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Another Option for Recycling that 2010 Calendar

Envelopes made from recycled calendars
Envelopes made from recycled calendars

Paper calendars may be one of those products — like phone books and printed catalogs — that should probably go away: with the wide variety of electronic options out there, and the fact you can check today’s date by glancing at your phone and/or computer screen, it’s getting harder to argue that a physical calendar is a necessity.

Of course, you may just like them for the art work, photography, and other visual elements… and argue “Hey, I recycle it when the year’s up.” That’s a good thing… and there’s no real reason to get a case of the green guilts over a paper calendar. If you really want to make the most of the resources that go into these products, though, it turns out there are other options before sending the material to the recycling center.

Received a tweet yesterday from Kelin Kitchener, the owner of Hints of Green, about her recycled envelope business, YellowGreen (Etsy store coming soon). Nope, we’re not talking about envelopes made from traditionally recycled paper; rather, Kelin takes items like books, atlases, and, yes, calendars, and turns them into envelopes (see some of them above). According to a post on her blog:

My envelopes come with a hemp paper card and adhesive to seal them shut. They also come with one address label per envelope and are sold in themed packs of five. They’ve been sold in Virginia, Washington, and Idaho so far and not to mention, shared just for fun with friends and family all over the world! They are completely suitable for use in the mail- I’ve successfully sent them within the US and internationally. I have fun uncovering materials to re-use in order to create something that will hopefully bring a smile and happy message to someone else!

She’s looking for calendars for new products… so if you’d like that paper to see one more use before heading to the recycling bin, check out her post for details on sending her your 2010 calendars.

Or… if you’re thinking “Hey, I’d like to try that,” MakingFriends.com has instructions (including a template) for calendar envelopes.

Got other crafty tricks for reusing outdated calendars? Let us know about them…

January’s the traditional month for stocking up on sheets and towels. Check out our current listings, which include bath towels, hand towels, and even beach towels.

Image credit: Hints of Green

3 comments
  1. heckety

    This is a really good idea! As a teacher I’m always on the hunt for old calendars- to make jig saw puzzles, use as book marks, to cover books, illustrations for projects, starting ideas for story writing, etc. Recycling calendars has never been a problem!

  2. Michelle

    We have a gift store and one year we loved the designs on the calendars so much that at the end of the year, we had them frames and SOLD them as prints!! My staff was amused.

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