No, this is not a catastrophic global warming emergency.  A life-like 16-foot-high sculpture of an iceberg featuring a stranded polar bear and its cub appeared on the River Thames today to mark the launch of the new Natural History TV channel Eden.  Programming starts running at 9am London time.   find out more

With winter’s winds, chilly temps, and dry heat inside, putting my best face forward is no easy feat. Although organic yogurt, cucumber, lemon and honey are steadies for my usual DIY face-saving concoctions, work sometimes demands my trying fresh skincare options that are available ready-made.  (I know, life is tough.)

For the past few days I’ve been using Alchemilla “ultra-pure skincare” — created with biodynamic, organic and wild-harvested plant ingredients either grown on their own herb garden in Oregon, or (more…)

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

• Green Cotton shows how to Be Sweet and Eco-Chic for Valentine’s Day with their extensive green gift guide.
  
• Green Girls Global shares ways to become self-sufficient in your wardrobe.
• Victoria Everman features an exclusive, in-depth interview with fashion designer and Mountains of the Moon founder, Melissa Baswell.
  
• And in case you missed it, we bring you sustainable designer Denise Rowcroft and her one-woman company, Lost & Found Art, reclaiming and salvaging found materials and transforming them into finely crafted pieces of art jewelry.
  

This is part four of a 10-part series on how changing one’s eating habits may be the most accessible and impactful way to improve the world.

After our previous posts dusted a bit of information out from underneath the organic rug, you may be wondering how in the world you are to stay true to organic’s foundation.

Luckily, there are three approaches that allow you to clean under the entire rug – they’re Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), food (more…)

• It called ‘carpooling’. NYC Eyes Split Rides in ‘Fare Share’ Taxi Program – wcbstv.com
• Change.  Obama Moves to Reverse Bush Climate Regs – reuters
• Recent Gas Prices Post Steady Escalation – cnn
• A global energy solution?  Microbes Fuel Energy Debate – sciencedaily
• Congo Warlord’s Arrest Puts Gorillas’ Future in Turmoil – natgeo
• Change to an electronic statement…1 Million Trees to be Planted in U.S. by Progressive Car Insurance – businesswire
• Federal Tax Credit Boosts Home Wind Turbine Market – the daily republic/ap

Seattle-area designer Jake Ryder makes a variety of furniture and accessories out of recycled materials.  The pieces above were designed and constructed out of real, used skateboards — not pristine, straight-off-the-shelf decks that many furniture makers use.  Jake keeps all materials within the theme of each piece.

find more of Jake’s unique creations @ jrydevisuals.com

• The New American Home creates its most energy efficient home in Las Vegas.  This 9,000 square foot contemporary home features: a heating and cooling system that runs on clean-burning natural gas, photovoltaic cells, a solar water-heating system, insulating concrete forms and many other innovative technologies. The contemporary home also includes fountains, pools and a basement-level subterranean courtyard.
• The U.S. Green Building Council New Mexico Chapter (USGBCNM) is sponsoring the tenth annual GreenBuilt Tour in New Mexico which will take place May 16 and 17, 2009.  Over the years, homes in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos and environs have been featured.  The GreenBuilt Tour will feature homes certified under Build Green New Mexico or the LEED for Homes rating system.
• Green Building and The Obama Effect – jetsongreen

Sustainable designer Denise Rowcroft and her one-woman company, Lost & Found Art, takes reclaimed and salvaged items and transforms them into finely crafted pieces of art jewelry.  Recycling post-industrial materials reduces the amount of junk heading for the landfill, mitigates the demand for raw materials and adds new value to otherwise discarded items.

Items range in price from $30 to $300.  Denise’s work is sold primarily at retailers in her native Bend, Oregon. Or online @ etsy. She does take custom orders. Pictured above are pieces from her Bicycle Parts collection.

A Valentine’s gift, perhaps? No, these items aren’t marketed to that lonely sheep herder sequestered in some mountain cabin miles from civilization with only his sexy Border Collie, Delores, and a flock of sheep to keep him company…

These are chew toys for all you pet crazy folks who want to go all “Paris Hilton” when it’s playtime for Fido.  These Fab Dog chew toys even contain the prerequisite squeekers and are made of ‘fabric.’

you can find both the Bra Plush Toy and the Leopard Print Thong @ amazon.com

via: inventorspot