All of this could have gone in a compost pile.

Composting, an at-home method of nutrient recycling that takes nutrients left in organic waste and gives them back to plant and animal life, is an easy way to make a difference in the amount of garbage that our nation produces. Here, we’ll dispel the myths about composting and give you the tools to start your own pile.

Composting is not gross! If you do it right, there should be no smell and no attraction of vermin. Keep dairy, meat and fat products out, and there will be no odor. Vegetable scraps, paper products, vacuum lint, fireplace ashes, and even hair and fur can all go in the pile without problem.

You don’t need a big pile, though. Plenty of companies offer small, designer-styled composting cans that will fit right in to the green kitchen. If you are still worried about odor, these cans include a charcoal filter that will take care of any potential smell. If you don’t have a yard, you can still compost! Even if your home “garden” only consists of a few windowsill flower boxes, your flowers can still benefit from the nutrient concentrate that is compost—just transfer it from your kitchen pail. Or, if you have no plants that could use your organic waste, see if your city has a compost removal company that will come and get your compost for free.

If you do have room in your backyard, consider getting a container that will aerate the pile will storing it. Check out the rolling compost bin that can be rolled to your yard waste, filled up, and rolled to your plants to unload. The rolling action will add air to the pile and speed up the composting process dramatically. While creating a heap is possible, it will require time to mix it and could be violated by pests, making it less likely to produce good results. If you don’t want to have a container in your yard, consider digging a shallow pit for your compost—the warm temperature will increase the speed of compost production.

Besides reducing your waste and maybe even the cost of your waste removal, there is nothing better for your soil than compost. It can loosen clay soil and help sandy soil retain water, suppress plant diseases and pests, and increase yield.

If limiting your family’s waste production sounds like something you would be interested in, check out the EPA’s website for more information.

The term “carbon footprint” infiltrates our consciousness via the news, blogs, and even blockbuster films. But what is a carbon footprint? How do I measure mine?

A carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gasses (GSG) produced by an organization, event, or product. For the individual earth-dweller, a carbon footprint measures the impact of our daily activities on the environment, particularly, in regards to climate change.  To live is to burn fossil fuels for electricity, heating, transportation, and other activities.

Two categories of CO2 emissions make up a carbon footprint. The primary footprint measures direct, controllable emissions of CO2, such as home costs (gas, oil, coal, electricity) and transportation, both public and private (cars and planes).

CO2 emissions that result from an individual’s lifestyle and product consumption—from production to breakdown–make up the secondary footprint. These include: public and financial services, recreation, buildings, furnishings, car manufacturing and delivery, and clothing. In short, the more we buy, the bigger the carbon footprint.

How do I measure my carbon footprint?

Carbon footprints are measured in equivalent units of metric tons of CO2, and basic information about your lifestyle adds up to your personal GSG contribution.

How can I reduce my carbon footprint?

Once you know the size of your carbon footprint, take baby steps to begin reducing it.

The average American’s carbon footprint is 20.40 metric tons, whereas the worldwide average is 4 metric tons. The global target size is 2 metric tons per person.  Environmentalists and believers in green living have worked to establish worldwide carbon offsetting programs that utilize solar and wind energy or promote reforestation in an attempt to reduce the global carbon footprint. The Kyoto Protocol enforces clean development mechanisms, joint implementation, and emissions trading, but what can I do as an individual to reduce my carbon footprint?

Here’s a list of simple things you can do immediately:

At home (Primary footprint):

• Turn off and unplug appliances when not in use (lights, TV, Computers, etc.)
• Turn down heating and turn off when you’re not home
• When using water (dishwasher, washing machine, kettle), use only as much as water as you need and wash full loads each time
• Use green energy supplies in your home (light bulbs, electricity provider, insulation, refrigerator, boiler, etc.)

On the road (Primary footprint):

• Complete your weekly shopping in a single trip
• Carpool, take public transportation, walk or bike as much as possible
• Reduce the number of flights you take
• When staying in a hotel, turn off the lights and air-conditioning and request for your room towels to be washed every other day

Rethink your buying habits (Secondary footprint):

• Don’t buy bottled water if your tap water is clean and healthful
• Buy locally produced foods or grow your own
• Eat less meat
• Buy organic produce, avoid packaged products
• Recycle!

Water is unmistakably good for your health in a number of different ways, but these same ways of using it can be extremely damaging to the environment. Without a plan to make water a sustainable resource, there is no guarantee that it will be around to make us healthy for much longer! How can we reform our reliance on water to make sure it is not only good for us, but good for the earth as well?

Perhaps the most obvious way we rely on water is for hydration. While our water needs vary depending on body weight and activity level, water makes up about 60 percent of our body weight. Water is necessary to flush out toxins, dissolve vitamins and minerals, moisten membranes and move nutrients between cells—without it, our body wouldn’t function at all. While many adhere to the eight by eight rule (eight, eight ounce glasses of water a day), there is no real formula for how much water each individual needs. As long as you drink enough so you rarely feel thirsty and produce clear or slightly yellow urine regularly, you are properly hydrated.

Sadly however, many people rely on disposable water bottles for their hydration needs, as they provide a clear option for portable and safe drinking water. While this might help us meet our hydration quota, the massive consumption of bottled water in the United States is devastating to the environment. According to MSLK, a New York based graphic design firm focused on raising awareness about plastic consumption, 1500 plastic water bottles are consumed every second in the United States. This staggering statistic results in the consumption of 50 billion bottles every year—with 80 percent of them ending up in a landfill.  Additionally, their production requires 1.5 million barrels of our precious oil, and even more for the fuel cost of transporting the extremely heavy bottles of water. All of this could be eradicated, should you choose to drink tap water instead. It’s cheaper, just as safe, and will help your body function in exactly the same way.

Slightly less crucial—but still important—is our use of water for cleaning and hygiene purposes. According to the American Water Works Association, the per capita daily household consumption of water for these purposes is about 69.3 gallons. This is water that has to be filtered and cleansed before it can be used again.

Should your family elect to install more efficient water fixtures, per capita consumption of indoor water could be reduced approximately 35 percent. If all U.S. households installed these devices, 5.4 billion gallons per day would be saved. A gray water recycling system is a great way to increase water consumption efficiency by recycling and processing your wash water at home.

We can’t forget the importance of water in our recreational activities, particularly in places with a warm climate. Swimming, surfing, sailing, fishing, scuba diving… the list of activities that our bodies of water provide us with is endless. While we may not really need to snorkel, what would life be like if it wasn’t an option anymore? Sailing and the freedom of moving with the wind over water could lose its appeal if the water was polluted and smelly. We would be landlocked.

All of our desire to be near the water, in the water, has resulted in a serious pollution problem that will only get worse if it continues to be ignored. There is a huge floating debris field in the northwest Pacific Ocean, 1000 miles off the coast of California. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch isn’t made up of trash as we imagine it—few bottles and cans are recovered from it. Over a huge expanse, tiny particles of plastic float in the water, potentially ingested by the smaller members of the food chain. Little is known about this area—it is probably around the size of Texas, and mostly comprised of a plastic “confetti” that floats just under the surface of the water. Birds mistake it for fish and die eating it. Fishing nets get caught in it and directed to areas where their mere presence is devastating.

If we could cut down on our consumption—and increase our recycling abilities—maybe the ocean could stop being an international dumping ground.

If we have the power to damage the resources we so badly need to support our life, we must have the power to fix them. Calculate your Water Footprint and see how much responsibility you must take to ensure that there is water for the future.