Back in the day, the City of New Orleans measured the success of Mardi Gras by the amount of garbage left to scoop off Bourbon Street on Ash Wednesday. But even the excesses of Carnival season are becoming more eco-friendly, slowly.

An estimated 22 million pounds of cheap plastic beads, most of them imported from China, are tossed to crowds lined up for the pre-Lenten parades. Only about 2 percent of those are recycled, but Arc Enterprises in New Orleans is working to increase that ratio. It places recycling bins along the parade routes and its “Catch and Release” trailer follows some of the floats.

Revelers are also encouraged to toss their throws back into the trailer for recycling and resale to next year’s float riders. Last year the organization, which employs the disabled, sorted through 100,000 pounds of reclaimed beads.

“My Beauty Underneath” by Stephan Wanger is 88" x 66" and created with 60,000 reused Mardi Gras beads glued to a trashed front door.

Artist Stephan Wanger knows just what to do with a lot of those beads: He created the world’s largest mosaic ever made entirely out of the colorful little baubles. “Sanctuary of Alegria — Home of Happiness” is 8 feet tall and 30 feet wide, and contains more than a million individual recycled Mardi Gras beads. The mosaic, which depicts the New Orleans skyline, took over 14 months to assemble, with help from volunteers. It will be auctioned off in March to raise funds for the Lower Ninth Ward, devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Detail of Wanger’s “Sanctuary of Alegria” created to mark the 200th anniversary of Louisiana’s statehood as the 18th state in the Union.

Wanger has been creating works of art from recycled beads with a mission – to help rebuild the city – since 2005. He also teaches classes in his Galeria Alegria on Magazine Street in New Orleans.

There’s even a new krewe that brings the green message to the parades themselves. Made up of local performance and visual artists, The Ancient Krewe of Kolossos paraded for the first time on Feb. 16, with a host of bicycle-powered floats, marching bands, street performers and eco-friendly handmade floats.

Laissez bon temps rouler!

I first became conscious of altered books 12 years ago when a graphic artist friend, Sue, told me she was creating them. She pointed out it is O.K. to reuse old, unwanted books, which are, unfortunately, in ample supply.

Books become obsolete — unreadable through wear and tear, or simply outdated. Sue took only the ones that “spoke to her” in the pile her library threw out each year.

I cringe to think of my contributions to the orphan-book pile: the tech manuals for WordPerfect and other extinct technologies, last year’s phonebooks, and old one-volume encyclopedias that I must re-home or send to ruin periodically as I make room in my library for new titles. It’s tough for readers, but great for artists — free supplies.

Since then, I have been looking for exhibits of altered books in galleries and museums.

Turns out the term is very broad. It refers to any artwork that changes the appearance of a book and/or its function or meaning. The change can be minute — the artist can change just one page — or transformational (for instance, combining several books to form a sculpture).

Anything goes in altering books. Techniques include cutting, gluing, painting, rubber stamping, changing the shape, among others. Here are a few artists using books as their medium — the tip of the iceberg, or a blurb for the back cover, if you will.

Chen Long-Bin prefers to work with out-of-date books, magazines and phonebooks. He uses a buzz saw to transform these information-saturated materials into detailed sculptures that are exhibited internationally.

“One Buddha, Two Systems (New York)” by Chen Long-Bin. Mixed media sculpture with Chinese and English New York Yellow Pages. 43 x 28 x 28 cm. 2008.

Georgia Russell is a Scottish artist who dissects printed matter, music scores, maps, newspapers and photographs into what she calls “membranes of memories.” Her work is seen internationally and included in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s permanent collection.

“Cut Book in a Bell Jar” by Georgia Russell. 17.5" high. 2007.

“Cut Book Jacket in an Acrylic Case” by Georgia Russell 13.75" x 11.75" x 4".

Brian Dettmer started out as a painter. When he worked in a sign shop, he began to explore the relationship between text and images and eventually started working with old books in 2000. Today he works with older dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, wallpaper sample books, comic books and other printed materials. “The book’s intended function has decreased and the form remains linear in a non-linear world,” he said. “By altering physical forms of information and shifting preconceived functions, new and unexpected roles emerge….”

“New International Dictionary, 2003” by Brian Dettmer 12" x 9" x 7".

Alex Queral creates mostly celebrity 3-D portraits from bound phone books, using only an X-acto knife and acrylic paint. The faces are often painted with a monochromatic wash to separate the image from the printed background page, which remains untouched. Queral said that he is “celebrating the individual lost in the anonymous list of thousands of names.” The sculpture is then sealed with acrylic to preserve the work.

“Albert Einstein” and “Barack Obama” by Alex Queral.

And, on the practical side, Kara Witham is one of several people who offer hollowed-out book safes for sale on the web, at her Etsy store.

“Hollow Book Safe & Flask - The Odyssey” by Kara Witham.

For further information about these artists, check these websites.

• Chen Long-Bin
• Alex Queral
• Karra Whitham
• Georgia Russell

The way we receive information is changing. Some friends have completely abandoned hardcover books for e-books; others have never read a book in electronic form, and yet others have collections of both. Our public libraries increasingly offer patrons a choice of formats.

With the rapid development of technology, I think this was bound to happen. Books have been around for millennia — in essentially the same form for six centuries — and as a painting teacher once told our class, “The only constant in design is change.”

The relationship of artists to written communication has also changed. In the past, the destruction of a book meant the destruction of the information it contained. But when anyone can carry a library in his or her luggage, designers and artists are beginning to view bound, printed pages as art supplies. Several artists are exploring ways to keep books from landfills and preserve their shelf life.

Jim Rosenau takes that challenge literally. The son and grandson of book publishers, Rosenau was raised in a house with 5,000 books.  He is now a carpenter, comedy writer and software developer living in California, but he is perhaps best known for creating furniture — including bookshelves — from discarded hardbacks and salvaged lumber.

Shelf made from a set of three dictionaries by Jim Rosenau.

“Who Done It?” Shelf made from three carefully selected abandoned books by Jim Rosenau.

Bookcase made from rescued books by Jim Rosenau.

While majoring in 3D Design in college, British artist Laura Cahill kept track of the number of objects discarded within a mile radius of her school. In response to her findings, she began a collection, “Readable Furniture,” made from recycled books.  “I am fascinated in reusing objects in a way that gives them a new life,” she said.

Vase made from old books by Laura Cahill. The spines are wrapped around test tubes so that the vases don't get damaged when they are filled with water.

Table and lamp from old books by Laura Cahill.

The Dutch firm Bomdesign offers several sculptural reading lamps made from reclaimed books, and creates boxes from other recycled materials to ship them to clients throughout the world. Lamp sizes vary, depending on the size of the original books.

Reading lamps made from old books by Bomdesign.

Furniture made by stacking books has been around for a long time — almost any dorm-dweller can do it without special training. In college I made bookshelves by stacking out-of-date textbooks between custom-cut boards.

Here are some other designs that take this technique to the next level.

Stacked Book Tables.

When the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands needed a new reference desk, the staff created one from old intact library books.

The reference desk in the Technical University of Delft library.

Closeup view of the library reference desk in Delft.

Learn more about the artists at their websites:  Jim Rosenau, Laura Cahill and Atelier Bomdesign.

I love to both travel and listen to my friends talk about their trips — especially those taken by artist WC-P and her husband, WP, who is an expert with electronics and machines as well as a connoisseur of old cars. The couple only drive vintage cars which WP has renovated. He spent four months restoring a comfortable, roomy 1989 Grand Marquis station wagon which they drove from Arlington, Virginia to visit the iconic Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas on their vacation in 2007.

Forty years ago, Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh lll wanted to create a piece of public art that would baffle the locals. In 1974 he supported a proposal by a group of San Francisco artists known as the Ant Farm to develop a tribute to the evolution of the Cadillac’s tail fin. The artists drove 10 different Cadillac models into one of his fields along Route 66 west of Amarillo, and then half-buried them, hood down, in the dirt — supposedly at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Gaza. The cars faced west in a line, their tail fins displayed for all to see.

Often-decorated Cadillacs displayed at Cadillac Ranch.

WP visiting the Cadillac Ranch with obligatory supplies -- camera and spray paint -- in hand.

Marsh and the artists watched what happened next. People visited the cars and defaced them or tore off pieces as souvenirs; the tail fins disappeared. Stripped to their frames and splattered with spray paint, the Cadillacs are still on display for large numbers of international tourists who arrive with spray paint and cameras. Adding their graffiti, they ask others to take pictures of them, before someone else comes by and repaints it.

Unfortunately, other tributes to the whole American car have not fared as well.

Spindle, a 1989 sculpture, was located in a shopping center parking lot in Berwyn, Illinois. Commissioned by the center’s owner from sculptor Dustin Shuler, it consisted of eight cars — including the owner’s BMW — impaled on a 50-foot spike. The sculpture’s foundation extended 30 feet into the ground and cost $75,000 to install.

Spindle became both a tourist attraction — it was featured in the film, Wayne’s World, and in the syndicated comic strip, Zippy the Pinhead — and a source of civic controversy.  Some citizens petitioned the mayor to remove it while the mayor claimed it attracted more business to the town. In 2007 it was removed when the shopping center site was redeveloped and nobody ponied up the  $350,000 needed to relocate it.

"Spindle" as it once appeared as a sculpture in Berwyn, Illinois' shopping center.

A 1987 family reunion produced Carhenge in a field outside Alliance, Nebraska, where farmer Jim Reinders has constructed a unique memorial to his father.

While living in England, Reinders had studied the structure and proportions of the ancient Stonehenge. Instead of using massive stones for his monument, however, Reinders arranged 38 vintage American cars, all covered with grey spray paint, in a 95-foot diameter circle. Some sit upright, trunk-end down, in pits nearly five feet deep, with other cars welded on top to form arches. Other automobile sculptures have been added to the Carhenge location over the years.

Carhenge was listed as one of Time magazine’s Top 50 American Roadside Attractions and was featured in the 2007 travel book, 1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die.

"Carhenge," a megalith built on a farm outside Alliance, Nebraska.

"Carhenge" (detail).

The site, visited by 80,000 people a year, is now run by the nonprofit Friends of Carhenge, which does not charge admission; the grounds are open all day, every day.

The Friends no longer have resources to expand the site and have put it up for sale for $300,000. If the group does not find a buyer, President Marcia Buck said the Friends will continue to care for it, including maintenance of these non-moving vehicles. Unlike Cadillac Ranch, when parts fall off, they are put back in place.

“The damn things break down even when they are struck in the ground,” Buck said.

In December, when I was buying Christmas presents at a wonderful local upscale gift shop that doesn’t usually carry Art-Eco products, I was surprised to see clocks, brooches and a mirror made with discarded metal bottle caps.

Almost since the invention of the “crown cork” in the 19th century, bottle caps have provided an inexpensive and abundant source of art supplies once they’ve been separated from the beverage container.

Bottle-cap art has been popular since the 1940s, because they were inexpensive and relatively plentiful. We are now seeing more modern artists experimenting with bottle caps as recycled materials have become almost mainstream.

L. "Bottle Cap Basket" made from bottle caps c.1940. Photo courtesy of The Ames Gallery. R. "Bottle Cap Basket/Sculpture" handmade from bottle caps, gold paint, metal armature with lid bottom. From coastal Georgia. c. 1940-60. Photo courtesy of the Acacia Collection.

Clarence and Grace Woolsey began making bottle-cap figures in 1961 when they were employed as farmhands in Iowa,–reportedly to make use of a gallon of bottle caps they had accumulated. Over the course of a decade, they created several hundred sculptures. Discouraged by lack of public interest in their work, the couple stopped making them and stored them in a barn owned by Grace’s brother. The figures were discovered 20 years later when the farm was auctioned in 1993.

"Untitled Figures" by Clarence and Grace Woolsey. Photo courtesy of the American Folk Art Museum.

In the late 20st century, painter and web designer John Boak has decorated hand-built kitchen cabinets in his mountain cabin with bottle-cap medallions. The proliferation of microbreweries has provided caps in a wide array of colors which he stores, by color, in old soda bottles.

John Boak's bottle-cap cabinet medallions. Photos by John Boak.

Want to try your hand at this?  Boak shows the rest of us how to do this on his website.

Greg Warmack, aka Mr. Imagination, is a contemporary self-taught artist who worked as a street artist before he was shot during a robbery. After waking up from a coma in the hospital, he had a new vision and began working exclusively with found objects. Now his work can be found in private collections and museums throughout the world.

"Bottlecap Figure with Mirror" by Mr. Imagination. This figure is two feet tall and has an elongated mirror in its center. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

In addition to creating found art and sculpture which is exhibited throughout the country, Michelle Stitzlein teaches workshops for children about creating sculpture from bottlecaps, and other found materials. Both facets of her career require large quantities — more than any one person can provide. “90% of my caps are donated from family, friends and strangers who have heard about my work with kids,” she said. “They do take up a considerable area of studio space. Maybe 16 feet.”

Stitzlein's students show their work made with plastic bottlecaps. Photo by Michelle Stitzlein.

There few “how to” books about creating art with caps.  Stitzlein has written two.  Her newest, Cool Caps!, designed for teachers, parents and children, contains 7 projects made with recycled plastic bottle caps. It is available for sale on Lulu.

British artist Susan Stockwell crafts her works from recycled materials – maps, money, computer parts.

“A Chinese Dream” is a world map quilted from that country’s currency by Susan Stockwell. At right: detail showing individual bills.

Wall hanging, “Afghanistan, A Sorry State,” is made from U.S. dollars by Susan Stockwell. At lower right: detail showing bills and stitching.

Stockwell says her works are shaped by a dialogue with her materials. She trained as a sculptor, but early in her career began using paper for the practical reasons that it was cheap and readily available. Then she drew on the dressmaking skills handed down from her mother and grandmother to design political fashion statements: Gowns from the British Colonial period made from maps of the Empire.

Full size “Colonial Dress” made from world maps by Susan Stockwell.

From there, the leap to a dress stitched up from obsolete British banknotes was a short one, followed quickly by maps created from other currencies.

Full size “Money Dress.”

Stockwell began working with discarded computer parts after a year-long residency in Taiwan in 2007 opened her eyes to the importance of recycling to the island’s economy. She created and recycled a piece called Freefall from literally tons of discarded electronic components.

“Taipai Stack” (foreground) and “Freefall” (background) by Susan Stockwell at the Hong's Foundation, Taipai, Taiwan.

“Flood” by Susan Stockwell.

Flood by Susan Stockwell consisted of a tower of computer components pouring from the roof of the church, into the nave–filling it with colorful pieces of metal and wire. It was temporarily installed for a four-month exhibit at York St. Mary’s. a medieval church re-created as an exhibit space for contemporary work in England.

Stockwell has reinterpreted the work in several locations, including a deconsecrated 13th century church in York, to help people consider how ubiquitous electronics have become in modern life — and the problems associated with dealing with them once they become obsolete.

Rag rugs were the first American-made rugs. Between mending clothes, sewing patchwork quilts, and making rugs, the colonials found a new use for every scrap of precious fabric.

Today, some fiber artists continue to work with these utilitarian techniques to preserve American traditional arts. Others are creating rag rugs to divert fabric from the landfill as well. It’s estimated that each U.S. family sheds 68 pounds of unwanted clothing and upholstery into the landfill each year.

Weaver Chris Gustin started making potholders when she was a child. To hone her weaving skills, she took workshops in college and craft schools before developing her own techniques.

Her commitment to weaving with waste fabric began in 1974 when she saw a patchwork “crazy quilt” called “Recycle and Re-use” at Expo, the World’s Fair in Spokane, Washington.

Chris Gustin's rugs woven from waste selvages produced during the weaving of fabric for upholstery and clothing.

“It made me think about what I could do to help the environment,” Gustin said, and she said began exploring new ways to weave with waste materials. She used supplies from thrift shops, sock factories, bedding manufacturers, weaving mills and scrap dealers.

Her work now diverts about a ton of industrial waste fabrics a year from the landfill into rugs, clothing, and home accessories. Gustin also teaches others how to work with unconventional supplies and find scrap materials for weaving in her studio in Brown County, Indiana.

Crispina ffrench has been reworking used clothing into one-of-a-kind new clothing, rugs, pillows and other useful things since 1987, when she sold her work from a backpack at music festivals. She bought supplies — old sweaters and t-shirts — from Goodwill stores throughout the Northeast.

Demand grew and she expanded by hiring homemakers and caretakers in her western Massachusetts town to create new stock.

Stone Soup Potholder Rug, made from 100% post consumer used wool sweaters by Crispina ffrench.

In 2008, when 40 people were creating new pieces for her, she closed her business to take care of her two younger children, now pre-teens. She taught workshops, wrote a book, and today sells some products which she makes in her spare time, on Etsy. Ffrench is also working on a commission from the Eileen Fisher Co. to create useful products from worn, unusable clothing returned to corporate headquarters in Irvington, New York.

Ffrench's Dino Ragamuffin doll hand sewn from recycled wool sweaters and stuffed with natural raw mohair.

“It is my hope to inspire and bring to light the value and vastness of discarded material in our culture,” ffrench said.

She also offered a unique tip for cleaning her rag rugs: On a fresh layer of snow.

“Spread the dirty rug out and walk all over it (don’t wear muddy boots!) then flip the rug over a new spot in the fresh snow and do the same,” she said. “This technique pulls all the animal hair, dust bunnies and lint balls off the surface. Spills can be cleaned with a gentle scrubbing brush and soapy water.”

Learn more about these artists at their websites: Chris Gustin and Crispina ffrench.

I think it’s easier for more of us to buy a new eco-friendly winter hat than other articles of clothing. Green designers are fashioning hats in all shapes and sizes from just a few scraps of cloth otherwise destined for the landfill. Here are a few ageless styles that are eco-chic as well as warm.

BaaBaaZuzu is an omnivore for recycled wool. With the help of brokers throughout the country, the Michigan-based company rescues two tons of unwanted men’s and women’s wool clothing each month. The wool is then turned into felt in specially made washing machines before the Baabaazuzu artisans handcraft it into one-of-a-kind hats, mittens, purses, vests, and scarves.

Pillbox hat and Cloche by BaaBaaZuzu.

Icebox Knitting’s Xob Upcycled collection of unique hats, arm and hand warmers, mittens, bags, toys, and pillows, starts out as discarded wool-blend sweaters and suit jackets. The handcrafters work on antique hand-powered knitting machines in Longmont, Colorado, where they also create the Dohm Collection of rugged mountain headwear, which combines organic virgin wool with recycled linings. Fabric scraps are used for appliques and toy stuffing, and any remaining leftovers are shipped to Tennessee for quilt batting.

Peace Visor hat (left) and Bomber hat (right) from Icebox Knitting's Xob Collection.

Virginia-based Ryan Williamson started his one-man business, The Mouse Works, when he was 14. He buys Malden Mills polar fleece castoffs — seconds or colors that the manufacturers no longer use — from jobbers. Williamson personally hand sews the pieces into hats for babies, youth, and adults. All the fabric scraps from his hat production are used to make more hat parts, skirts, tassels, or to stuff pillows and cuddly pets, which he gives away. In 17 years he has made over 60,000 hats with minimal impact on local landfills. All of his trash from 2010 fit into one trash bag.

Jester hat (upper left), Cloche hat (upper right) and Fleece Dog hat (bottom) by Ryan Williamson.

The Socklady, Marianne Wakerlin, creates socks from recycled cotton, knit at a family-owned mill and hand-finished in Vermont. Each sock has the same pattern and colors in different order so a pair appears “mismatched.” Rejected socks are saved and stitched into one-size patchwork hats that fit most adults. Each is lined with plush fleece to keep the ears warm, and no two are alike.

Hats and scarves from recycled cotton designed by The Socklady.

Visit these sites to view more hats:

• Baabaazuzu
• Dohm Collection
• The Mouse Works
• Sol Mate Socks

Dear Readers:  In honor or this season for costumes, we’ve written about a woman who made art costumes from trash and an obscure book that helps DIYers whip them up–quickly.

Sculptor Erika Diamond is a versatile artist who often works with recycled and organic materials.  A recent commission was an artist’s dream, She could make 13 costumes — anything she wanted — for a ballet performed at the North Carolina Dance Theater.  The choreographer (Mark Diamond, her father) decided to provide a green theme for seven brief pieces that looked at how we relate to the environment. They ranged from tree hugging to recycling to accidents that have dirtied the environment.

Instead of Erika designing her clothes to suit the story and music, Mark developed moves around the costumes’ limitations.

Left to right, the Reel to Reel Dress and Hat, Bottlecap Pants, 2-Litre Bottle 2-Piece Dress, and Newspaper Dress designed for a ballet program by Erika Diamond. Photo: Jeff Cravotta.

Diamond said that because she grew up with ballet she was “comfortable with the way the body moves.”  “It wasn’t foreign to make something to surround a dancer, to be part of what the dancer is doing,” she said.

The costumes, which survived the wear and tear of four performances, were then shown at a recycled fashion runway show in North Carolina this April. They were next displayed in a gallery in Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte.

Umbrella Outfit Erika Diamond designed for a ballet.

Diamond also included two new art fashion gowns in that show. One is made from bottle parts and labels of the VitaminWater Power-C (containing dragon fruit, taurine, and Vitamin C).  She created it for a design competition sponsored by VitaminWater (the challenge: to create clothing inspired by a flavor of the drink). She said her gown has subtle dragon-like characteristics. 

VitaminWater Power-C Dress by Erika Diamond.

Diamond's Birdcage Dress is made from fabric and altered chicken wire. Photo: EF Photography.

Diamond creates all the clothing herself and said it took about a month each to complete the VitaminWater Dress and the Birdcage Dress, including fitting them to real models.  It’s an intricate process — the following video gives an idea of how she does it. 

“Large Black Grass,” blades of grass, polyurethane, resin on a panel 26” x 42” x 2” by Erika Diamond.

Her next exhibition, in Rock Hill, South Carolina, will include her two-dimensional work made from blades of grass as well as some new pieces.  Visit Erika Diamond’s website to see more of her work.

Help for the Halloween-Costume Challenged

With the upcoming holidays, school plays and pageants may have you scrambling for costumes. Rather than panic, discover a little-known book that shows an easy way to scare up a unique costume from thrift store finds and old outfits hidden in your closet — no sewing necessary. An 87-page paperback book, Instant Period Costume: How to Make Classic Costumes from Cast-Off Clothing by Barb Rogers tells how to create imaginative costumes from thrift store finds, personal period pieces, and old bridesmaid’s dresses without using a needle and thread. The secret is a glue gun (the Magic Melt, a low temperature gun, will do the job without burning through several layers of skin when aimed incorrectly). In addition to working up a finished piece quickly, the costume can be cleaned by washing it in cold water. The book, which contains black and white photos and easy to understand instructions, is a good reference books for ideas. It could also be helpful for low budget theater companies. Available in Eco-Artware’s bookstore for $18.76.

Editor’s note: We asked Rissa Miller, a former Baltimore Sun editor, to write about green wedding dresses because she knows a lot about them. Rissa and her husband, photographer Nathaniel Corn, along with Lori Hill, helped produce the 2009-10 Mid-Atlantic Green Wedding Showcases. Rissa was the fashion show coordinator and Nathaniel the official photographer. (The couple also own Balance Phototography, a certified green photography studio near Baltimore.) We were surprised by the showcase gowns’ range of styles and fabrics, and hope you are just as encouraged about the future of eco fashion.

Note: All photographs were taken at the Green Wedding Expo fashion shows.

Not that long ago, the words “eco wedding dress” brought to mind shapeless burlap sacks over Birkenstocks. Thankfully, forward-thinking designers and brides have upcycled that image forever.Today’s eco wedding dress can rival any mass-production gown in elegance and style. Brides, bridesmaids and mothers of the brides searching for a fashionable dress that won’t leave a huge carbon footprint have more options than ever. Environmentally friendly dresses can be ball gowns, sexy sheaths or adorable frocks.

Dress for the bride, bridesmaid or mother of the bride from sustainable materials by Kimmi Designs. Photo by Balance Photography LLC.

What makes a dress “green” has little to do with its appearance, however. The first consideration of a dress’s impact is what materials are used in its construction. Some are made of sustainable fabrics, like hemp, bamboo, peace silk or organic cotton. Others are restyled or altered gowns that are created from used, vintage or heirloom family dresses.

The next factor is fair labor. Much off-the-rack wedding attire is assembled in international sweatshops. To be truly green, a dress should be created as close to local as possible by a staff that earns living wages.

Bridal dress made from sustainable materials by Kimmi Designs. Photo by Balance Photography LLC.

Finally, the ultimate fate of the dress is another consideration. Because wedding and bridesmaids dresses rarely see more than one use, some eco-minded brides are renting dresses or donating/selling them after the big day. Charities that specifically handle bridal and special occasion dresses are Brides Against Breast Cancer, St. Anthony’s Bridal and Brides Across America. And there’s always eBay if you want to resell your dress, shoes or accessories.

Dress for the bride or bridesmaid created from recycled materials by Amanda Rose. Photo by Balance Photography LLC.

Sumptuous wedding style — with less environmental impact — is completely available for brides, their wedding party and their family.

Bridal dress created from hemp-silk by Conscious Elegance. Photo by Balance Photography LLC.

For brides who want a new dress, there are dozens of celebrated green designers specializing in eco-chic wedding dresses all over the country. One or more may be near you, and if not, all things are available via the Internet.

• Adele Wechsler, Canada
• Amanda Archer Collection, Chicago
• Amanda Rose, Florida
• Anna Herman Eco Inc., Montanta
• Conscious Elegance, State College, Pennsylvania
• The Cotton Bride, New York
• Fiberactive Organics, North Carolina
• Green and Blue, Washington DC
• Gwendolyn Gleason, Florida
• Isadora, Canada
• Kimmi Designs, Seattle
• Lindee Daniel, California
• Morgan Boszilkov Natural Bridals, Georgia
• Olivia Luca, Oregon
• Punk Rock Bride, Washington DC
• Rene Geneva, Texas
• Salome Marcus, Massachusetts
• Seams Couture, Massachusetts
• Style Tantrum, Charleston South Carolina
• Sweetgrass Natural Fibers, Oregon
• Tara Lynn Studio, Vermont
• Threadhead Creations, Knoxville, Tennessee
• Whichgoose, Frederick, Maryland (natural headpieces)