or, Kayla’s Alternative Chocolate Making Adventure…

So maybe you’ve decided that this Valentine’s Day you want to make your own chocolate treats a la organic or vegan style. Well, as someone who has never even baked a cake, I grew curious about the level of difficulty such a feat may entail. So, I scoured the internet for some fun, cool alternative chocolate sweet recipes.

• Just Joe Fudge: This is fudge that I have deemed, “To DIE for” and ideal for anyone who lives near a Trader Joe’s. The steps to making this fudge are really easy (again, first time fudge maker here) and you can use the store’s organic sweetened condensed milk. The recipe also calls for a pound Plus Semisweet Chocolate Bar (imported from Belgium!). Honestly, I’m not positive if the Semisweet Chocolate Bar is the equivalent to the Pound Plus 72% Chocolate Bar. But, I opted to use the 72% and I am very pleased with the dark chocolate taste.  (more…)

This innovative little microcar is called the Hiriko – it’s small, has no doors, folds-up when not in use and looks like something right out of a science fiction movie. In reality, it’s been in the concept stage as the “CityCar” for nearly a decade. The car, which is the brainchild of the engineers and scientists at MIT-Media Lab, a division of MIT, is now slated to go into production in 2013 in Europe, and sometime later in the United States, by the European technology consortium, Urban. Production of the tiny electric vehicle is anticipated to reach an estimated 9,000 units by 2015.

The Hiriko microcar was designed to reduce traffic congestion and space concerns in major metropolitan areas. According to European Commission President José Manuel Durao Barroso “Hiriko is an answer to the crisis,” an urban population crisis that will see more than half the world’s population residing in cities by 2050 (a 70% increase). Barroso and experts from the European Commission imagine having Hiriko ‘fleets’ owned by cities, where the cars will be readily available and easily rented, much like bikes are in many cities today. Purchasing the car will also be another option and it will cost about $16,500.

Though very small, the Hiriko may have big implications in terms of urban mobility; it is so small that 3 of the microcars can fit in a single, typical car’s parking spot. The Hiriko is a four wheel drive, two-seater that reaches speeds up to 59 mph and will be electronically programmed to abide by city-specific speed limits. The car is powered by electricity and has a range of 75 miles. The car’s robot wheels can spin the car 80 degrees allowing to be parked straight to the curb, so hapless drivers everywhere can rejoice!

Take a look at the video produced by MIT to see why the Hiriko could be changing the way you commute.

Related: more electric vehicle featured on The Alternative Consumer

I discovered these interesting looking pieces of decorative eco art and home decor at the one-woman shop One Eighty Design. The raw materials for the work consist of reclaimed, found and salvaged metal scraps recovered from salvage yards, dumpsters and manufacturers.

The designer learned her welding skills from her dad who ran several small businesses and her salvage skills from her mom, who is an expert dumpster diver and recycle-based artist.

(above) These artsy, ceramic heart earrings are handmade from start to finish; each bead is shaped by hand, dried, fired in the kiln, glazed and then fired again. Decorated with a deep red glaze and fitted with silver plated clip-ons … a very lovable $23 and change @ the karoart Etsy shop

(above) For those who take things to heart more literally, designer Peggy Skemp makes anatomically correct heart lockets from recycled silver ($275) or half-hearted pendants (for $110) … find your match @ peggyskemp.com

For those of you with a bigger budget you might want to consider the Murano Yellow Sapphire Ring, (above) for your beloved. The ring features fairly traded yellow sapphires caste in 18k recycled white, yellow and rose gold. Naturally, those are G-VS conflict free diamonds … $1121 @ greenoro.com

(above) This charm is created  from an upcycled earring, with a cord made from recycled sari remnants. If that cord doesn’t make the cut, replace it with a gold chain you probably already have lying around … a very loving $6.75 @ the cutarug Etsy shop.

(above) Handmade earrings from vintage heart-shaped buttons – lightweight for the lighthearted … $16.90 @ the kapelusznik Etsy shop.

(above) Perfect for spring – Apple and Bee Love Hearts organic cotton tote with nice details and interior zippered pocket … $46 @ NYC-based, kaightshopnyc.com.

Related: more fabulous eco fashion finds discovered by The Alternative Consumer

• It’s estimated that the wind project could power Scotland 7 times over… Trump Says Scotland Leader ‘Hell Bent on Destroying’ Coastline With Wind Farm – msnbc
• I guess everyone wants to take a bite out of the mainstream media… Rescued Dog Bites NBC Anchor During Feel-Good Segment Gone Wrong – yahoo! news
• Nuclear future… Costs Loom Over Newly OK’d Nuclear Reactors – npr
• Deep beneath the Antarctic something stirs… Russian Scientists Claim Lake Vostok Drilling Success – bbc
• Now Hear This: Ship Noise Stresses Whales – livescience

The morning of my flight to New York from Tokyo my daughter, Danielle and I had a reservation to experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Much to our surprise we found ourselves at the Kooman Cultural Center, for a private lesson on the traditions and expected behaviors for the formal tea ceremony. This ritual is a social event and a time to clear one’s mind of the outside world. The objective is to create a moment in time for peace, harmony and calm for the guests. It is a meditation of being and an appreciation of the tea, the host and the environment. This includes admiring the room, artwork, and tea cups. We learned that the powdered green tea has a fascinating history and is used for medicinal purposes as well as enjoyment.

As the honored guest, it was my privilege to open the sliding Shoji doors and be the first to place my naked feet upon the matted floor. Centered on the wall before me (which would be considered the “Red Bird” in Feng Shui) was a work of art. It was an (more…)

Change is always most effective and least damaging as a gradual process. Take the environment for example. Rapid, unexpected changes in the climate can cause the endangerment and extinction of unprepared, vulnerable species of organisms. Life on Earth has been honed for billions of years via the process of evolution and has adapted to very specific conditions. Change those conditions suddenly and all hell breaks loose. The effects of the current global climate change are certainly harmful and must be addressed, but some of the remedies may only add to the problem. One of these so called solutions is the concept of artificially infusing the stratosphere with sulfate particles.  (more…)

Looking for an alternative to plastic LEGOS? Look no further than Earth Blocks, the more organic building block. The blocks, which snap together like traditional LEGOS, are made from a variety of natural and recycled materials, including the bark of the cedar tree, compressed dust from sawn cedar logs, and coffee beans.

Due to their organic content the blocks are slightly softer than traditional LEGOS, though much… much greener.

Created by Colors Tokyo.

$30 a set @ the guggenheim online store

via: designboom

Rustic chic. Allison Cecil makes these woodsy, personalized bark rings out of 100% recycled sterling silver. Depending on your ‘crunchy’ quotient they could even serve quite nicely as wedding bands.

$104 (one ring) @ themonkeysalwayslook Etsy shop