Love the Earth, Love Yourself, Love Green Gear

Romance is in the air. Why not treat your loved one to a sweet ecofriendly treat? Here are just a few ideas:

Take a romantic walk with a 27 ounce Klean Kanteen - it fits a whole bottle of wine!

Present your sweetest with wool underwear and watch them enjoy the soft luxury of merino next to skin.

Outfit your honey with a new bag for travel. Women love our OLovesM clutch and purses made from reclaimed yoga mats. Everyone loves our Green Guru Gear billboard and blow out messengers.

Whatever you choose, Love the Earth, Love Yourself, and you will Love Green Gear.

Day Eight of Green Gifts and Tips: OLovesM and reclaiming packing boxes

I just realized that OLovesM hasn't been getting any love in our 12 Days series! Oops! OLovesM bags are stylish and functional handbags made from reclaimed yoga mat scraps and Chaco sandal straps. Each one is made by hand in Aspen Colorado by fairly paid workers.

The water bottle holder above is a great way to keep your water handy and stay hydrated day hikes or at the farmers market. A mesh pocket holds your keys, cash or business cards. $15.95 in a variety of colors.

Tip of the day: Many people are shopping online these days, which means many people end up with stacks of cardboard boxes at the end of the holiday season. Recycling them is great, but why not keep the boxes in use a little longer? Try these ideas:
*store for the next time you need to ship a package
*allow a child to turn one (or several) into a doll house, rocket ship, or castle
*donate to a local animal shelter if they can use the cardboard for bedding or critter houses.
*cut off or tuck in the tops and use boxes to organize your basement/garage/medicine cabinet
*add in small pieces to your compost box, or add to vermicompost

Lovin' the EcoClutch and Shak Full-zip

When our new fall gear came in, I decided to try the EcoClutch and Shak Full-zip. Both pieces appealed to my laid back eco-chic style. After a few months of use, here are my thoughts:

The EcoClutch is a very small handbag with tons of style for only $29.95. After two and a half years of carrying a big diaper bag, my daughter finally potty trained and I wanted a new purse. I am walking and riding my bike often and carrying just a small amount of "stuff" appeals to me. The EcoClutch fits just what I need for day to day use: a billboard wallet, phone, keys, and lip balm. It's comfortable to carry over the shoulder and easy to throw in a bigger bag or bike trailer. Here it is at the coffee shop today:

(Sorry about the blurry pic. I still haven't figured out how to use the camera in this phone well.)

What surprises me about the EcoClutch is how durable it is. I'm not very kind on purses. When I wrote "throw" in the previous paragraph, I was serious: I toss the handbag on the floor, in the bottom of the trailer, wherever. I expected with this kind of abuse that the yoga mat material would scuff or smudge, but it still looks brand new. Or brand re-new, I should say, as the material is in the second cycle of reuse after being a yoga mat scrap.


My other fave from the fall line is the Merino Wool Shak Full-zip Jacket. This is a lightweight merino jersey with a zip down the front and single pocket. Once the weather finally turned cool here in central Ohio, there is rarely a day I don't have this jacket on for at least part of the day. I wear it around the house, on walks, hikes (above), and bike rides. I am wearing it right now layered over a QuT.

The jacket is breathable and lightweight but still provides considerable warmth. The cut of the jacket is body hugging without being tight. It fits true to my usual size and hasn't shrunk or stretched through multiple washings. It dries in about 4 hours hung on a line or clothes rack. The small pocket is just enough for a cellphone or keys, all I usually need at the playground or on a walk. In sum, the Shak Full-Zip is so comfortable and designed just right for everyday use. Right now, the full zip is on sale for $119 (women's) and $123.25 (men's).

Reusable Bag Winner!

Caffeine Queen is the winner of our reusable bag contest! Congratulations! As soon as I get confirmation of your choice, an OLovesM ecoclutch or Green Guru Gear billboard tote will be in the mail to you.

A big thank you to everyone who entered and wished me a happy birthday. :) Our consolation prize is a $5 off $25 coupon. Use the code 'getgreen' at checkout to receive this discount anytime before Oct. 19, 2008.

And a bit of truly random knowledge to go with the random pictures of Hawise above: My Dad emailed me this Wiki page in a happy birthday email today. Apparently if I had been born in 1582 in Italy, Poland, Portugal or Spain, my birthday could not have been October 9. In 1582, those countries were switching calendars and skipped from October 4 to October 15. Strange but true!

Win a Reclaimed Reusable Bag!

It’s Rachel’s birthday on October 9!

To celebrate, we are giving away a Reclaimed Reusable Bag. We’ll mail a Green Guru Gear Utility Tote or OLovesM Eco Clutch (winner’s choice) to a randomly selected entrant.

Simply leave a comment to enter the contest!

Employees and immediate family members may not enter. Contest closes at midnight October 8, 2008.

What's the big deal about Reclaimed?

The old addage is reduce, reuse, recycle. The idea is to reduce consumption, reuse materials when consumption is necessary and THEN recycle the unusable pieces at the end of life. Somehow America is still stuck in the last phase, recycle, and even that is spotty. I can't count the times I go to public places and find no recycling facilities.

Manufacturers have plenty of choices that can lessen their impact on the environment. One of the biggest is material sourcing. New (aka. virgin) materials use the most resources because they must be mined (in the case of metals or minerals) or created from oils (for plastics), processed, and then reprocessed into the consumer item.

Some plastics and metal products can be made from recycled sources. In this case, virgin material scraps are melted down and reprocessed which uses less energy and time.

The best case scenario is to reclaim materials. Creative manufacturers find sources for their products in the scraps and left overs of other processes. This way, waste is saved and virgin materials are put back into the consumer cycle. Energy is not needed for processing raw materials. In the best of situations, these scraps are found locally and transportation energy is reduced as well.

Baying Hound is pleased to offer two product lines utilizing reclaimed materials: OLovesM (reclaimed yoga mats, chaco sandal straps, and fabrics) and Green Guru Gear (reclaimed bike tire tubes and billboard signs).

OLovesM Bags and Purses in stock!

At the Outdoor Retailer conference last month we met a great lady, Merle, who owns OLovesM bags. These super chic bags are made by a group of workers in Colorado from reclaimed yoga mats, fabric, and sandal straps. They are funky, well designed, and eco-friendly.

As each one is a little bit different, we are busy taking photographs. The whole group is seen in these two photos.

Top picture: Large Bernie Bags ($51.95) and Water Bottle Holders ($15.95)
Below: the Ecoclutch ($29.95) and Small Bernie Bags ($39.95)

Remember that through September 15 you can save 20% with coupon code houndhowls20!