Have you ever saved a used bottle because it was just too pretty of a color or too sentimental to toss out?  Perhaps they’re those wine bottles from your wedding, or those frosty blue beverage bottles from last summer’s fancy shindig.  What are you going to do with them — Really!

We’ve been working with one of our vendors on a really great idea and we’re happy to introduce it to you as a Re:modern exclusive!  Here’s the deal… send in your empty wine or champagne bottles to us, and our artisans will go to work cutting down and polishing the glass to transform the bottles into a set of handcrafted, reuseable glass tumblers.  We think this is a great idea, not just for the recycle-factor, but because it can make for a very thoughtful wedding, anniversary, or wine collector’s gift, and creates work right here in the USA (Caifornia, to be exact!).  Order up a set of these custom, recycled wine bottle tumblers today!

The very first Earth Day was back on April 22, 1970. Even though the holiday turns 40 this year, I think it’s far from over the hill – we’re finally just getting started. Back then, Earth Day embodied ideas that seemed more radical, where environmentalists were at the fringe on convention and everyday practices. Today, Earth Day is much more mainstream with principles that are easier for people to incorporate at all lifestyles. (You don’t have to completely give up your lifestyle and drop off the grid in order to make greener choices!) While some may criticize today’s version as being watered-down or not revolutionary enough, overall, I believe we are on the right track. We need a wide range of greener choices that are realistic and appeal to everyone. Not everybody can live a life that is fully and deeply green. For the rest of us, we should have options to be all shades of green.

On this 40th Earth Day, Re:modern is proud to play our part in providing the best options possible for design afficionados who want to live greener. We’re working towards keeping beautifully designed choices alive in the global march towards a greener world. We hope you agree and welcome any comments.

Thank you for reading and visiting our website. Use coupon code ‘EARTH’ to save 15% off your purchase. Valid April 22nd only – stock up now for upcoming weddings, birthdays, Mother’s Day, and gifts for Dads and Grads.

Get a fresh start on spring and receive Free Shipping on any re-modern.com order $150 and up. Offer applies to standard ground shipping within the continental U.S. 48 states only. Use coupon code ‘Spring Fling’ at checkout. Coupon valid through April 30th.

old sweaters into new things

Driving on the road recently, I heard Haik and his mom on the radio.  They’ve started a project called Reknit, where you can send in your old sweater and his mom (yes, it’s just her), will unravel the yarn, remake it into another knitted item, and then ship it back to you.  Each month the project changes and you can vote on what she makes next.  What a fun way to repurpose and recycle old clothing.

Leave it to Japan to come up with this latest eco-innovation. Powered by the sun and insulated on the sides by live, growing moss. Does this green (literally!) device make you thirsty for snack foods?

Full story via CScout.

Recycled Billboard Bags, originally uploaded by re-modern.com.

We’re so excited about this under $20 arrival to the shop. These stretchy shoulder bags are made from 100% recycled vinyl billboards. Each bag is white on one side and colored on the other. Graphics will vary due to recycled nature. Make a statement of sustainable style. More info here.

Phrena Light, originally uploaded by re-modern.com.

New arrival to the shop. We love this light by designer Karl Zahn because it’s not just beautiful, but affordable, too! It’s so lightweight and achieves such as maximum impact with the limited materials used (Tyvek). Compare this to similar chandeliers and hanging pendant lights and you’ll see that luxury is possible for those on a limited budget. In stock and ready to ship. More details about this Phrena light fixture here.

Post-consumer recycled plastic

Immediately on the tail of our busiest season of the year, we packed up the Re:modern office and moved our headquarters from Burlingame to San Carlos, California. We’re enjoying the new digs (which we’ll share photos of once we’re fully unpacked and settled in) and working hard to keep the transition as seemless as possible for our customers.

Setting up a new green office is very different now than 6 years ago when our company first began. Back then, sustainable options were few and the choices seemed to be more about selecting products that created less harm. This time around, we were pleasantly surprised to see some major, conventional retailers offer up office necessities with a greener twist.
Office Depot, for example, now carries scissors whose handles are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. And our friends at Carbonfund just told us about a carbon-neutral paper shredder by GoECOlife. This certified CarbonFree shredder is actually going to be available to the masses through Costco. As a CarbonFree partner, Re:modern currently offsets carbon emissions generated from our everyday business practices (read more here). We’re happy to see that green is slowly, but finally moving towards the norm.

Certified carbon-neutral

25% Off Eco-friendly Rugs

Our 25% off Rug Sale has been so popular that it’s extended through to the end of this month. We’re clearing out first quality, and eco-friendly bamboo shag rugs, wool shag, and jute boucle rugs in stock to make way for new arrivals. Certain colors and sizes are selling out on a daily basis, so if you’ve been eyeing to pick up one of these fabulously eco rugs, do so before January 31st. These are the absolute best prices we’ve ever had on this affordable rug collection, and paired with Free Shipping on orders over $250, we encourage you to do the math and be pleasantly surprised. Buy a rug now and make those toes happy this winter.

It feels a bit like elf central here. Last minute gifts are still shipping in time to arrive before Christmas. Shop our 2009 Green Gift Guide and Quick Ship items now.  Stock those stockings!