Ways to Upcycle or Recycle Wine Corks

Corks are biodegradable and small, so you may think throwing them away is alright. Unfortunately, it takes a Cork Oak Tree 25 years before the cork can be harvested. Then, only the cork from the first harvest can be used for wine corks. Doesn’t it seem silly to just toss it in the trash?

Here are some fun ways I have upcycled my wine corks! I made fun stamps to give as gifts! We’ve also made tiny succulent magnets for our fridge and place cards for Thanksgiving! 

diy mini succulent wine cork planters

If you don’t feel crafty, you can recycle the corks! To recycle, you can send them to a program called Korks For Kids, a non-profit organization or to Yemm and Hart, a company that will recycle them into other products.

The mister and I enjoy our wine tasting together and as a tradition we keep every wine cork that we share in a large jar in our kitchen. We also keep corks from special occassions and write the name of the event on the date before tossing them into the jar! I have also seen them stored in shadow boxes and hung as amazing pieces of art.

How do you upcycle your corks?

8 Simple Ways To Green Your Work Routine

eco-friendly office tips
  1. Use a dry erase board, rather than a notebook to keep track of your daily agenda.
  2. If you have to print something, use both sides of the paper. Also, make it a policy to buy a 100% post-consumer recycled chlorine-free paper. The annual savings would equal over 130 billion sheets of paper.
  3. Bring your own lunch. If everyone in the U.S. brought their own lunch, it would save 10 billion pounds of trash a year.
  4. Carpool, telecommute, ride the bus or your bike. Telecommuting saves almost 2 billion gallons of gasoline each year and on average, people spend 36 hours a year in traffic.
  5. Use power strips for all computers and office equipment, and make sure the flip off the switch before you leave the office.
  6. Don’t forget to recycle at work. If your company doesn’t have a recycling area, start one.
  7. Ditch the plastic water bottles, use a reusable mug or cup.
  8. The easiest of all, turn off the lights on your way out after a hard day at work.
Do you have other ideas that you do at work?

Is That Glove A Chipmunk? A Fantastic Upcycled Project For Kids

Now that Spring is upon us, how many single gloves do you have laying around your house? I know we have a few at ours. Miyako Kanamori has a cute and fun tutorial for upcycling those lonely gloves into a woodland friend for your child.

Green Your Wedding: Vintage Library Theme

I love, love, love this vintage library-themed wedding from Offbeat Bride. The bride and groom used vintage books tied with ribbon as centerpieces. They also sent “Save the Date” bookmarks and served a vegetarian menu. Fantastically nerdy, no?
 

My thought, give vintage books as favors – the mister and I did this at our wedding and it was a huge hit! Include a nameplate inside with the bride and groom’s names and wedding date inside. 

What do you think?

 

The Perfect Green Cocktail for Summer: Frozen Organic Gin Lemonade

Looking for the perfect drink for your pool party! The mister whipped up a batch of his famous Gin Lemonade recently and I was reminded how much I love it this time of year! Be careful though, they are strong – one is all you need. Ha!

What you will need:
  • juice from 5 organic lemons
  • 1 1/2 cups of organic sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup organic gin (you can also use vodka)
  • 8 cups ice

Directions:

Whisk the lemon juice and sugar together until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the gin and whisk again. Then, add the 8 cups of ice to a blender with the gin-lemon-sugar mixture and blend until smooth. Add lemon slices for garnish and enjoy.