Sea Bags: Musings from Maine

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.

This weekend is the Portland Music & Arts Festival, a day-long event on Free Street, featuring the work and performances of Maine artists, and local and national musicians. Tickets are just $12 the day of the event ($10 if you buy them today) and proceeds will be donated to The Maine Children’s Cancer Program.

Their concept: “This event will be an opportunity for Maine businesses, institutions and individuals to make a short-term, highly effective and very enjoyable contribution for improvement in their local community. In promoting and staging the event, the emphasis will be on the chance to make a difference. The chance to participate in a positive experience with an uplifting impact from the event on the local community.”

Come support the local community this weekend from 11am to 11pm, and don’t forget to skip down a few blocks and visit Sea Bags on Custom House Wharf!

It’s Tuesday…which means that tonight is SWORDS night with Linda Greenlaw on the Discovery Channel. The season began last week, but you can catch up tonight at 8:00 pm Eastern before the new episode at 9 pm.

SWORDS enters the high risk world of New England’s long line fishermen who risk all to catch an elusive prey – swordfish – in some of the most dangerous waters on the planet. Tune in to watch Linda and her crew work hard to haul in the fish and put their life on the line.

Don’t forget that you can purchase a signed copy of Linda’s new book, SeaWorthy, through the Sea Bags website or pair it with a custom Sword Tote for just $150. The large tote is made from recycled kevlar sails and features hemp rope for handles. It makes a great gift!

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.

Image via: SailMaine.

We’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered with SailMaine to create a scholarship fund to introduce and encourage students ages 8-18 to learn the sport of sailing.

Individuals who drop off a sail to Sea Bags will receive a complimentary Sea Bags accessory, or, they can donate their sail to the “Sea Bags Scholarship Fund.” We will then donate to SailMaine, made as a quarterly donation. The program started in 2007 and has just been enhanced by this commitment to work together. 

SailMaine is a non-profit organization formed to support sailing in Maine at the grass-roots, community level. SailMaine connects people of all ages and abilities to the coast of Maine through fun and affordable sailing education, recreation, and competition, stimulating individual growth and creating community.

“We know that all children should have the opportunity to sail and we’re thrilled to be a part of these efforts,” said Hannah Kubiak and Beth Shissler, co-owners of Sea Bags. “Partnering with SailMaine is a perfect match for our business and we’re extremely proud to support our local community.”

Sails can be dropped off at Sea Bags located at 25 Custom House Wharf in Portland, ME. For further information about the program, call Sea Bags at 1.888.210.0744.

Love that!  Sea Bags recycle bag in The Oprah Magazine this month!