Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Isn't Just for Pop Cans

You don't just have to be green in your heart. These days, you can wear your environmentalism on your sleeve -- quite literally.

Thanks to advances in fabric technology, everything from the shirt on your back to the boots on your feet can be made in earth-friendly ways. From no-brainers to new ideas, there are many ways you can green up your closet while keeping yourself in style.

One good idea is to reduce, reuse and recycle your jeans. Old clothes can get new life through recycling. Cotton, unlike petroleum-based polyester, can be remade into new fabrics. So there's no reason to just toss your jeans in the garbage when the backside wears beyond decency.

"If you insist on sharp, fresh fiber, you'd probably need new fabric," concedes Rinn Cloud, professor of textile science at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. But with recycled fabric, "you'll get a different, more earthy feel. A lot of people like that feel, as well as knowing they're recycling."

That said, Cloud suggests being cautious about eco-friendly claims. In order to give bamboo a soft enough texture for clothing, for instance, it has to be processed in a method similar to the creation of rayon. "The rayon process uses some pretty nasty chemicals," Cloud says.

Cloud also warns against dyed fabrics. "Many dyes are not environmentally friendly," she says. "Patterned fabric uses less dye and creates less effluent than fabric immersed in a vat of dye."

Another simple solution to get yourself green is wearing your trash. For two years, Phil Tepfer had been selling polos and T-shirts, attempting to get a clothing company up and running. One of his primary clients was a nautical company. "And they were keenly aware of the Pacific garbage patch," he says.

Currents in the Pacific Ocean create a kind of vortex between North America and Asia, and things floating in the ocean are often sucked into this vortex. As a result, generations' worth of litter -- from plastic bottles and abandoned fishing nets to cruise ship detritus -- has been slowly gathering in the middle of the Pacific. To give you a sense of scale, the patch is approximately the size of Texas.

When Tepfer found out that the material company making his shirts also did business selling furniture upholstery made out of processed plastic, a (presumably energy-efficient) light bulb went off above his head. What if, he thought, you took trash from a landfill and used it to make clothing?

In 2010, Tepfer founded LiveProud (liveproudgroup.com) and started asking local garbage dumps for their recyclable plastic. Not only does the company recycle, but it keeps things local. "It's really set us apart," Tepfer says. "We're making all these great products that people have an emotional connection to."

If LiveProud doesn't have the clothes you're looking for, other companies, like Patagonia and Timberland, are finding ways to incorporate landfill-bound trash into their products.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to one thing: knowing your clothes. "There are no easy answers," Cloud says. "If someone tries to tell you, 'These are the fibers to look for to be the most environmentally friendly,' I would be very wary of that."

Cloud says consumers have to instead rely on labels and certifications. "There are some groups that have established certification systems to verify that terms like organic, eco-friendly, et cetera are used to mean certain things."

The International Working Group's Global Organic Textile Standard (global-standard.org) is one of the leaders in standards and certification. So before you leave for the store, you may want to add one final step to the old shopping system of grabbing your car keys and credit card: doing some homework.

Solar technology has made it easier than ever to harness the sun's energy to power your techie tools and toys, or even your home. But while new solar-powered products have enhanced our wired lifestyle, the real success stories are being played out globally, as breakthroughs bring green energy beyond our borders to the nearly 2 billion people -- almost a third of humanity -- still struggling to access basic energy and technology needs.

Here are a few of the bright ideas bringing technology to life and shaping the future -- not just at home, but around the globe.

- Solar Ivy: Brother-and-sister sustainable-design duo Samuel and Teresita Cochran are the geniuses behind SMIT, which stands for Sustainable Minded Interactive Technology. With Solar Ivy, SMIT has created a solar energy product that looks and behaves like natural ivy on buildings.

Flexible, modular and customizable, Solar Ivy can be placed on buildings to absorb solar energy and create shade. Prices range up to $21 per leaf, with each one producing 4 watts of energy. For rural communities off the grid, Solar Ivy could be the answer to the prohibitive costs of traditional photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. Installing a 50-watt system -- enough to power three or four light bulbs, a radio and a couple of appliances in a home -- runs about $400 using PV panels. For a family living on $1 to $2 a day, that's unaffordable, whereas a Solar Ivy system could power a home for a fraction of that cost.

- Tensile Solar: Another SMIT invention, Tensile Solar could simultaneously transform the way we access technology in the great outdoors while bringing power to nomadic populations across the globe. Combining fabric design and thin-film PV technology, Tensile Solar structures are lightweight, modular systems that produce solar power. Think umbrellas, tents and cabanas while camping or at the beach: Pop it up, plug it in to a battery system, and you're charged.

- Solar-powered lanterns: Families in developing countries often rely on dangerous, air-polluting kerosene lanterns. According to a Millennium Development study, such lanterns kill 1.5 million people a year -- half of them kids under the age of 5. D.light Design is a company whose mission is to replace kerosene with solar power.

The d.light S1 (8 by 3.9 by 5.8 inches, 5.3 ounces) is a bright and affordable study light made specifically for off-the-grid young scholars hitting the books at night. For backpackers, this $10 lantern provides light at their campsite without any heavy lifting. According to d.light, a student who previously might have had just one hour to study with kerosene lamps now has enough light to finish up to four hours of homework, and a World Bank study in Sudan found that "pass rates in an entire village increased from 57 to 100 percent after students were provided with bright solar lighting."

- Solar chargers: Modern weekend warriors often head for the hills to relax, and of course they have to bring along their smartphones loaded with various energy-draining apps and GPS functions. Half a world away in the small village of Karaj, India, residents must walk 20 kilometers just to charge their mobile phones. Genesis Electronics Group has developed a solar charger that attaches to the back of many of today's smartphones, providing a solution for both needs. The SunBlazer charger features a 2-by-4-inch solar panel that optimizes the device's energy conversion process. This energy is stored in a self-contained battery and is ready on demand to power a cell phone. Fully charged, the Sunblazer has enough stored solar energy to fully power a depleted smartphone, with 30 percent left over for later.

For most of us, solar power is still somewhat of a novelty that comes in handy on sunny days to help maintain our mobile technology lifestyle. But in the developing world, the impact of solar technology has the potential to be far more transformative. The companies above are helping bring power and promise to impoverished parts of the world that may be short on infrastructure, but have long sunny days ahead of them.

There used to be a great divide between practical and eco-friendly household items. Today, that bridge is shrinking. The following examples illustrate how everyday objects in and around your home are being reinvented with the aid of technology to make them faster, better and greener.

- Milk fiber. First, milk did a body good. Now, milk fiber does the earth good. Created during World War I, milk fiber has recently gained popularity as a healthy alternative material for clothing. To create the fiber, you dry out milk, separate and dissolve the proteins in a chemical solution, then put the proteins into a machine that turns them into fiber. And if that's not cool enough, the fabric contains lots of amino acids that can help nourish your skin and keep it healthy.

- Dual-flush toilets. Join the toilet revolution! In the 1950s, toilets used 7 gallons of water for every flush. Today's congressional laws mandate a 1.6-gallon flush for all new toilets. Dual-flush toilets reduce the amount of water even further by offering users the option of a .8- or 1.6-gallon flush. The end result is that these high-efficiency toilets save thousands of gallons per year over the standard versions.

- Televisions. Yes, even TVs can go green. But would you believe they can also improve picture quality at the same time? Mitsubishi's LaserVue TVs utilize lasers to deliver up to twice the amount of color as standard flat-panel TVs -- while using only a fraction of the power. Vizio's Razor LED line of TVs regulate energy consumption by auto-adjusting screen brightness. Their razor-thin profile, as with models such as Samsung's UN60D6000, also employ LED backlighting in place of the CCFL backlighting of other LCD televisions, enabling lower power consumption, better heat dissipation, a brighter display and better contrast levels.

- Solar-powered flashlights. Who needs batteries? Choose between a myriad of flashlight options, including ones that use low-energy LED bulbs or solar cells, or solar hybrid models that store sunlight for later use. Some hybrid flashlights can hold a single charge for more than three years. Others come with a lifetime guarantee and can last up to 100,000 hours.

- Recycled-paper speakers. Chicago-based OrigAudio created a portable speaker made from newspapers, phone books and pizza boxes that is fully collapsible. The battery-free speakers lie flat for travel and then fold into a 7.6-centimeter cube. They connect to and draw power from any audio device with a standard 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. Best of all, you can find them online for less than $20, with a percentage of each purchase going to the nonprofit Music National Service.

- Eco-navigation. Want to drive green and safe? Earthrise Technology's Eco-Navigator plugs into your vehicle, providing an Internet-connected portable eco-navigation and eco-driving device. The handy tool offers five key applications: Eco-Driving, Trip Management and Summaries, Car Maintenance and Alerts, Vehicle Test and Setup. A personal Web portal shows drivers performance information, trip summaries, maintenance schedules and more.

Biking is great exercise, practical transportation, and pretty easy on the environment to boot. What makes it even more eco-friendly is the wealth of visionary, entrepreneurial energy that's gone into devising sustainable ways to clothe and accessorize bikers while helping them maintain their trusty wheeled steeds.

At their best, green products are made from recycled, recyclable or biodegradable materials (all three, if you're lucky). Their disposal has a minimal impact on the environment, and they either produce or conserve energy. Perhaps most important of all, they should be high-quality items that will last a long time. Keeping those criteria in mind, here are some must-have green bike gear items that you might want to consider taking for a spin.

- Clothing. Naturally moisture wicking, antimicrobial and biodegradable, wool is the original green fabric. New Zealand-based company Icebreaker makes top-of-the-line sportswear from merino wool, among others. Its clothing is silky soft, lightweight, odor resistant and incredibly durable. The company sources its wool from farms across the Southern Alps of New Zealand, and most products come with a label you can use to track your clothing back to the farm where its wool was grown. A special bike line is available in all styles, from base layer tops to shorts, leggings and jackets. As a product rep explains, "All we have to do is get people into these clothes, and after that it's all over. People collect these pieces."

- Messenger bags. You can't get much greener than a made-to-order bag from Rickshaw in San Francisco. Its Zero Messenger bags are handmade of sturdy, 100 percent recyclable fabric, either nylon or performance tweed (which is made from recycled plastic). The "zero" stands for zero waste -- every bit of fabric is used. "Made to order" means you get exactly what you want, and the company doesn't have any excess product sitting around. The bags come in all sizes, from mini to large, and they're a great way to carry all the stuff you need while biking.

- Efficient lighting. A dependable headlight means you'll be able to spend more time on the road, and a rechargeable battery means you can feel good about it. There are a lot of lights to choose from out there. California-based Cygolite has a solid fan base and consistently positive consumer reviews. Its Expilion 400 has a battery that you can recharge from your computer (with a USB charger) or household outlet. Four brightness settings illuminate city streets or dark trails while conserving your battery.

- Bike chain products. Toronto-based company Orontas uses, in its own words, "sustainable and biodegradable materials that don't come with skulls and crossbones." Its plant-based bike chain products include a degreaser/cleaner, a lubricant and waterproof grease. The cleaner comes in a convenient spray bottle. Many products are made at a facility run by 100 percent wind power.

- Other goodies. The Northwest is green, all right, but even if you don't live there, you can act like you do. Alchemy Goods, based in Seattle, has made an art out of turning recycled bike tires (and some car seat belts) into stylish messenger bags, wallets, backpacks, belts, purses and other accessories. The company calls it "upcycling." And the folks at Resource Revival, based in Mosier, Oregon, make bowls, key chains, bottle openers, photo frames, mirrors and whatever else they can think of out of recycled bicycle parts (mostly bike chains). They call it … wait for it … "rebicycling." In addition to coining catchy new words and selling worthwhile goods, both companies can help keep you healthy, green and spinning in style.

By 2014, the lightbulb as we've known it for more than a century will be turned off -- for good. Laws phasing out incandescent lamps in favor of more energy-efficient versions are about to change not only the way we purchase our replacement bulbs, but also the way we view lighting in general.

"It should be pretty exciting," says Mary Beth Gotti, manager of the GE Lighting & Electrical Institute in East Cleveland, Ohio. "It's going to let people play with light a little bit."

The phase-out begins in 2012, when 100-watt, incandescent bulbs disappear from store shelves. In their place you'll find three primary replacement options for existing fixtures: halogen bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps or light bulbs (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Halogen light looks and feels a lot like traditional lighting, because it comes from a type of incandescent bulb, albeit one that draws less power. The high operating temperature of halogen bulbs gives the light a particularly luminous quality that makes it ideal for a dining room, where you might want a little sparkle off the silverware and china.

CFLs, on the other hand, are best for general illumination -- in a table lamp, for instance. They've come a long way since they were introduced as those curlicue bulbs that never looked quite right popping up from under a lampshade. Currently the most energy-efficient and cost-effective of the new options, CFLs come in a full complement of cover shapes, from the classic A shape to globes and candelabras. Some still take a minute or two to warm up, but once they reach full output, the light is virtually indistinguishable from that of incandescent bulbs.

Then there are LEDs, excellent for task lighting and directed lighting. They also have a certain cool factor. They're already showing up in new construction embedded in staircases and railings, and also as toe kicks in bathrooms and kitchens -- both for safety and their elegance. "It has a real appeal for early adopters, people who want to be the first on their block with the latest and greatest toy," Gotti says.

Currently, there are few LEDs that can match the lumen output of a traditional 60-watt bulb, and their up-front cost is many times that of halogen bulbs and CFLs. Manufacturers, however, are constantly improving the technology and projecting extremely long lives that should make their products cost effective over time. "The consumer has to weigh that decision -- whether they think the lamp will last that long," cautions Jeremy Snyder, energy efficiency program director at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

Picking the best replacement bulbs for your home requires a little bit of homework. First, you'll need to know the light output of your current lamp. We used to think of that primarily in terms of watts (or power), but now you'll be looking for lumens (light output). Next, check what shape of bulb you need. The three standard types are A, BR and PAR. Finally, measure the width and length of the bulb you want to replace, and compare it with what you find in the store to make sure it will fit.

For dimming fixtures, be sure to choose a replacement bulb rated for dimming (it should be indicated on the packaging). Same goes for three-way and outdoor lamps. Snyder suggests buying only one bulb and testing it at home before deciding to buy more. It's also a good idea to keep the packaging and receipt together in case the bulb dies out under warranty.

No matter which type of lighting you choose, you'll find many more choices in terms of color. Traditional bulbs gave a warm, white light -- what you'll now find listed on packaging as having a color temperature of 2,700 to 3,000 degrees Kelvin (K). Cooler-toned light, which can complement rooms painted blue or green or those with a modern décor, hovers in the 4,100 K range. Above 5,000 K, the light resembles daylight and can make matching socks in a laundry room far easier than ever.

Many people love to express their joie de vivre through their yards. A modern-day challenge, however, comes from finding the balance between freedom of expression and earthly preservation.

With a little ingenuity and these environmentally friendly products, you can not only maintain and beautify your yard, but more important, lessen your footprint.

- Solar-powered rain barrel. Welcome to the next step in the evolution of eco-friendly watering devices. In addition to naturally collecting drain water, these types of rain barrels use solar power, enabling pressurized pumping through a garden hose. You can run low-pressure sprinklers, set up drip irrigation hoses, or even wash your car, all while repurposing the rain that fell in your yard. You can use these barrels for just about anything around your home, and they pump up to 100 gallons before needing a recharge.

- Soil moisture meter. Available for less than $10, these nifty little devices tell you which of your plants are thirsting for water. The end result is you only water plants that need it, eliminating water waste and overwatering that can kill your little carbon-dioxide-loving friends. There are no bells and whistles here -- and no batteries either. You just stick the meter into the soil and read the water level.

- Compost tumbler. Compost tumblers trump regular compost bins because they enable you to more quickly generate two different types of natural fertilizer: nutrient-rich compost and compost tea. Just a few simple turns of the drum a few times a week will result in rich, odorless compost in four to six weeks. Another bonus: Most tumblers are made from recycled materials. The compact design makes them ideal for almost any location in and around your yard.

- Garden hose filter. These relatively inexpensive filters eliminate almost 100 percent of the chlorine from tap water. This is important because chlorine kills beneficial bacteria in soil. In addition, these filters can also significantly reduce harmful, water-soluble metals such as lead, mercury, copper and nickel in your soil. Similar to an oil change for your car, you will need to replace the filter every 25,000 gallons or so, but this low-cost, high-benefit solution pays for itself many times over.

- Solar path light. You can find these handy-dandy beaming beacons at almost any general retail or home improvement store or online site, and they're quite inexpensive. Rather than relying on hard wires and electricity, these lights provide their glow wirelessly, taking the energy they need from the sun. A row of them staked into the ground will illuminate any garden path, won't overpower your yard with light, and will help light the way to a greener world. Whether you're in the garden or beyond, that's a wonderful thing.

These days, many of us are a sort of walking contradiction, wanting to simplify and reduce our environmental impact, while at the same time keeping pace with the latest high-tech gadgets. But who says the two can't go hand in hand?

Greening your lifestyle isn't always easy, but it can be a heckuva lot simpler if you take that supercomputer out of your pants pocket and put it to use. With help from social media, games and smartphone apps, you can not only make the world a better place, but, if you aren't careful, also have way too much fun doing it.

Read on for the latest and greatest ways to inform, engage and entertain yourself on the road to a more environmentally responsible mindset.

- "Trash Tycoon." A multiplayer Facebook game, "Trash Tycoon" celebrates "upcycling," the process of converting waste materials into new environmentally friendly products. Players take on the role of eco-entrepreneurs and work with friends -- communicating and collaborating in real time -- to attack their city's trash heaps. The game's trash-tackling mission directly mirrors that of its real-life sponsor, TerraCycle.

- "Ecotopia." In this Facebook game, players are challenged to transform a trashed environment into their own urban utopia by completing in-game tasks. What makes this game stand out from the others is its real-world crossover: "Ecotopia" empowers users to take sustainable actions in the real world that are then rewarded in the game world.

- "eMission." Another Facebook game to help you go green, "eMission" encourages players to protect their virtual coastal habitat by reducing their carbon dioxide footprint in the real world. By completing offline missions -- such as changing incandescent bulbs to Energy Star-qualified ones or recycling -- players earn points. Participants in "eMission" can also win prizes and scholarships from DoSomething.org.

- EcoChallenge. A smartphone app, EcoChallenge is equal parts magazine, calculator and social game, with weekly topics that raise green awareness. The calculator quantifies your own green choices, and various challenges provide you with assignments that allow for small steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle. The EcoChallenge app was nominated for the 2011 Clean Tech Media Award.

- Ecorio. This app uses your smartphone's GPS system to track your carbon footprint during travel, calculating what kind of footprint you may make annually if your habits stay consistent. Then the app gives you ideas for taking action to reduce your footprint, inspiring you to try greener options or purchase carbon offsets.

- MeterRead. For the sake of the environment and our wallets, it's in everybody's best interest to lower the readings on our energy meters. Enter MeterRead, a money-saving, eco-friendly app that eliminates the confusion of reading your electric meter and gives you feedback on your energy use. Studies show that motivated people who monitor their energy usage generally save around 10 to 20 percent on their electric bill.

- Locavore. When you're ready to tackle that green hurdle called local eating (yep, you can't eat your favorite fruit in winter), download this free app that offers government and NGO seasonal food data for each state, with listings of local farmers markets and stands. Click on a food item to see Wikipedia information, as well as seasonal Epicurious recipes.

With over 300 million individuals playing social games on Facebook every day, and billions of smartphone apps being downloaded, these fun and eco-friendly ways to learn about going green could have a far-reaching influence on people. As they play, they may learn how easy -- and even fun -- it can be to save the planet.

Can you hear it? That's the sound of you enjoying your collection of early-'80s hair bands, while simultaneously saving the world. As it turns out, you can be both an audiophile and an eco-conscious consumer. From replacing plastic with bamboo, to keeping nasty chemicals out of our drinking water, it's time to green up your sound system.

First off, rethink your gear. From the days of tapes and Walkmans, most audio devices haven't changed all that much. The headphones might be a little sleeker, the devices smaller and less boxy, but ultimately, it's all still made of plastic and metal.

It doesn't have to be that way. Tony Hancock, president of operations at online retailer Ethical Ocean (ethicalocean.com), travels trade shows from Toronto to San Francisco looking for products that are good for people, animals and the environment. "The interesting thing about electronics," Hancock says, "[is that] it's been one of the last markets to fall into the growth potential of going green."

The electronics selection at Ethical Ocean is still pretty limited. But among Hancock's finds are a set of speakers made mostly of biodegradable cardboard. Hancock himself owns a set, and takes them wherever he travels. "The thing that's great about those is that they fold up," he explains.

Among other innovations, companies will use compressed bamboo rather than plastic to make cases. In the coming years, Hancock says, "I think you'll see a lot of well-known brand names go to a more eco-friendly focus."

One nuisance we all must endure for the sake of our tunes is constantly charging our devices -- but wouldn't it be nice if we could go green and ditch the guilt? A Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company named CableOrganizer.com started out as a husband-and-wife team selling devices to keep all those cords, wires and plugs we use for electronic devices in better order. Now, they've gone solar.

The company's newest mission is helping you reduce the number of cables you need in the first place, with help from solar chargers. Admittedly, the chargers can be slow, but they need nothing more than sunlight to get your smartphone charged. Ethical Ocean is also getting into the solar-charging game, offering backpacks that will fire up your gear while you're out and about.

As an added bonus, solar charging isn't limited by geography and outlet availability. "It works for international travel, if you don't want to have to get an electrical adapter," points out CableOrganizer.com spokeswoman Christina Hansen.

Ultimately, one of the greenest measures you can take when considering an electronic device is simply checking the label. Some audio electronics just aren't available with bamboo casings, or are too big for solar chargers, and you should try and be aware of that before you buy them. But just because a hip new gadget isn't eco-friendly, it doesn't mean you need to give up on the movement entirely.

In 2003, the European Union adopted the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, commonly known as RoHS. The act severely limits the amount of six toxic materials to be used in electronic and electrical equipment, restricting such substances as lead, mercury and polybrominated biphenyls -- all commonly found in radios and other home electronics.

When you get a new MP3 player and toss your old one, those chemicals end up in the water and soil.

A pleased Hansen says she's now beginning to see RoHS-compliant goods appear through online sellers in the United States. So, even if you can't find a totally green version of your music-playing gadget, you can ensure that it won't do as much damage to the environment when you upgrade in a couple of years.

"That [RoHS label] is something people can look for," Hansen advises.

You might have to look a little harder than in the past, and Hancock warns that green devices aren't always as cheap as their less earth-friendly counterparts. But with a little time and effort, you'll soon be able to rock out to your personal Top 40 with buzzing ears, tapping toes -- and a clear conscience.