Tomorrow is Earth Day...

As a family, we try to be environmentally conscious as much as we can on a daily basis. We minimize our use of electricity and water; we pack reusable containers for lunches; we've cut back on heat and air conditioning; we're switching over to compact flourescent lightbulbs and much more. Basically we are finding ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and repurpose wherever possible. It's really not that hard to start small with just a few changes and gradually you'll find more ideas that are just as easy to implement.

Another change we've made in the past year or so is to minimize our use of plastic bags and instead opt for reusable totes. Today I thought I'd share a recent project I made in honor of tomorrow's celebration of Earth Day - a canvas tote bag.

The bag is constructed of a cotton canvas along with some printed fabric I used for the liner and to embellish the outside of the bag. The tote is super sturdy and has reinforced straps sewn into the bag. I can pack it chock full of groceries including quart containers of milk or juice.

It also has assorted pockets inside to hold the necessities for shopping.

And I embellished the outside of the bag with these fabric flowers made with concentric circles cut with scallop and pinking shears.

It's been a great addition to the reusable totes I already own and it was relatively simple to make. For more detailed information as well as more photos and the instructions for this project, you can check out my Earth Day Tote Bag at Fiskars.

And if you're looking for more ideas on how to help save the environment visit SEQL's 100 list.

I'd love to hear about your own experiences and efforts. So if you have any ideas or can share things that you and your family do, please post them here in the comments section!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Earth Day!


Patti