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Burlington, Vermont - January 16, 2009

She shares a name with a movie star, Maureen O'Hara, but goes by Moe. It's just one of this designer's nicknames. She chuckles, "I'm a bit of a bag connoisseur."

That's right, a bag connoisseur. She collects and digs through her bag of plastic shopping bags, picking just the right one to turn into baby fashion accessories. O'Hara explains, "You don't look at the bibs and say, 'Oh, that's a plastic bag!'"

She layers and irons the bags, fusing them together. O'Hara then sews the edges to prevent plastic fraying. It's a thrifty recession-era project other crafters do, too, but few do it with O'Hara's environmental dedication. She beams, "I would love the day when I can't create more bibs because there aren't any plastic bags. I would love that day!"

She moved to Burlington after her post-college stint in Americorps because she heard so much about the city's green reputation. The designer says, "Everyone here is really eco-conscious."

O'Hara works as a baker, but this side gig has her convincing friends and friends of friends to yard sale and save things for her to "upcycle." More than recycling, upcycling is a trend of turning normal stuff into something more valuable, often designer goods. Her journals, for example, have covers from discarded library books whose pages were damaged anyway.

O'Hara chirps, "It's what I do -- I recycle everything!"

Her year-old business selling diaries, bibs, envelopes made from old maps and more is still growing. She's unique, perhaps, in that she'd be glad if others copy her crafts.

O'Hara explains, "If you want to make this journal, if you want to make this bib, if you want to make envelopes, that's great-- because that's promoting recycling, and promoting an earth-conscious place to live."

It's the way Moe O'Hara lives, this upcycler, this environmentalist, this bag connoisseur, as she turns trash into "Made in Vermont" treasure.

You can find O'Hara's products at stores including Scribbles on Church Street, Pine Street Artworks in Burlington, and the Be-Bop Baby Shop in Essex Junction. Click here to visit Moe O'Hara's website.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News - Made in Vermont