This bag is made from my "trash..."

Check this out.

It's a shoe bag made from a tarpaulin. But to me, it's not just any ordinary shoe bag. It's a shoe bag made from the tarpaulin I used for my Earth Hour campaign within the company last March.

It's my "trash" reborn as a useful product.

The item was made by a mother from GK Sooc last Saturday. She rushed to finish the item so that I can bring it back with me to Manila and somehow "model" it. Hehe.

GK Sooc is a Gawad Kalinga village the company adopted in Arevalo, Iloilo and the reason why I go to Iloilo every so often.

We recently started a tarp recycling project with some of the mothers in the community to assist them in having another source of income.

Uhm, I know I'm going to sound like I'm doing PR for the company, but I don't want to think about that anymore because I believe in the project and I really believe in the mothers who are part of the project. They really are a talented bunch, and they can really go places given the right exposure and opportunity. Of course, they also need the income.

It's been only a few months since the mothers started the project and right now, the clients are just some projects for the company but I really hope that the project would take off. I've seen them make pencil cases, tote bags, messenger bags, cosmetic kits. And boy, they're good.

Uhm, I'm thinking of getting my Christmas presents this year from them. That would make the product really meaningful, don't you think? Aside from helping save the environment, it's also one way of helping a family.

Do you remember there was this TVC before that said "Ang basurang itinapon mo, babalik din sa iyo."? Well, if the tarps that we use and dispose would be returned to me as a product as nice as this, I would gladly welcome back my trash.

If you want to get in touch with the GK Sooc mothers, shoot me a message so I can help you contact them.