NBC's November ratings-sweep gimmick this year was "going green," shoehorning eco-friendliness into an entire week's programming. This included dressing the "Deal or No Deal" models in outfits made from recycled parachutes - without sequins.

Maybe not the best use for the material.

But Diana Straub of Fort Collins had long before jumped into designing grocery bags out of recycled parachutes. It's the wave of the future, she believes.

"Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington state are all on a big drive to remove all plastic bags from the waste stream. It's a big movement and I had been thinking about a way to do this," she said.

So when her daughter Kellie Falbo, who is executive director of the Rocky Mountain Sustainability Association, started looking around for a replacement for vendor bags for this year's Sustainability Fair in September, it was a perfect match. "We needed bags, and wanted to make them out of organic cotton," she said. "But the more we researched, we found that used parachute material was even better for this use."

Falbo asked her mom, an experienced seamstress, about making them, and Straub began experimenting with the design. From the beginning she had additional uses in mind.

"(Supermarket) checkers don't like most of the fabric bags because they don't stand up and they don't fit on the bag holders at the check stands," she said.

So she sat down to work on a design that duplicated the shape and fit of standard plastic supermarket sacks.

Next, she searched for the used parachute material and located a source at a local army surplus store. Out came the sewing machine and Straub began cranking out the bags, double-stitching each one to add extra strength.

As she worked, she also found that parachute material added other benefits to the bags in addition to their green aspects.

"They are tear-resistant, they're waterproof, and they fold down to nothing," Straub said.

The grocery bags debuted at the Sustainability Fair, selling for $15 each and, she said, "The response was great." Around 200 bags sold at the fair and she's had calls for more.

So many, in fact, that Straub has decided to go into business under the name of Sew Natural. She has also started to expand on the style of bags she makes, in response to customer requests.

"I had a request for a bag with shoulder straps and a zipper so it could be used on a bike," she said. "I was also approached by a munitions expert who suggested one that could be used by hunters."

Those two are being tested and, with a few modifications, will be available in the near future. Straub's other working parachute designs include a yoga bag.

Until the parachute project fell into her lap, Straub said, sewing was more of an avocation. In her past work lives, Straub worked in several areas including as a receptionist, in accounting capacity and for a mortgage company, but found time to make a wide range of items for family and friends, including shopping cart covers, quilts, designer handbags, tooth fairy pillows and baby items such as diaper stackers.

Now she wants to find ways to make those items from recycled/reused materials as well.

"I like using my talents in a 'green' way," she said. "I've always sewn and made gifts but now I'm looking at it differently. Hopefully, this will become my major source of financial support."