All posts tagged: recycle

Earth Day: Upcycle Challenge

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Save Cayman is inviting the community of the Cayman Islands to join in an ‘Upcycle Challenge.’  Adults and youth can dive into their creative talents, by finding cleaver ways to upcycle and transform recycled materials.  “The challenge is to encourage the community to be creative and innovative and find new purposes for used and recycled materials! Much of what we throw away can find new lives, have new uses, and solve daily problems,” says Save Cayman.  The heart of this challenge will draw attention to how much items we use on a daily basis that can be recycled or even repurposed.  It encourages us to examine our consumer culture and think of innovative solutions to avoid materials ending up in a landfill.  Increasing the lifespan of items by repurposing them helps to offset the amount of items that would otherwise end up in a landfill.  The challenge to upcycle recyclable materials encourages us to find positive solutions and practices to help shift us away from a culture of using single-use disposable items. Recycling Facts Every …

Sage Larock: Redefining Fashion Upcycling Plastic Into Swimwear

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Behind all of the glitz and glamour of the fashion world is an ugly side.  There is an incredible amount of textile waste and pollution produced by the fashion industry.  “It is the second highest global polluter of clean water because of its use of toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde, and other toxic compounds” (Sage Larock).  In an era of conscious consumers, and a growing movement to pass on plastic consumers are evaluating their consumption habits.  Some are becoming more interested in how clothing is made.  As a result, they are seeking out sustainably and ethically made clothing.  Sustainable fashion is a game changer, it is redefining fashion and redesigning the way clothing is made.  In particular,  Sage Larock  is founded upon being a sustainable luxury line of swimwear and apparel made in Los Angeles, California.  The ethos of their sustainable clothing is making beautiful swimwear that is inspired by the sea and designed to be ocean friendly.  At the heart of their environmentally responsible approach is reclaiming ocean plastic debris and transforming it into fabric.  …

5 Reasons to ditch that plastic straw

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Spoiler alert, plastic straws are no longer in vogue.  It is the end of the era of the plastic straw.  Many of us have had the last straw (both literally and metaphorically) when it comes to single-use plastic.  Single-use plastics have a significant environmental impact and are polluting our oceans in a major way.  There is a massive amount of plastic floating around our oceans, it is estimated that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is 700,000 square miles, equivalent to the size of Texas!  Plastic waste is starting to take over our oceans.  Divers, surfers, and regular beach goers are constantly finding and removing plastic off the beach and from the oceans.  Our lifestyle of convenience wrapped in plastic needs to be reevaluated, we know that single-use plastic is harmful to marine life, birds and our environment.  By 2050 oceans will contain more plastic than fish.  Plastic is harmful to marine life and coral reefs.  That being said, we need to unite in an effort to change our consumer habits, by switching over to sustainable …

One Man’s Trash, Is Another’s Recycled Art

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Marc Laurenson, local artist and cofounder of Stoak’d Cayman, is starting a new art movement in the Cayman Islands.  He is bridging his passion for art with conservation.  Specifically, he is repurposing materials that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill or recycle bins (depending on the product) into his canvas and transforming trash into bold artwork. One of his pieces in his new collection was constructed entirely from Coca Cola products.  Another, was made from Heineken products.  Marc’s newly inspired artwork, creates great statement pieces and an interesting commentary on consumerism.  It illustrates the impact marketing and advertising have on our society.   Consumerism has essentially become a major component of our culture.  We are constantly bombarded with marketing and advertisements pushing us to buy more, consume more products.  Marc’s artwork made entirely of consumer products forces us to examine the amount of products we consume and purchase on a daily basis.  Moreover, it highlights the urgency there is for us all to collectively make the effort to recycle, repurpose or reuses products …

Top 5 Green Resolutions for 2016

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  Happy New Year! Goodbye 2015 and hello 2016! Just over a week into the new year and I am sure many of you are still going strong with your New Year’s Resolutions.  This year consider throwing a green resolution or two into the mix. Last year, the UN held their climate conference in Paris.  The biggest takeaway is that climate change is a global issue, it is real and it is a part of our reality.  Whether we like it or not, man does in fact contribute to climate change. However, there are simple things we can do in our lifestyle to help reduce our carbon footprint. This morning I had the pleasure of being on Daybreak 27 with Edlyn Ruiz.  To view my interview please check back for a special blog post or visit my Facebook Page. Here are my Top 5 Green Resolutions for 2016 Switch to Energy Efficient Bulbs Changing your light bulbs to energy efficient ones can help reduce not only your carbon footprint but your electricity bills. So, it …

How To Make Eco-Friendly Rustic Wine Glasses

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It’s been a while since I dived into a eco-chic DIY project.  My latest project involved upcycling peanut butter jars into rustic wine glasses.  Bonus: I have included my summer White Wine & Elderflower Sangria. Mason jars have been the latest trend, and often used at rustic weddings or rustic soirees and dinner parties.  Well, move over mason jars, because peanut butter jars are the new rustic eco-friendly glass on the dinner table.  Whilst, I love mason jars repurposed as a drinking glass, I thought why go out and buy them just to be eco-friendly and on trend, when I can easily repurpose peanut butter jars?  When living an eco-friendly lifestyle it is great to find creative ways to upcycle, recycle, reuse and repurpose items you already have.  Recycling glass jars is fantastic! However, you can also repurpose the jars into trendy eco-chic drinking glasses. It’s been one hot summer, so cool down with a refreshing glass of White Wine Sangria with Elderflower. Make Your Own Rustic Wine Glasses What you will need: Peanut Butter jars …