9 Israeli Etsy Shops That Make Online Shopping Greener (and Funner)

Etsy, for those who don’t yet know, is an online forum for handmade products.  The handmade revolution is green in and of itself, since it attempts to reduce reliance on machine (and electricity powered) made products, but Etsy goes even greener than that.  Etsy makes it easy to shop green by making it easy to shop local and search for products made from recycled or eco-friendly materials through their “ecoetsy” category.

Many Israeli Etsy sellers (who have all been featured on Green Prophet already – click on their names to see the full feature) are making our shopping very green and fun.  We thought it would be helpful for you to have their names on your shopping list, maybe to make your Passover gift shopping a little more environmentally friendly?

Let the local, green, handmade shopping begin!

Dria Peterson creates her handmade dolls and upcycled denim bags from Amirim, a vegetarian eco-village in northern Israel.  Her whimsical dolls are all made out of reclaimed fabrics and are definitely a great alternative to non-eco-friendly Barbie.  (Check out her baby-friendly doll, Iz’o the Strong Man, above.)

KAPARA (aka Viktoria) makes great upcycled paper gift tags that add a nice touch to any present, big or small.  Her gift tags come in a variety shapes and are made from a variety of paper materials, mostly leftovers from printing houses.

Tali Gordon Bleicher, a graphic designer and teacher, makes wonderful wallets out of fused plastic bags.  She calls her products arnakologis (or, “ecological wallets”) and each one is completely one-of-a-kind.  A good reminder to spend your green on things that are green. (Check out one of her wallets to the right.)

ECO by Limitz (aka Limor Matityahoo) also makes products out of fused plastic bags, but is not limited to wallets.  In her shop you will find key chains, mobiles, office organizers, clutch purses, and finger puppets – all of which make sure that those pervasive plastic bags don’t end up in the landfill.

Inbal Weisman makes use of discarded fabrics in the free exchange market in Nahalal in order to create her owls.  Many of her owls are not only decorative, but also carriers for aromatic oils (such as lavender).

Cecilia Cohen, who lives in northern Israel, creates beautiful glass beads and artwork out of wine and beer bottles.  (Empty ones, of course.)  Her packaging and shipping methods are meticulously eco-friendly as well.  (Check out some of her beads to the left.)

Inbal Limor, an environmental artist whose creativity spans many directions, uses upcycled plastic, recycled paper, found objects, and reclaimed fabric.  Her motto is: “Recycle, Reuse, Recreate, Meditate, Vegetate.”  Her shop contains coloring books, digital collage sheets, and a line of “I was a plastic bag.”

Neta Amir, an artist and designer who runs two shops, collects discarded fabric.  With this fabric, she makes shoes, bags, cloth mugs (yes, beautiful cloth mugs), and handcrafted dolls that are pretty much more artwork than plaything.  (Check out an item from her “Let’s cloth it” line of home accessories to the right.)

Lilyja is a jewelry designer, currently working out of Tel Aviv, who is careful that no resource in her studio go to waste.  She saves all of the silver scraps generated from her jewelry making and melds them together again so that she can make recycled silver jewelry.  Added bonus: the recycled silver jewelry comes in organic shapes.

Read more about other eco-friendly products from around the Middle East::

Pick Organic from Under the Nile’s Cotton Clothes and Toys for Babies

“Waste Lb” Design Company Encourages Lebanese to Waste Fewer Plastic Bags

Rima Malallah Brings Handmade Art and Love on a Bike to Amman

Author: Karen Chernick

Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.

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