Recycled Canvas Bags and Hats by PAZ Apparel | Fashion Peace.

Our Recycled Canvas Baseball Caps Featured in Bridal Guide Magazine!

We're very excited to have been featured in the upcoming issue of Bridal Guide Magazine.

Clearly our recycled canvas hats and bags aren't just for women.....it seems men are environmentally aware too!

The Rainforest baseball cap is featured for its recycled canvas material and faux leather finish which is produced from sustainable plant matter found in the Amazon. More about our beginnings in the world of recycled fashion...

And check out 'This Next' which featured our Carpe Diem Australian Outback hat in a recent issue. This Next is a terrific resource for discovering new and unique items.

Wiki-Monday: Epiphany

From Wikipedia: Epiphany

An epiphany is the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something. The term is used in either a philosophical or literal sense to signify that the claimant has "found the last piece of the puzzle and now sees the whole picture," or has new information or experience, often insignificant by itself, that illuminates a deeper or numinous foundational frame of reference. (numinous - the transcendent)

So Many Wonderful Things Are Happening!

In just the past week I have noticed more and more buzz about recycling, re-purposing, salvaging, re-using and reducing. It's a very exciting thing to witness when you've spent much of your adult life wishing the mainstream would just 'get it'....and it seems like this whole idea of being responsible and actually caring for the planet that sustains us might just finally be sinking in.

We CAN live in a sustainable world if each of us would actually accept personal responsibility.

And to help us see the light, TLC (The Learning Channel/Discovery) is getting ready to launch an entire network of programming dedicated to all things 'green'. Planet Green.

One of the new programs, 'Wasted' shines the spotlight on a different family each week and helps them take steps to reduce their eco-footprint while teaching them how to live more responsibly and sustainably.

Maybe the days of watching twenty something spoiled brats romp around the big brother house 24/7 are nearly over.

One can only hope.

Save The Honey Bee!

Have you seen the rather haunting Haagen Dazs commercial making the rounds??....well it convinced me to check out their website helpthehoneybees.com. They did a very nice job of getting the news out about the plight of the honey bee. Please have a look.

Reduce Waste and Spring Clean at the Same Time

Growing up my mother would clean our windows using a simple water and vinegar solution. Then at some point in my life I stopped using vinegar and picked up the 'blue stuff'. Where did I go so wrong?

Add 2 tbls of vinegar to 1 gallon of water to make your own window cleaner. Then put the solution in a spray bottle and voila you have window clearer that cost a lot less than that blue stuff.

And instead of wasting paper towels to do the job switch to good old newspaper. You'll get super clean streak free windows in no time and be reusing a precious resource.

Thanks to 'The Daily Green' for reminding me of the 'good ol days'.

Are you the Greenest Person on the Planet?

Visit 3rd Whale and take their survey to see if you are the greenest person on the planet.

Ok, unless you are so green that you live off grid in a forest (hopefully one that hasn’t been deforested yet), you have all heard about global warming, deforestation, peak oil (if you haven’t heard of it, just check the prices at the pump), peak food (more recent and maybe even more scary threat), etc. We don’t want to depress you with the whole list.

In honor of Earth Day 2008 and a recognition that finally it appears environmental and social issues have come to the forefront throughout the world, 3rdwhale.com would like to tip the scales even more.

We are announcing a global competition for the greenest person in the world. If there are enough applicants we will let each country vote online for the greenest person in their country and then the winning entries from each country will be faced off and a global vote to determine 2008’s Greenest Person on the Planet. Each country representative will have their entry posted on www.3rdwhale.com and they will be given the opportunity to post a 5 minute video of their life and why they should be considered.

Take the Survey!

Wiki-Monday: Serendipity

From Wikipedia: Serendipity

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

Norman Foster Speaks About Green Architecture

A tiny bit long winded but definitely informative.

Wiki-Monday: Respect

From Wikipedia: Respect

Respect is taking into consideration the views and desires of others and incorporating it into your decisions. When you respect another, you factor in and weigh others' thoughts and desires into your planning and balance it into your decision making.

An example would be: respecting someone's opinion. You may or may not agree, but you place it into consideration, and it may ultimately influence your decision (even if partially).

Respect can also be applied to taking care of oneself or the environment.

Respect adds general reliability to social interactions. It helps people get along with other people.

Bagging Plastic!

Good news!!! Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and City Council are proposing a 20-cent surcharge on plastic bags in an effort to get consumers to reduce their use of plastic bags and to encourage re-usable shopping bags.

A small victory in an epic battle against the plastic bag. And think about it, plastic bags are made from petroleum products so kicking our bag habit will go a long way toward kicking our bigger gas guzzling habits.

And in yet more encouraging news, this past March 15, all IKEA stores in the US started charging a nickel per plastic bag in an effort to get customers to take their purchases home in reusable bags or better yet, armfuls. Another move in the right direction to cut down on plastic bag waste.

"Proceeds of up to $1.75 million (that's a whole lot of bags) from the bag campaign will go to American Forests, the nation's oldest non-profit citizens conservation organization, to plant trees to restore forests and offset CO2 emissions (we mentioned that program here).

To help alter customer behavior and endorse environmentally responsible habits, IKEA will be selling its reusable 'Big Blue Bag' (pictured above) for 59 cents, reduced from 99 cents.

"We realize that our 'Bag the Plastic Bag Program' is a small step. But we know our customers want to help and support the sustainability of our planet - for today - and for the future of our children. This program lets our customers know we have our stake in the ground and are committed to continuing to be an environmentally responsible company," says Pernille Spiers-Lopez, president of IKEA North America.

IKEA projects that the number of plastic bags used by their U.S. customers will be reduced by at least 50% from 70 million to 35 million in the first year. This program was launched in IKEA stores in the UK in late Spring 2006, and reduction has been an impressive 95 percent.

And just when you thought plastic bags were going to take over the world along comes Craftzine.com wiht some pretty creative uses for used plastic bags! (The outfit at the top of this post is a plastic bag creation) Check out these other creative uses for plastic bags!!