Alchemy Goods crafts "upcycled" messenger bags, tote bags out of tree-themed banners Urban Forest Project Tacoma art banners are being repurposed into messenger bags and small tote bags to support tree planting and maintenance efforts in Tacoma. These one-of-a-kind bags are designed by project partner Alchemy Goods in Seattle, a company known for upcycling bicycle tire inner tubes, seatbelts and event banners into bags, wallets and other products. Upcycling is a term for turning used materials into something of greater value. Online sales of bags will begin at noon Wednesday, June 15, at www.ufp-tacoma.com<http://www.ufp-tacoma.com>. One messenger bag will be created out of each banner. A limited number of small tote bags will also be made out of leftover banner pieces. First come, first served. "Opportunities like this are perfect for our custom division," said Luke Brown, director of sales and marketing at Alchemy Goods. "The Urban Forest Project is doing great work and we are very excited to be able to help upcycle their artists' banners into messenger bags. Closing the loop on a project like this that starts with a message about the environment and ultimately ends with an opportunity to create a completely upcycled messenger bag is exactly the type of project our custom division loves to work on." Urban Forest Project Tacoma products available online include: * Alchemy-brand messenger bags: $100 (beginning June 15) * Alchemy-brand small tote bags: $25 (beginning June 15) * T-shirts featuring banner designs: $30 (available now) * Posters featuring banner designs: $30 (available now) Proceeds from the sale of bags, T-shirts and posters will go toward planting and maintaining trees in Tacoma. If you missed the Urban Forest Project Tacoma banners hanging downtown this spring, you can still view the tree-themed artwork online at www.ufp-tacoma.com<http://www.ufp-tacoma.com>. The Urban Forest Project Tacoma is a community collaboration which featured nearly 100 tree-themed banners by local artists, designers and students to raise awareness of the importance of trees in the city while celebrating the city's vibrant creative community. The banners created a forest of thoughtful images amid the concrete and asphalt of Tacoma's downtown urban landscape. About Tacoma's Urban Forestry Program Tacoma's urban forestry program was created to plan, manage, protect and preserve the natural and planted vegetation in Tacoma for the health and well-being of residents and visitors. The City of Tacoma offers education, outreach and resources about tree planting and maintenance. Learn more about Tacoma's Urban Forestry Program and how you can get involved in increasing Tacoma's tree canopy at www.cityoftacoma.org/evergreentacoma<http://www.cityoftacoma.org/evergreentacoma>. About Alchemy Goods Alchemy Goods, known as a leading manufacturer of several categories of upcycled soft-goods, recently launched a custom division to help companies and organizations create products out of materials previously destined for the landfill. The goal of the new division is to provide music festivals, large events, museums and advertisers with an opportunity to recycle their used vinyl banners. Alchemy collects the used advertising banners and prepares them for their next life as one-of-a-kind bags or promotional items. Learn more about Alchemy Goods at www.alchemygoods.com<http://www.alchemygoods.com>. About the Urban Forest Project The Urban Forest Project is an initiative of Worldstudio and was originally executed in New York's Times Square in fall 2006. Learn more about the Urban Forest Project at www.ufp-global.com<http://www.ufp-global.com>. ###