Recycling Projects: Plastic Bottle Butterflies

Plastic Bottle Butterflies

         Parental supervision may be needed for this project as it requires the use of sandpaper, sharp tacks, and cutting plastic with scissors, which can be difficult.

Picture courtesy of: http://seedtofeedme.blogspot.com/2013/02/butterfly-facts.html

         Supplies needed:

         Empty 2-liter plastic bottle

         180-grit sandpaper

         Scissors

         Paints, paintbrushes

         Marker

         Pins or tacks, a surface to pin on

Recycling Projects: Plastic Bottle Piggy Bank

Plastic Bottle Piggy Bank

Here’s a tip from a senior in high school who is planning on attending a $55,000/year college: it’s never too early to start saving for your higher education! So today, I’m going to show all the lovely people on Viridorari, especially the youth, how to make a piggy bank out of a plastic bottle. 
    This project involves minimal amounts of cutting. Please supervise your children during these steps.

    Materials
•    Plastic bottle, 2 liter bottle (the bigger the better!)
•    Pink felt or construction paper
•    Four extra bottle caps
•    Pink and black acrylic paint
•    Pink pipe cleaner
•    Googly eyes (optional)
•    Glue/tape
•    Scissors/knife

Harsh Facts & Ecofriendly Economics: Unplug Your Electronics

Harsh Facts of the Week

Almost 90% of all floating materials in the ocean are plastic. Plastic is an extremely harmful pollutant because it does not readily break down in environments. 

Marine debris, most notably plastic, kills more than one million seabirds and 100,000 mammals and sea turtles every year. 

Studies done in the North Sea revealed that a type of seagull called fulmars averaged thirty pieces of plastic in their stomachs. 

300,000 dolphins, whales and porpoises die each year after becoming entangled in fishing nets. 

Between fifty and sixty million tons of untreated municipal waste is disposed from China's coastal cities every day. 

Oil is deteriorating the quality of the ocean but only 12% of it comes from oil spills. The rest enters the oceans through runoff and drains.

Do you live in a coastal area? How much waste build up do you notice along your coast and in the water? What contributes to that? I encourage you to find out how and why your local waters are being polluted, and then to do something about it. I'm currently at a political program in my state's capital, Albany, and I've been learning a lot about lobbying and how to do it. I hope to write about lobbying or introduce a Guest Writer who is a lobbyist so that ordinary, environmentally concerned viewers, like you can learn how to make your voice heard in the government.

A dump in Alaska

Picture courtesy of: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/photos/ocean-pollution/#/alaska-dump_46_600x450.jpg

Recycling Projects: Apple Gift Boxes

Plastic Bottle Apple Gift Boxes

Supplies

• Two plastic bottles of the same size
• Scissors
• Green, yellow, or red acrylic paint and paintbrush
• Brown pipe cleaners
• Green tissue paper or paper rope
• Ribbon (optional)
• Glue (to apply ribbon, optional)

    This simple, adorable little project was borrowed from http://krokotak.com/2013/03/plastic-bottle-apples/ and the end result can become a gift, a house decoration, or a usable container. All of the pictures in this post came from the link above.

Recycling Projects: Plastic Bottle Bird Feeder

Plastic Bottle Bird Feeder

Supplies Needed:

• 2 liter plastic bottle with cap
• String or wire
• Scissors, knife, hole punch, wire cutters
• Wood dowel or chopsticks (used or unused)
• Super glue or hot glue gun
• Ruler
• Spray paint and/or acrylic paint and paintbrushes (optional)
• Bird feed

 This project was adapted from a more decorative, intricate project I found online, which you can find here: http://www.favecrafts.com/Green-Crafting/Plastic-Bottle-Birdfeeder#
My version is more simplified. Mine is also less aesthetic, but don't let that discourage you from using your plastic bottle bird feeder. You can customize your bird feeder in any way you like to make it look, well, less like a plastic bottle. The bird feeder made from favecrafts.com is beautiful! So, if you're feeling crafty, check out the link above.

 This project involves some cutting, so please supervise your children or do the cutting for them to make sure they don't get hurt. I'm going to make my own plastic bottle bird feeder as I write this post, and add pictures of my progress as I go!