Confessions of an Eco-Diva: Schleppin’ eco-style
It’s funny how the things we consider essential can change. In high school, it was fruit-flavored lip gloss, hair scrunchies, mix tapes and notes full of tales of teen angst. These items were crucial to my very being and I never left home without them.
Today, my mix tapes have made way for an iPod, my notes for a cell phone, and now I seem to be schlepping around a whole new gang of things I can’t live without. At least I can schlep in sustainable style these days, 
thanks to bags from local companies Ecologic Designs and English Retreads.
What started as a senior thesis project for Davidson Lewis, owner of Ecological Designs, has turned into a full-blown business. Lewis made his first bag from a busted truck inner tube as an assignment to turn old junk into something useful. Not long after, a friend employed at a printing shop gave him some scraps of vinyl to experiment with, and the idea for messenger bags made from spent billboards, yes billboards, was born.
Available under the Green Guru label, get your own giant-highway-advertisement-turned-messenger bag at Topo Ranch (1505 Pearl St., Boulder) or Bicycle Village (2100 28th St., Boulder). Prices start around $100. Don’t worry that you’ll become a walking Southern Comfort ad; the billboard vinyl takes on the look of a funky graphic print when cut down to bag size.
Lewis isn’t the only local who once looked at spent truck tire tubes and saw the potential. Since Heather English founded her company English Retreads, eco-conscientious ladies have been able to test drive tires-turned-purses in a variety of styles. Adorned with heavy-duty grommets, colorful lining and seat belt straps (what else?), the rubber used to make these tough-girl bags literally did hit the road in a previous life.
English Retreads’ creations can be found at the Boulder Arts and Crafts Co-op (1421 Pearl St.) and Common Threads (2707 Spruce St., Boulder). Prices range from $39 to $209.
We sure are lucky to have such innovative and eco-minded folks in town. Now if someone could just find a use for old mix tapes and other, um, essentials.
– By Kate Nelson
Get more of Nelson’s eco-diva tips at www.ecodivaboulder.blogspot.com. Contact her at ecokate@live.com.
