create something beautiful

So yesterday I decided to stop at the Alessi flagship store just up the block from NYLON as I left work to head to NYU. It was time for my every few weeks splurge on a soy latte from Joe The Art of Coffee. Once it was in hand though, I met with a familiar problem, one that never comes up until it’s right in front of me and promptly forgotten when the coffee is gone – I’m already being wasteful by not brewing the coffee myself and putting it in a reusable mug, do I really need a cardboard cup AND a cozy? Even at Starbucks, where they proclaim on every cup and cozy just how much of it was made from recycled post-consumer products (only 10%), I feel bad using and disposing of yet another coffee cup. So I always falter and think before I grab a cozy as well “is it REALLY to warm for me to hold all by itself..?”

It usually is.

So today I vowed to find a nice knitted cozy I could buy and carry with me, just in case such a situation should arise. A small knitted cozy won’t take up much room in my already bulging bag and could even be made of organic wool, but best of all, it would mean no more cardboard cozies for me and a tiny bit less waste for the landfill.

Amazingly enough, I’ve already found not only the perfect cozy, but a seller who makes “eco-friendly” products knitted from perfectly good repurposed clothing – ie. sweaters unraveled for their yarn and used to makes hats, mittens, scarves, etc.

Hilo Verde has a small stock of items with adorable and simple designs at reasonable prices.

My perfect cozy:

I love all the easy things you can do to cut down on your waste and consumption, and the fact that no matter what I think of someone has thought of the exact same thing. It’s good to have like-minded company.