Is your stash of reusable bags a little bit slim? If you've got an old t-shirt handy, you can turn it into a DIY mesh grocery bag super easily!

My very first reusable grocery bag was one of those crochet mesh ones. I got it at a health food store as a teen and felt so good about saying no to plastic and doing the family grocery shopping. The whole thing felt so grown up!

Over the years, I've built up a big stash of reusable bags, and I don't think any of them are that old school mesh sort that I remember from my teen years.

Those bags were great, though! You could shove them in your purse, because they got really small, but the mesh design meant they expanded to hold way more food than they looked like they would.

Want your own mesh bag, but don't want to pony up for the expensive crochet version they sell at the store? Delia Creates shows you how to make your own out of a reclaimed tee, no crochet skills required! All you need are:

• an old t-shirt
• pen
• fabric scissors
• sewing machine/thread or needle/thread
• ruler
• rotary cutter (optional)

Get the tutorial here!

Note: She says that you can use a straight stitch or a narrow zigzag, and I would definitely go with the latter, unless you're super skilled at sewing jersey. The zigzag gives that knit fabric more room to stretch, so you'll be less likely to have stitches break.

As an avid traveler, biker and part-time computer nerd, I own more Timbuk2 products than I'm proud to admit. Or maybe I am proud to own them, they're incredibly durable, seem to last forever and there's a product for almost every occasion or need. Five years and a few trips around the world later, my messenger bag still looks practically new. That being said, Timbuk2 is a company I trust and value, purely from personal experience. No paid endorsements here. I promise.

Adding environmentalist to my list of personas, I was stoked to discover Timbuk2 recently launched their Full-Cycle collection, a suite of bags and totes made from 100% recycled and recyclable materials. The line includes four different bag styles, each constructed with recycled PET fabrics and liners. Full-Cycle represents the first line of Global Recycle Standard (GRS) approved products from Timbuk2. GRS assesses various manufacturing factors including the product's supply chain, traceability of materials, social responsibility measures and labeling.

The enviro-goodness doesn't stop with improved manufacturing methods and recycled materials. Ever heard the phrase "you deserve better" mid-breakup? Or maybe you were the one spouting such cliche idioms to your once-amore. Well Timbuk2 understands the sentiment.

If somewhere down the road you decide to break up with your bag, Timbuk2 will happily take it back and place it with a new, and probably more appreciative, owner. Seriously though, through donations and partnerships with several different charities, Timbuk2 has recycled over 4,500 bags. Timbuk2 accepts just about any bag (in usable condition) and provides customers with a 20% discount on their next purchase. The Full-Cycle line is unique from previous products in that the PET fabric itself can be recycled, so even if the bag is no longer usable, it can be made into something new. Whether giving bags a second life or recycling specific components, Timbuk2 is clearly committed to diverting waste from landfills.

The Full-Cycle collection can be viewed on Timbuk2's website here.

Photo source: Timbuk2

This fall, instead of buying plants at the store, I'm going to start my garden from seed! Some seeds will do fine if you sow them right into the ground, but quite a few of the seeds that I chose need to be germinated before planting.

We have one little seedling tray that a friend got me for Christmas, but I think I'm going to have more seedlings than tray. Rather than purchase something new to start those babies, I've been looking for a few ways to make recycled seed starter pots. Here are a few of the ideas I've run across:

• I'm loving these seed starter pots made from newpaper!
• Urban Organic Gardener shows you how to make simple starter pots from toilet paper or paper towel rolls.
• You can make starter pots out of eggshells. This one's not vegan, but for you non-vegans, it's a good way to reuse eggshells, rather than tossing them in the trash!
• If you have a yogurt habit, you can use the cups as seed starters.
• You can also reuse paper coffee or water cups to start your seeds. Just give them a good rinse before planting.

I'm pretty excited about this fall garden situation! It's my first time growing plants from seeds, and I'm trying to do everything by the book. If anyone has experience with this kind of thing, I'd love to hear your insights! Tips on starting seeds and transplanting seedlings would be much appreciated.

Have you guys come across any other cool recycled starter pots? I'd love to hear more ideas in the comments!

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by snowmentality

Can you believe that summer is so close to being over? School starts back up as early as the first week of August in some places!

Back to school shopping has traditionally meant hitting up the big box stores for school supplies, but you don't have to support huge corporations to outfit your child for classes. Instead of running to Target or Wal-Mart for school supplies, check out these eco-friendly finds from some indie crafters instead!

1. Take notes in style with an upcycled, hand-bound journal from Falling Coconuts.
2. Remaine Wicked has all of your toting needs covered with this messenger bag made from men's suits.
3. Keep on top of assignments with this recycled day planner from Little Mo and Friends.
4. Ditch the waste and pack your lunch in style with a custom Lunch Kit from yours truly!
5. Keep that bag organized with an organic pencil case by Sage + Kai

Have you guys been doing any early back to school shopping? I'd love to hear how you're keeping it green!

I just learned that the kids here in Atlanta start school again on August 9th! That seems crazily early to me. Didn't school start closer to fall when we were kiddos?

My running partner and I were talking about that first day of school. Her kids are so excited! They've already picked out their first day of school outfits, and they're on the hunt for bags, binders, and other school supplies to get them ready for class.

Are your kids getting ready to start classes again? Why not send them off with some of these eco-friendly, handmade finds!

Get those kids organized and ready for class with:

1. They can tote their supplies in style with this organic messenger bag.
2. Keep those pens and pencils in order with a cute quilted pouch made from reclaimed fabrics.
3. For taking notes, this recycled paper notebook is just right!
4. Help them organize their assignments with an upcycled magnet board.
5. A recycled clip board made from an old circuit board is perfect for doing homework just about anywhere!
6. For younger kids, this coloring bag made from repurposed jeans is handy for toting books and art supplies.

When do your kids start school again? Are you picking up new school supplies for them, or are they reusing items from last year?

Solar panels are now being embedded in everything from cell-phone cases to braziers, so why not put them on luggage?

Finding power sources for electronic gadgets is a problem that plagues everyone, regardless of their shade of green. While bags and backpacks with solar charging capabilities have been released in the past, they have been from relatively unknown companies and carried price tags that reduced them to little more than wishful thinking for many travelers. This summer, however, luggage industry leader Samsonite announced that it would release a new line of bags seemingly aimed at on-the-go green techies.

To create the bags, Samsonite will work with Ascent Solar, a Colorado company that has made a name for itself in flexible and lightweight thin-film PV technology.

The light-weight CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide) modules to be used in the Samsonite products will produce enough electricity to recharge small mobile devices like cell phones, GPS navigators, and media players, according to Ascent Solar.

The bag can reportedly carry a notebook of 15.6 inches, although it does not yet have the ability to charge its battery.

And the bag's green appeal doesn't just end with it's solar-charging capabilities. NewLaunches.com reports that the body of the bag is made out of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET), a plastic that takes 2/3 less energy to utilize. Other studies show that the production of recycled plastic requires 2/3 less of sulphur dioxide, 50% less of nitrous oxide, and almost 90% less water usage than virgin plastic.

And the best news? This bright-idea bag can be yours for under $100 when it shows up in the market later this year.

Image Credit: NewLaunches.com

These lunch bags by GreenSmart are constructed from Neogreene fabric, an ecofriendly alternative to Neoprene. They're healthier for you and for the planet.

Javan is just one of the lunch bag styles from GreenSmart, but I was taken by this style's elastic band for securing your beverage. It's pictured above with a plastic juice bottle, but I tried it out with my reusable metal bottle, and that fit nicely, as well!

So how did this lunch bag stack up?

The Bag
Since I work from home these days, I tried to send the bag in to work with my husband. It didn't fit into his backpack, so I enlisted my pal Robert to be the lunch-toting Guinea pig. Robert said he had no issues fitting it into his backpack. It sort of makes me wonder what my husband is toting around town!

The Javan is nice and roomy inside, and he said that it kept his food cold until lunchtime He was a big fan of the front pocket on this style. It was just right for packing himself a napkin and some utensils.

He did want me to stress that he felt like the Javan style was very purse-like. If you're in the market for a manly bag, you might want to check out the Margay, which is shaped more like an old school lunch box.

The Company
GreenSmart developed Neogreene as an ecofriendly alternative to Neoprene. Neogreene is free of chlorine, PVC, and formaldehyde. The fabric is also no-VOC. It uses 25% less petroleum and 25% less energy to produce than Neoprene, and uses only water-based adhesives.

The company names each of the bags in its food and beverage collection for an endangered animal and donates 10% of its net profits to the World Wildlife Fund and other environmental organizations. They named the Javan bag for Named for the endangered Javan rhinoceros. I just love that they're donating to the WWF. It's one of my personal favorite charities!

You can check out the full line of their lunch bags on the GreenSmart website. They're also available over at greenfeet.com. GreenSmart is offering Green Upgrader readers a 25% off coupon code good through December 31st on their website! Just enter GSTW25 to redeem your discount.