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Recycle your old shoes. (nikereuseashoe.com)

Southampton - The inaugural list of the Top 10 List of Free and Cheap things to know and to do that will help the world, your lifestyle or you! The four principles of eco-friendly design are: recycle, reuse, sustainable and non-toxic. All too often, there is too much emphasis on the principles, and no one gives you information on what you can do that is truly accessible. So, here is the list, and if you are enjoying the summer like the rest of us, a few of the items on this list could come in handy for dinner party conversation - or a summer project for your children!

(cottonfrombluetogreen.org).

#1 - Eyeglass Recycling Helps Needy

Jake Gyllenhall is a supporter of this great project called New Eyes for the Needy, (www.neweyesfortheneedy.org) which purchases new eyeglasses for poor children and adults in the U.S. and recycles donated eyeglasses for distribution to needy people worldwide. The charity has been around since 1932, and a great track record for doing good deeds - and it is also a great write-off - donate your old glasses that you crushed on your beach blanket!

#2 - Sneaker Recycling Builds Playgrounds

Nike is running a program at www.NikeReuseAShoe.com that allows you to drop off your out-of-style and damaged sneakers and they will grind them up into a material they call NikeGrind. This is the rubber soles, fabric, plastics from the shoe and it is turned into a product this is used to pave running tracks, outdoor basketball courts and other athletic surfaces. So, clean out the closet of those moldy and smelly sneakers and help build a playground!

#3 - Beach Reads For Free

A great site called www.PaperbackSwap allows you to register for free and both individual users and publishing firms provide free beach reads. You just have to put the books on the site that you don't want to use anymore (as long as they are in good shape). And then you mail them out - and others send you books, and except for postage, its free!

#4 - Turn Your Blue Jeans Into Home Insulation

Imagine turning your blue jeans into cotton insulation - and getting a tax write off - visit www.CottonFromBlueToGreen and in August, you will be able to donate your jeans instead of adding waste to a landfill. Did you know that it takes 520 pairs of jeans to insulate one 2,500 square foot home? Go through your closet and get rid of your jeans at the end of the summer!

#5 - Shred Your Office Papers Over Cocktails

A beautiful watch from Sprout Watches. (sproutwatches.com)

There is a time when we all must vacation - and stop working - and a Brooklyn designer has come to the rescue for the workaholics in our world. It is called the Papervore Table and you can see it at www.pigeontail.com. Imagine being able to actually shred things while you are chatting over cocktails - an efficient way to create animal bedding for your pets. . .hmmm. Also available through Design Within Reach.

#6 - Get A Recycled Keyboard Handbag Or Object

Okay, have you ever wondered what happens to your old computer keyboard? Know that you are keeping millions of the keys out of the landfill if you visit www.TheNestStore.com and look at the Keyboard-on-the-Go collection and you will be pleasantly surprised at the recycled options available for conversation pieces.

#7 - Tell Time And Plant A Garden

Some people say a watched garden never grows, but it does! Have you heard about Sprout Watches (www.sproutwatches.com) which cost about $25 and the packaging has seeds so it becomes a garden, and the watch case is made of biodegradable corn resin, the dial is bamboo, the batteries are mercury free and the band is organic cotton - this is a cool gift!

#8 - Recycle Your Bra

A way to help the needy who need the support (no pun intended). We often donate clothes for recycling, but many women are left without bras and are unable to purchase them. A wonderful charity, www.brarecycling.com is a part of the Bosom Buddy Program and will take secondhand bras in good shape and clean them and provide them to battered women and homeless shelters.

#9 - Over-the-Top Childrens Playhouse

Thought I had seen everything until feasting my eyes on this playhouse for the fledgling mogul-in-training. Imagine a prefabricated child's playhouse that has LED lights, working solar panels, a bathroom, living room, library and kitchen. Its made with non-toxic stains and paints, and it is made in New York state so it has a low carbon footprint. See it at www.brimcadada.com.

#10 - Take Shipping Containers And Build A House Or Pop-Up Store

We love the great concept store created by Puma, and we learned that SG Blocks, www.sgblocks.com is the company that is making this cool stuff happen. With an architect and fabrication partner, they can build any house or pop-up store to spec. Visit their website and if you can only afford a piece of land, this is the way to make your dream space happen! And you are being sustainable too – if those containers never rust while traveling across the ocean, they will survive our winters!

Enjoy Summer 2010!

Emerson House from Brimca Dada. (brincadada.com)

Robin Wilson is a nationally recognized eco-friendly and healthy home interior designer focused on the ‘foundation to the furniture.’ She is the author of "Kennedy Green House," winner of the 2010 IPPY bronze medal in Home & Garden. She has done projects in residential and commercial interior design, consulting, licensing and operates an online retailer, The Nest Store. She is the first woman to license her name to eco-friendly cabinetry sold at select dealers nationwide. Her firm is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. For more information about Robin Wilson Home go to www.robinwilsonhome.com.

Comments

Diana Drak ...

Diana Drake 4 Great Buys Miami / Lauderdale Real Estate from Aventura/Miami Beach says: I'm going to try the Jeans insulation. The blown in junk I have now irritates my lungs and gives me a headache. Here's to more affordable green solutions and thank you 4 getting the word out Posted: 10 days ago

Guest (Guest) from 'New York, NY' says: I have been inside an SGblocks house, and your pricing on pricing and information is out dated. Obviously recycling a container is more eco friendly than modular or wood structures. The Puma store in the south street seaport was beautiful. Get your facts straight! Posted: 37 days ago

Vizio Opti ...

Vizio Optic from Brookline says: I like to do #2 thing for making eco-friendly environment. Posted: 37 days ago

Guest (Guest) from 'The Hamptons' says: Shipping containers make cool looking homes, but are from from free or cheap. Here's a list of 10 things to consider when thinking about a shipping container home (taken from and article on Jetston Green a couple months ago). In my opinion it's much "greener" and cost effective to recycle the metal into a new "raw" material. "1. Even with all the hype, containers are difficult to obtain and expensive to ship long distances. If you live close to a major port city and have a really big truck and trailer, it's much easier and far cheaper to get them. 2. Don't bother with those websites that have you fill out your info and up to four suppliers will contact you with competitive prices - THEY WON'T! 3. The price for a 20' shipping container (not including delivery) can range from $2500 to $4000. You can stick build a building with the same amount of square footage, that is just as water tight and structurally sound using traditional construction methods for less than the cost of a shipping container - it just won't weigh as much. 4. Containers provide an extremely secure storage structure which requires a blow torch or dynamite to break into, and they are too heavy to walk off with. 5. If possible, get delivery by tilt bed roll off truck. Otherwise you need a small crane or huge forklift to move and position them - or at least 50 really strong men. Watch your fingers! A 20' shipping container weighs almost 5000 lbs. 6. Rust is the only natural predator that can harm a shipping container, so don't scrimp on a good paint job. 7. These metal monsters become ovens or freezers depending on the outside temperature, really good insulation and ventilation is a MUST! 8. The real bonus to using a shipping container is the new green phrase "adaptive reuse." Our trade deficit with the rest of the world is causing these to pile up in our country. 9. If you are going to use one for a structure, stay true to the form. Don't cover the exterior with other building materials - show it for what it is. 10. While searching the web for how containers are being used: (A) most sites only show computer renderings, and (B) actual completed structures have been built at astronomical cost." Posted: 38 days ago

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