UPDATE:  December 1, 2008
Our Random Drawing took place on November 28.  And it’s now official – our two lucky winners are Oona and Jennifer R.  Congratulations!  Thanks to everyone for participating.  And don’t forget to bring a reusable bag with you whenever you shop.

Bag the plastic bag, and shop with sustainable style by using Envirosax hemp and bamboo bags.  Compliments of trend-setting reusable shopping bag designer, Envirosax, two lucky readers will each receive a fabulous eco friendly bag. We’re giving away one tote made from hemp, and another one made from bamboo. Entering this Giveaway is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Each prize is valued at $24.95, plus free shipping, worldwide. And they come with their own little pouch for easy storage in a glove compartment, backpack or handbag.

STEP 1 & 2 – To enter: first, visit envirosax.com and check out their amazing array of reusable bags. Then enter a comment on this post telling us which design is your favorite. Winner will receive either a beautiful hemp or bamboo tote (per examples, above).

Step 3 – Prize notification: is via email — be sure to add the following address to your email address book: m at AlternativeConsumer.com.

Entries must be received by 12n (ET), Fri, November 28.  It’s that simple.

Random Drawing takes place on Friday, November 28, 2008. Two lucky winners of these designer totes will be selected and notified by email. (add: m at AlternativeConsumer.com to your address book.) Winners need to reply to notification within 24 hours in order to claim their individual prize, otherwise their offer is null and void. The 2 winners’ names will also be included on this post.

Thanks for reading The Alternative Consumer — start clicking, and good luck! (One entry per person, of course.)

London-based Karbon Kintetics is field testing a cool looking and innovative electric bike for urban commuters, the Gocycle.

The bike has a lot of great features: it’s lightweight (injection molded magnesium), the seat and handlebars adjust without tools for each rider, it has a range of 6 to 20 miles (with pedal input), 3.5 hours of battery power (the bike can be operated without electric assist) and is designed “as clean, sustainable, cost-effective city specific transportation.”  It has a 9Ah NiMH battery that is stored in-body, a 250 Watt motor and a controller that is USB programmable. Two hundred prototypes have been produced with e-bike manufacturer Ideal Bike, and are being tested worldwide.

more info @ gocycle.com

via: scooteringUSA.com

• “Senator I have the CEO of GM on the line”…Volkswagen Diesel Wins ‘Green Car of the Year’ – reuters
• There will be no bluefin tuna population to manage if they don’t act…Happy Tail? – bbc
• Dems Look to Stop Endangered Species Act Rule Changes – enn
• Now you’re talkin’…Bay Area Vows $1 Billion Network For Green Cars – msnbc
• We used to have just a regular portrait done…Engineers Create ‘Nanobamas’ – livescience
• They even got it a ride to Florida…Couple Nurses Butterfly Back to Health – aol news

Take a bite of PURE goodness and say hello to your next BFF (best food forever). Filled with nutritious, truly healthy ingredients, these snack bars pack a powerful punch of flavor, fiber, protein and omega 3s.

Earth- and body-friendly, each PURE bar is: certified organic, raw and cold-processed, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free; and made with dates, walnuts, almonds, brown rice protein and agave nectar. Then, depending on the flavor — chocolate brownie, apple cinnamon, cherry cashew, wild blueberry, cocChip trailmix, cranberry orange — more, first class goodness is mixed in to every bar.  No cholesterol or trans fat, GMOs, preservatives, and artificial or processed anything to pollute your mind or body.  only $2.39/each or $28.99/dozen. most marvelous indeed. (personal fave, cranberry orange)

find pure taste and pure goodness @ thepurebar.com.

This is so wrong I just don’t know where to begin.

Bursting out of the frigid north country of Sarah Pallin comes a concept with absolutely no redeeming social value.  Hit the water in one of these animal pelt swimsuits and you’ll exit the surf looking like a wet muskrat in search of some flea & tick spray.

Appealing solely to those with a ‘Daniel Boone’ sense of fashion, these fur suits give a whole new meaning to that 70′s compliment, ‘that’s one foxy chick’.  Perhaps the design was inspired by Raquel Welch in that film classic, “One Million Years B.C.”.  At least those are mannequins and not live models.

alaskrafts.com

Sexy eco-furniture designer, PIE studio’s, “END OF YEAR SALE SALE SALE” is a limited offer with a limited amount of items and for a limited time only.  The ‘once a year sale’ features select items reduced 25%-45% off retail value.

PIE’s eco-friendly furniture is composed of water hyacinth, liana, bamboo and rattan.  The sale runs through 12/31/08.

the ’round stool’ pictured above is on sale for $150

Related:  previously on altCon (1.15.07)
Project Import Export:  taming the aquatic weed

If you’ve ever read the label on the back of conventional paint cans, you’ll find a list of ingredients hazardous to your health.  In fact, a Johns Hopkins University study (scroll to Paint via the link) reported that 300 toxic chemicals and 150 carcinogens may be found in oil-based paint.  When paint dries, the liquid chemicals evaporate into the air, known as volatile organic compounds (VOC).  Breathing these vapors can be particularly harmful to your health.  And, if paint is improperly disposed, it can pose serious threats to the environment.  Because paint is used nearly everywhere, including buildings, airports, and homes, there is a great demand for safer paint, to preserve human health and protect the environment.

Benjamin Moore Paints has made a green promise ensuring that their environmentally friendly paints do not merely meet industry standards (including LEED and Green Seal), but often exceed them, without compromising quality. (more) (more…)

The notion of homesteading and “living off the grid” seems to invoke states of either self-reliant bliss or irrepressible confusion as to why anyone in this technological age would want to succumb to the law of the land, once again.

If you fall into the first category, then you’re probably someone who’s weary of depending upon others for food, energy, and clothing, and have had enough 9-5 routines that provide only a few months worth of assurance and a home that looks increasingly like everyone else’s. If you fall into the second category, there’s a chance that this feeling is in part provoked by a deficiency of knowledge and confidence on where to begin and how such a lifestyle could possibly allow your family to thrive.

Regardless of which category you might fall into, there are many resources out there to satisfy your curiosity. A nice destination for a plentiful pack of articles that illustrates what homesteading encompasses while also providing many tricks of the trade can be found at homestead.org.  However, if you’ve already found yourself consumed with the idea and want to dig right in, there are several schools available that offer homesteading classes to get you started on the right foot. Becoming more self-sufficient gets you humming, but you can’t imagine kicking all of your metropolitan habits?  Urban-homesteading may be the answer you’ve been waiting for.

Many thanks to our reader-turned-muse who turned us onto the above mentioned schools; your tip was most appreciated.

• There’s ‘good’ energy and ‘bad’ energy…Global Warming Could Lead to More Arctic Energy – reuters
• This man puts the ‘lame’ in ‘lame duck’…Bush Set to Relax Rules Protecting Species – msnbc
• Is there enough Prozac to go around?  Depressed Parrot on Prozac – ananova
• Obama Climate Pledge ‘Very Positive’: U.N. Official – enn/reuters
• The clothes make the woman…Gwyneth Paltrow Explains Fur Faux Pas to PETA – ecorazzi
• Eating these guys could save them…Bison: It’s What’s for Dinner – livescience
• It’s because they’re all in America. House Sparrow Numbers ‘Plummet’ by 68% – bbc
• Tonight’s the Night – SHOP LES for up to 25% at select stores 6-10pm – lowerEastSideNY