Thursday, August 25, 2011

Thoughtful Thursday links

... about my phone.

So I took the plunge and allowed myself to be ok with buying an iph0ne4. I was able to get a refurb and was due for an upgrade so in the end it didn't cost that much and I didn't contribute to the production of another new item.

However, I'm afraid I'm going to break it without a cover on it. So now I need a cover.

In the past, I would just go to ebay and find cheap covers for my phone, but they were usually cheap because someone bought them in bulk from China and then sold them on ebay. At least, that is my theory. They certainly were not 2nd hand items.

So my dilemma is finding a case for my phone. I know how ridiculous it sounds that someone would consider buying a phone case a dilemma - but for those of you who know me, you know that it's not about the case... it's about the whole idea of buying something new at all.

So I reviewed my options. This is the process that I go through now before buying things, the item could be anything really, it just happens to be a cell phone case right now.

I checked craigslist for used cases, but there was nothing near me. I searched ebay but they were all new there. Finally, I did a search for eco-friendly iph0ne cases and came up with the following options:

- TRTL BOT makes eco-functional cases in Southern California. They believe that being eco-friendly is "about buying recycled products, being locally made, and doing more with less."

Innovez is a Chicago based company whose goal is to "educate the community about the importance of an eco-friendly lifestyle through all aspects of our designs and to create fabulous products that make a positive impact on people and in turn our planet."

- I really liked the idea of this bamboo case, but I wasn't feeling like the companies that were selling most of the ones that I was finding were super eco-friendly. 

- Bioserie makes cases from a bioplastic made from plants.

This was the best that I could come up with... which really isn't bad actually. To have options is great, but I still wanted the option to not buy new.  

In the end, I was able to come up with a pretty decent solution - I found one of the Bioserie covers used on ebay. Score!

2 comments:

  1. I commented on another post congratulating you on your iphone purchase - enjoy it! Also, just wanted to add that if people are looking for another outlet for iphone covers, try a handmade one on http://www.etsy.com. There are so many talented craftspeople making them - I'm sure some from recycled materials.

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  2. Great idea Allison - thanks for the reminder! I'm going to check out what they might have right now...

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