I admit we have a thing for recycled bike part belts. They look great and they make great use of repurposed and recycled materials. This brass beauty was created by Steel Toe Studios.

This post is submitted by guest writer, Tara Alley.

It’s estimated that we throw away approximately 4 million tons of wrapping paper a year. 4 MILLION TONS. Can you believe that? This year, I’m vowing to make a return to recycling paper and to trying my hand at some “alternative” methods of wrapping. If you’re with me on this one, keep reading. Some basic ideas include: using newspaper comics (recyclable, fun, quirky, entertaining), jars and baskets (always have a second use after opening!), a fun fabric (especially ideal for the sewer…) re-use some old wallpaper, draw your own artwork (becomes a gift in itself), stamp a fun pattern on recycled paper, and re-use brown garbage bags.

However, for those of you who crave a little more adventure, a little more “you” and a little more process, this is for you: Make Your Own.  Yes, that’s right, we’re going to make our own brown paper, and then when we’re done, you can use as is, stamp it, draw on it, crumple it up, you name it. This is the ultimate way to recycle and cut down on more paper consumption this Christmas season. (more…)

West coast-based Urban Hardwoods creates impressive rustic wood home furnishings from the salvaged and reclaimed lumber obtained from the remains of diseased, dead, or storm damaged trees.

The magnificent chunk of California Redwood that forms the headboard of the bed pictured above was found in a barn near Mt. Vernon Washington. The 5 giant slabs of Redwood had originally been offered to a cabinetmaker in the Midwest, who for whatever reason, never got around to using them. More of Urban Hardwoods’ work is pictured below:

In order above: salvaged walnut desk, salvaged elm bench and elm dining table – all made from wood salvaged from the Seattle, Washington area.

• Will states do what the Feds won’t? Calif. Set to Adopt Sweeping Cap-and Trade Regs – msnbc
• BP to pay a fine based on the amount of oil spilled. They’ll make every effort to fudge the numbers…BP Investors Spooked by Oil Spill Lawsuit – yahoo! new
• ‘Conflict-Free’ should be a new product category…Is Your Christmas Gift Fueling War? – npr
• Seaweed as Biofuel? Metabolic Engineering Makes it a Viable Option – sciencedaily
• 46 years old – the deepest diving sub on the planet will soon go even deeper…Deep Sea Sub Alvin Set for Major Upgrade – bbc
• Polar Bear Doomed? Only if Greenhouse Gas Emissions Aren’t Cut – cs monitor
• Who will lay claim to it first? Mars has Liquid Water Close to Surface – natgeo
• Good headline. Gimme Shell-ter! Chinese Man Evicted From Giant Egg – aol news

Keep the kids off the computer and away from the video games with this old school board game with a new school message – recycle. This eco recycling game is designed to instill responsible recycling habits through game play. The game teaches children how to save natural resources and energy by keeping dangerous materials out of landfills and incinerators. Kids get to think about where materials end up and develop a sense of enthusiasm for recycling.

The set includes: a soft play mat, 4 recycled fins, 4 figurines, 16 pieces of recyclable waste tokens, and dice. The person with no tokens left at the end of the game is the winner. For 1-4 players, ages 4 and up. Find it @ re-modern.com.

Sending personalized Christmas, New Year’s, Hannukah, Kwanza and any other special occasion greeting card can be simple and sustainably elegant. I’ve been using JacquieLawson.com to send beautifully animated e-cards for the past few years. The holiday selection is great, but the real value is in the annual membership – only $12 for the year!! Send as many cards as you like to as many people as you like. You can’t beat this for financial savings, as well as saving valuable trees, time and energy.

No hassle finding stamps, and no transportation required to transport paper-based cards across the country or across the world. Easy on you and easy on the environment — just another way to KISS – Keep It Simple, Silly for these crazy holidays.

Quite a flurry of sale activity – here are a few good ones for gifts.

• Jeweled bags just $20 and unique wood bracelets $10; a portion of proceeds donated to worthy causes. 20% off sustainably made and Fair Trade fashion at fiveACCESSORIES. Enter code MINDFUL at checkout and receive 20% off your entire purchase, offer expires December 31, 2010.
• Send some green to non-profit Grist magazine, and receive a tax deduction. Donations of $50 will be matched by an anonymous donor, but even five bucks would bring them some holiday cheer.
• Soaptopia’s massage candles and Plantfumes are 33% off for a limited time, (no code necessary).
• At Terra Firma Cosmetics – use coupon code ELF 15 on Wednesday and Thursday and receive 15% off your entire order.
• Make a tax deductible donation to GreenAmerica before December 31, 2010 and supporters will match your donation dollar to dollar.  Plus, with an Annual Membership, you’ll receive a FREE Cause I Care Package with useful goodies.
• At MaggiesOrganics, Wednesday (today only) receive 15% off any orders over $25. Use coupon code HOLIDAYS15 at checkout. (not valid on outlet or items already on sale).

This 17″ sterling silver silver and resin pendant necklace features 3 vintage, brown postage stamps from Japan, Kenya and The Netherlands.

The postage stamps have been placed at the base of sterling silver bezel cups, which are soldered to small links, resin is then poured on top of each cup to seal everything.

The necklace is shipped with a little card identifying each stamp’s country of origin. Designed and handcrafted by Foxglove Accessories.

California entrepreneur, Paul Ogren, takes the holiday phrase “Peace on Earth” very seriously. Paul and his wife Sandee recycle the remains of dismantled, Midwest missile silos – decommissioned in the 1980′s – to make fine jewelry, Christmas ornaments and other useful items.

The couple’s company, From War to Peace unearthed and extracted the copper cabling that connected the silos and ground it into copper chop which then was made into a gleaming, butter-smooth alloy they call Peace Bronze. From it, the artisans at their company, From War to Peace, create finely crafted designer jewelry and other objects the embody the spirit of peace.

Featured above is their line of Christmas ornaments. They also make clocks, and wind chimes. Packaging for the products is made out of 100% recycled paper and biodegradable materials.

“All FWTP’s designs revolve around symbols of peace,” explains Paul Ogren. As part of their commitment to making the world a better place as well as a safer one, the FWTP folks are donating 20 percent of profits to deserving peace and social justice organizations, worldwide.

These items will make a great holiday gift – and no – they’re not radioactive!