A guide to online resources for crafters who are interested in using non-toxic materials or recycling household "trash" into creative goods.

If you're someone who's both concerned about the environment and the creative type as well, you can do more than chuck your trash into the recycling bin. Scout around the Web even a little bit, and you'll find tons of creative ideas for turning aluminum cans, plastic shopping bags and other "garbage" into useful items for yourself or others.

Even if you're not interested in crafting with recycled materials, you can still be creative in an Earth-friendly way by choosing non-toxic paints, fabrics, clays and beads whenever possible.

Following are some of the best sites I've discovered for the green- and craft-minded:

• The Art & Creative Materials Institute provides a searchable online database of arts and crafts materials that it's certified as non-toxic. The database covers everything from adhesives, ceramics and chalks to glitter, printing inks and solvents.
• BeadforLife offers beautiful beads made from strips of colorful waste paper. In addition to reducing paper waste, these hand-rolled beads also provide a way for women in Uganda to lift themselves out of poverty and help support their families.
• Care2's Green Living section features a guide to toxic substances in crafts materials, and offers suggestions for greener, healthier alternatives.
• Crafting a Green World, one of several blog sites run by Green Options Media, is guided by blog editor and head writer Victoria Everman. The site offers craft ideas, links and green tips on knitting, sewing, jewelry and other topics of interest to green crafters.
• Always a site full of creative ideas, Make Stuff features a whole section on recycled crafts projects. You'll find tips for making gifts and useful items from old CDs, plastic soda bottles, pine cones, ice cream containers, wire hangers, cardboard milk cartons, aluminum foil and more.
• My Recycled Bags focuses on crochet projects that recycle plastic bags, fabric scraps, cassette tape and other materials into clever handbags, shopping bags, rugs, doll clothes and other creations.