Just an FYI, but I’m now officially obsessed with Freitag bags. Daniel and Markus Freitag’s rugged but sexy line of Zurich-made messenger, travel, and tote bags and accessories already scores huge green points given that they’re crafted with Swiss precision from secondhand truck tarpaulin, seat belts, airbags, and bicycle inner tubes.

 

The brothers Freitag just seriously upped their eco-cred with a foray into composting that promoted recycling and backyard gardening at Vienna Design Week 09. Here’s how it went down: Daniel and Marcus designed 100 limited-edition eco-bags for a gallery exhibition called ‘Urban Gardening.’ Guests at the opening night of the exhibition were bestowed with the bags, gratis, but under the condition that they each return to the gallery with their organic food waste transported in the bags for three months to contribute to a giant compost heap. And the Freitag Brothers meant business: bag recipients signed a promise — complete with their photograph and address — that they’d come back bearing their compostable leftovers in the Freitag compost totes.

And to christen the exhibition’s compost heap, Daniel and Markus cooked up homemade soup for the guests with food scraps going into the heap. Looks delicious.

Check out the video below to see the Freitags explain their ‘Urban Gardening’ project.

 

If the Freitags ever hit NYC with a similar event, I’m game, although I’m not sure how far I’d be willing to travel on the subway with a tote bag filled with rotting food scraps. Let’s just say I’d prefer if the gallery space/compost was in Brooklyn. In my neighborhood. On my block. But for a Freitag bag, I'd be willing to compromise. 

 

And if you’d like to invest in a non-compost-toting Freitag bag, check out this map that lists a smattering of retailers in North America.

 

 

Via [Designboom]