Ah…yet another product with ‘Eco’ in the name. Laptop computer case and accessories maker, Targus, has announced the intro of its Spruce EcoSmart line of MacBook Pro carrying cases.

The new cases are made of 100% recycled nylon and are PVC-free, making the production of these bags less harmful to the environment. Additionally the metal used in the Spruce EcoSmart case is nickel-free and all plastic components are recyclable. The Spruce EcoSmart line will come in several variations.  The messenger bag (pictured) will run you around $79.99 when it goes on sale this spring.

• Carbon Emissions Are Everyone’s Problem – enn/wbcsd
• George. Is that you? Bush to Announce Three Marine Monuments – npr
• Some more of that pesky science stuff…Diamonds Suggest Comets Caused Killer Cold Spell – reuters
• Pope: Pollution Could Destroy World’s Future – yahoo! news
• I hope Mr. Bin Laden’s internet connection is down…Bugs Pose Bioterror Threat – livescience
• 6 Bizarre Real World Versions of Fictional Monsters – cracked.com

UPDATE:  1.16.09 – Winners Notification – It’s Official, we have two lucky, happy winners:  Layne and Laureen!  Congratulations, and thanks to everyone for participating. This giveaway is closed, kaput, over and out.  Our next giveaway begins this afternoon, so be sure to check it out.

(Original Post:)

This is a very special Great Green Giveaway sponsored by Madison Square Garden Entertainment’s Speaker Series 2009: the minds that move the world.  This is a pre-sale Special Event!

Here’s the deal.  We’re giving away a pair of tickets to 2 different Live & Uncensored events taking place at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall. Tickets officially go on sale January 11. Each pair of tix valued at $129. There will be 2 winners, each to receive one pair of tickets. Giveaway does NOT include transportation.

• 8pm, Monday, March 9, 2009 Bill Maher and Ann Coulter Humorous Perspectives, Serious Issues
• 8pm, Tuesday, March 31, 2009 Anderson Cooper interviews Arianna Huffington, D.L. Hughley and Mike Huckabee Free Speech and the Power of the Press

to enter:  simply enter a comment on this post telling us which show you’d like to see, and why you’d like to go.

add the following address to your email address book:
m at alternativeConsumer dot com.

2 Winners names will be selected at random on Thursday, January 15. Winners will be notified by email at approximately 6pm.  Winners need to reply to “You Are a Winner Announcement” within 24 hours, or offer is null and void.  Winners names will be updated on this post.

*Also, you may buy your tickets ahead of the general public TODAY thru 1/10/09 before they go on sale to the general public Sunday, January 11, 2009 10am. Blog readers use code GREEN to Buy tickets ahead @ speakerseries2009.com Check out the full schedule, with events featuring V.P. Al Gore in Boston and Chicago. Ticketmaster prices vary from $49.50-$179.50/per ticket.

Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to reduce the size of your derriere by getting outdoors and actually experiencing nature? If so, this solar charger from Solio can keep most of your gizmos and gadgets charged while you do all that bird watching, mountain climbing and biking.

The Solio Hybrid 1000′s carabiner clip allows you to attach it to almost anything and it comes with adapters for most small devices, cellphones and MP3 players.  A full charge will take about 8 hours of direct sunlight – or 6 hours if it’s plugged into a USB port.  The rugged shock- and weather-proof case is designed to withstand the rigors of your manly…or womanly lifestyle.  Measures about 7″ long.  Production of this solar charger is offset by tree plantings in protected forest, and is thus, carbon neutral.

$79.95 @ rei.com

Although toys are great for developing your child’s cognitive and motor skills while allowing you some “time off” from the role of entertainer, their appeal has been known to quickly decline in the rapidly evolving world of a youngster. When this occurs, boredom sets in and the emergence of a new toy appears to be the only solution. This all too common trend has been known to disrupt not only pocket books, but also the environment due to the presence of plastics and other persistent compounds within many common toys. (more…)

Don’t want to freeze your buns off?  Here’s something toasty for the boys.

From Chicago-based designer, Christopher Anthony, comes the first organic cotton thermal boxer briefs intended for casual wear.  After 22 years of cutting off his long thermals to make shorter thermal undies, he figured it was time to bring some organic cotton thermal boxers into the mainstream.  In Christopher’s words, “take care of your boys in the winter, they’re your most prized possessions.”

Watch for his bamboo boys to be launched this spring, and something for the ladies in the not too distant future, think “buns.”

purchase in natural or grey, ($28) @ christopheranthony.net and be sure to wash in cold water first, they are not pre-shrunk. or check out honeyshed.com (aimed at the 18-25 yr old set)

• 29 football field worth of electronics is still a lot…Recession to Steal Some Glitz From Gadget Show – myway
• How Underground ‘Hot Rocks’ Could Power America’s Future – cs monitor
• That face scrub will not remove tequila from your system…Scientists ‘Dismiss Detox Myth’ – bbc
• I feel some new pollution statutes coming …1 in 5 Considering Leaving Hong Kong Due to Pollution: Survey – yahoo! news
• New Reptiles Found in Tanzania’s Shrinking Forests – reuters
• Could this be my new weight loss program? (video) Snoring Burns Calories – red orbit

This week’s roundup of eco chic happenings brought to you by a select group of hopelessly green gal pals.

• Victoria Everman interviews Juliene Ebner, founder of JuJu, Philadelphia’s first eco-friendly salon & spa
• Eco Chic editors share their Green New Years Resolutions
• Fashion, Evolved highlights a new line of eco-friendly ZAUM handbags
• The Green Girls show you how to turn that old sweater into an ensemble
• Check out Green Cotton’s Top Green Books for 2009
• And in case you missed it, see how reasonably-priced, Peacekeeper Cause-metics goes beyond body-friendly beauty.
  

We know our water supplies are dwindling.  The World Health Organization reports that over one billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water, and nearly 2.5 billion people lack adequate sewage and sanitation services.

Water scarcities around the globe have prompted border and ownership disputes over this vital resource.  Water shortages are evident in areas such as: the Middle East, Northern China, Mexico, California and Africa.  Countries are fighting over the borders of water reserves, including in the volitile Middle East, where Israel and Lebanon both tap into a tributary of the Jordan River.  Another similar border dispute is taking place between the United States and Mexico over the Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers.

Many questions have emerged: Is access to water a given right, or can it be treated as a commodity?  Shouldn’t all people have the right to drinkable water?  Many have compared the precious resource to oil; but, unlike oil, which serves primarily as an energy source, water cannot be so easily substituted with alternatives.  It’s apparent that water is being consumed at an unsustainable rate, and we need to control the demand of its limited supply.  But, does that mean we slap a price on it, and restrict its access to those that cannot afford it, while corporations are profiting from its revenues?  We know that by allocating water as a free resource, there will be consequences of exploitation and unsustainable consumption of the resource.  Whether water should be a public or private resource, the fact remains that we must protect that most precious of natural resources, water.