Comments on: Transforming Refuse: Sister Monika’s Amazing Market Bag

By: Thanks, Events, and One Amazing Felted Crow

Thanks, Events, and One Amazing Felted Crow — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:46:02 +0000

[...] gift I’ve received. Remember Sister Monika Ellis, who starred in the popular post, “Transforming Refuse: Sister Monika’s Amazing Market Bag?” This crafty and multi-talented woman surprised me with an incredible felted crow to celebrate the [...]

By: Kate

Kate — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:53:02 +0000

I initially felt a twinge of resistance at the idea of the bag law, not unlike how I feel about the seatbelt law. But I feel differently now. Our environment needs so much help that doing anything & everything that we can, as soon as possible, is critical. And after I watched this simple yet effective slideshow, I began to understand that the bag problem is WAY bigger than I realized, and certainly not victimless:

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016

By: Ed

Ed — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:46:26 +0000

Hi,

Cool! What beautiful creations!

I love the minimal packaging of buying at PCC-(Puget Consumers Coop) where we get oats, granola, muesli, all kinds of beans, lentils, rice and nuts and these foods are all economical also and associated with greater longevity.

But I’m not really for the bag law. I won’t mind it on a personal level, it’ll make it easier for me to not take bags. But I disagree with it philosophically. I don’t like the battles royale that environmentalists choose to fight over issues that barely matter in the scheme of things. Plastic bags are an annoying symbol of our profligacy and irresponsiblity, not the core of it. I’d rather fight to stop something that’s actually bringing down rainforests (and the Brazilian Cerrado) as I write: the horrendous gov’t subsidies and mandates for biofuel production, for example.

Thanks for a wonderful site,

By: Gillian Nilsson

Gillian Nilsson — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:37:56 +0000

In South Africa women use plastic bags in the same way to make bathroom mats, hats and bags. Black plastic garden sacks make very elegant handbags and hats.

By: lyanda

lyanda — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:27:27 +0000

Thanks Kirk–I’d never seen the beer bottle temple. Amazing.

By: Kirk

Kirk — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:57:45 +0000

Thanks for sharing this. I’ve been wondering how to make these, but had never found a practical pattern. And I’d never thought of using plastic bags as a raw material.

Maybe you’d be interested in a Buddhist temple made out of beer bottles:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/temple-built-from-beer-bottles.php

By: Nancy Stillger

Nancy Stillger — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:47:12 +0000

What a remarkable story. I don’t think I will be trying it soon though! In Mexico, the women do amazing things with gum wrappers. In New Mexico, the use of found objects to create “retablos” – devotional art to the saints – is also remarkable.