Sea Bags: Musings from Maine

Most of the time when we spot a Sea Bag it’s typically near the ocean. So when we heard about our recent mention in Vegas Magazine we were super excited, but it gets better. We were included in a Best of Vegas article!

The article highlights the “Best of Sin City” from rock star jewelry to spas to restaurants. According to Vegas Magazine, the “Best Eco Fashion” can be found at Oya Eco-Couture and Sea Bags is amongst other great green companies such as Loomstate and EcoSkin.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? Not when it comes to Sea Bags.

If you haven’t heard of Greenopolis you should definitely check them out. It’s a great website that’s focused on recycling, reusing, repurposing, waste-to-resource, and conservation. Through Greenopolis you can find businesses and organizations in your area to support, in addition to editorial-based articles on how to live your life in a more sustainable way.

Because we believe in what Greenopolis is promoting, we were thrilled to have Sea Bags written about in a recent article. Not to mention they highlighted so many of our products as suggestions for a Labor Day getaway! And what’s equally impressive is how many people shared the article through Facebook and Twitter. Thanks, Greenopolis, for the Sea Bags love!

Many kids are headed back to school next week and with green school supplies becoming more easily available, it’s easy to think eco-friendly. Recently, the Berlin Daily Sun from New Hampshire wrote a great article called “Making Back to School as Green as Possible.” They offer tons of ideas from backpacks to lunch to skin.

The writer, Maggie Knowles, gave a nice shout-out to Maine companies in her article. In addition to Sea Bags, she also mentioned Maine’s Own Organic Milk, which is now widely available and they use only certified organic farms for the milk. For parents, at the end of the day, she suggested Peak Organic Brew for after the kiddos go to bed. The Nut Brown Ale is a perfect choice for fall.

Are there any other Maine companies that have great back-to-school finds? We’d love to hear your suggestions!

While it’s a pretty wet and dreary day here in Freeport today, the weather didn’t keep this old salt from visiting the Sea Bags store. Our newest friend, and her captain, sail their 36 Pearson up from Padanaram Harbor, MA each summer and  have been visiting the coast of Maine with their 13 year-old black lab, Max, for the last 13 years.

She had heard about the Sea Bags store in her hometown (we love how news spreads like that). She decided to come check out the place where we would eventually turn their old sails one day into something useful that also helps the environment as well. As much as they love the beautiful state of Maine, she loves her new Sea Bag that tells her retirement story equally as much.

Featured: Medium SAIL tote.

Earlier this week TreeHugger Editor, and our guest poster, Meaghan O’Neill mentioned that the sails that Sea Bags uses come from a sail loft in Rhode Island. That would be North Sails! We’ve recently parthered with them for the “Think Green, Buy Blue” program to encourage more people to recycle their sails.

Here’s how it works: From now through September 3rd if you place a new North sail order you’ll automatically receive 25% off the purchase price of your new North sail. They’ll send you a FREE UPS shipping tag along with your new sail so you can ship your old sail to the North Recycling Center. But of course that’s not all! You’ll also get a FREE large tote bag made from recycled sail cloth by Sea Bags, designed by Beth herself!

Not only are you helping to save the planet, but you’re saving money on your new sails as well! Visit the North Sails “Think Green, Buy Blue” page for more information and to register.

How many times do you read the magazines that are strategically tucked in the airplane seat in front of you? Well if you are flying United Airlines over the next month, definitely pick up the August issue of Hemispheres! You’ll catch our Anchor Tote amongst other cool companies. We are especially impressed with the beach toy set from Green Toys, which are made from recycled milk jugs.

We’ve seen Sea Bags used on the beach for carrying towels, books, suntan lotion and snacks, but they also make for a great bag to carry the kids’ toys. The sturdy rope handle allows you (or them if you’re lucky) to carry  a ton of toys and perhaps the best part is that you can wash the tote when you get home and hang it to dry. It’ll be ready when you are to hit the beach again!

When it comes to style, I have a few guidelines for myself: Quality over quantity. Don’t buy it if you don’t love it or if it’s not practical. Go shopping in your own closet. Notice, here, how I am not talking about “fashion,” but something much more universal, less time sensitive, and, frankly, more important. Though my husband doesn’t believe there’s a difference between the two (to wit: his style is bit sloppy; his fashion sense is non-existent), if you’re reading this (which you are), chances are you understand the difference between the two. Fashion is fleeting; style endures. I happen to like style that has a sense of place. And as the editor of the environmental news and lifestyle site TreeHugger, increasingly the pieces — be they throw pillows or brooches — that I like most are those that pass my personal test of sustainability, too.

But going green means a lot more than simply looking for organic cotton or eco-friendly dyes (though these are good characteristics). When I buy stuff I ask myself the following: How long this will last? Do I need it? If it’s clothing, does it fit and drape well? I’m not afraid to spend a little more money on something if I know it will last for ages — nor am I afraid of hand-me-downs, vintage, or stretching basics as far as they can go. I wouldn’t call myself a minimalist, but I don’t like the idea of having too much stuff. I buy for keeps.

So when my sister came home with a Sea Bags tote a few years ago (above), my eyes were drawn straight to it. And when she told me the bag was made from recycled sails from the sail loft where her husband works, my eyes lit up. Here was a Bag I Could Get Behind! If you’ve ever gotten up close and personal with a sailboat sail, then you know just how long-lasting these textiles are. But Sea Bags aren’t just durable, they’re also adorable. And if you live in a place like Newport, RI, as my sister and I do, then carrying a good-looking tote made from reused materials from a local company makes for a great story to tell when you turn heads with one (which you will).

Longevity, style, reuse, and local flair, all tied together with soft cotton rope? Sea Bags can drop anchor in my closet any day.

For mine, I played hooky from my normal responsibilities at work and played all afternoon. Hannah and I went back to the “old days” and played on the design floor. Looking at the old funky colored sails with their beautiful colors was like opening a bunch of great presents. The colors reminded me of ice cream and sprinkles on a cake–the end result was delicious! See them in our Freeport Store while they last. Like birthdays, they won’t last long!

Alaina in her screen printed shirt with her pink anchor bag!

Meet Alaina Harris, one of our amazing kitters and designers of our tote bags made of recycled sail. “Lane” is currently finishing an art and entrepreneurship degree at the University of Southern Maine and designs and screen prints her own T-shirts. Alaina’s most memorable experience was her high school adventure living in Thailand for one semester. When asked what she’d like to be stranded on a remote island with, she answered her journal, bible, sketchbook, and most importantly, her best friends. We are lucky to have Alaina as part of our Sea Bags team!