Handbags Ahoy When you’re sailing through life, it’s important to carry a sturdy bag to hold all the treasures you pick up along the way. And what better satchel to buoy you along than one made from recycled sailcloth? Red Flag Design, a Vancouver company, creates funky and stylish handbags, wallets, duffle bags, totes, and more in their Railtown studios. Since every handmade design is crafted from reclaimed industrial byproducts, each has charted different waters, giving it a unique story and look. The designers mull the physical properties and rugged histories of the fabrics, so you can be sure your clutch is seaworthy. Available at Eugene Choo, Inform Interiors, and at redflagdesign.ca [1]. —Jennifer Croll

Take Your K Card Some cards tell you only if you’ve won the pot or lost your tokens (or worse, your shirt). But some can make you a better person. Karma Coaching Cards coax you to complete one simple, morally redeeming action each day, creating good karma one card at a time. Each deck of 50 carries a different theme: for example, the Rich & Utterly Immoral Deck deals out the maxim that money can’t buy happiness, while the Environment Deck (made from 100 per cent recycled paper and natural dyes) puts some tricks up your sleeve for playing poker with Mother Earth. With each new insight, you’ll be a card shark in no time. Available at Dear, Banyen Books, Science World, or at karmacoachingcards.com [2]. —JC

SWEET-SMELLING COMPOST There’s a lot to be said for traditional composting—if you like being environmentally responsible; if you like fresh, nutrient-rich soil for your garden; and if you like stinky piles of decaying vegetation and worm farms. All good if you live in the sticks, but most urbanites (and their neighbours) will agree it’s tricky in the city. Fortunately, a less malodorous, less wormy solution is out there, in the form of the Biosa Bokashi Composter. Using a system of nesting buckets and the Danish-created Biosa Bokashi spray or powder, you can compost all your kitchen waste (including meat) odourlessly, quickly, and conveniently. Bokashi means “fermented organic matter” and when sprinkled or sprayed on kitchen waste and sealed in an airtight container, it will essentially “pickle” the compost, leaving it unstinky and perfectly ready to go into the garden. Info: greatday.ca [3] or 604-873-4334. —Stephanie MacDonald

BAMBOO ON THE BEACH Bamboo: it’s not just for pandas, anymore. This wonderfully sustainable plant, grown without pesticides or chemicals, is 100 per cent biodegradable and naturally regenerative (as any gardener trying to get rid of it will attest). This is great because bamboo makes incredibly luxurious towels, due to the fibre’s naturally cashmere-soft, absorbent, and antibacterial qualities. As we’re aware of all the nasty chemicals that go into growing and processing cotton (a half-pound for every t-shirt!), fluffy, opulent Shoo-foo bamboo towels can be enjoyed guilt-free. Shoo-foo is the company behind these towels of the future, started by Vancouver’s Dany Filion as her personal effort to create positive change. And if that involves swaddling in thick, sumptuous towels, well, what panda could argue with that? Shoo-foo towels are available from Jacana (upstairs at 2435 Granville Street) or at shoo-foo.com [4]. —SM

Small Footprint No matter your shoe size, you’ll tread lightly with local designer John Fluevog’s new footwear made with earth-conscious materials and processes. Last year, Fluevog released the popular Veggie Vogs, made from hemp and a natural rubber sole. His newest eco-friendly offerings: Dogs and Earth Angels. The Dogs are non-leather, with a natural crepe sole. Earth Angels feature veggie-tanned leather (no chrome or heavy metals are used and both are by-products of traditional tanning methods) and biodegradable latex soles molded from the milk of the hevea tree. All eco-friendly styles use water-based glue. And these funky, casual, unisex shoes let you hit the street in high style. Who said you have to look like a tree-hugger to help the planet? Available at Fluevog (837 Granville Street) and Gravity Pope (2205 W. 4th Avenue). Info: fluevog.com [5]. —Joanne Will

Plastic-free Picnic It’s time to pack the picnic basket—once you dig it out of storage, that is. This year, spare the landfills from plastic forks, knives, and spoons with a new product from B.C.’s Aspenware. WUN is single-use wooden cutlery that’s biodegradable and composts in about five months. It’s made from waste-stock birch and aspen timber, which is often destroyed in traditional markets due to its perceived low value. If you’re worried about slivers or don’t enjoy the taste of wood as much as the average beaver, don’t fear. WUN cutlery has a smooth finish (from a natural laminate) and a neutral taste (courtesy of a kosher confectioner glaze). Available at Whole Foods Market (925 Main Street, Village at Park Royal). Info: info@aspenware.ca [6] or 1-877-547-FORK. —JW