A Cirque du Soleil moment?   If you have storm damaged trees in your yard or woodlot, you might want to consider this DIY project.  Designer Jurgen Bey created this fusion of nature and furniture out of a log and a few bronze, classical chair backs.

Arborists and tree surgeons should note that as an art furniture project the bench is list priced for an incredible $20,200 – yet, since tree trunks are locally available it’s stated that only the chair benches are for sale @ droog.com

Our quaint (real estate lingo for “small”) Upper West Side, New York apartment has a lovely terrace that provides us with glimmering sunset views, breathing room in the big city, a place to entertain our friends and, unfortunately, ants. The little critters have been making themselves known as the weather has warmed up, creating a little creepy crawly trail all the way from the terrace door to the kitchen.

I immediately huffed it over to my corner drugstore, on a mission to find a non-toxic ant killer, but trying not to get my hopes up – this particular New York drugstore chain is not known for their extensive selection. To my surprise, (more…)

My girlfriend, sensitive Sue’s been mixing together baking soda, tea tree oil and peppermint oil to concoct a Do It Yourself blend of toothpaste.  After just a handful of uses, her pearly whites are brighter, and her dentist even complimented her on how great her teeth looked when she visited him last week.  She prepares enough paste for about a week, and stores it in a clear glass jar.  Gotta get me some peppermint oil and start DIY-ing. (see comments for proportions)

Arnold II, pictured above, was once a computer terminal relegated to the scrap heap when some fancy, flat-screen newcomer came on the scene.  Now, he has been recycled and transformed into a planter featuring a funky green patina, painted bamboo rim and scrap walnut feet.

Check out his predecessor, Arnold I, (at right) in full bloom.  Both can be found at the very cool, environmentally friendly artisan’s venue, Earth’s Journey, a site focused on recycling, reusing and repurposing items and objects into new, upcycled objects of value.

• Hikers gone wild…Swiss Heartland Voters Ban Nude Hiking in Alps – myway
• World Moves to Contain Swine Flu Spread – bbc
• Lookin’ for love in all the wrong places?  Alligator Winds up on Woman’s Doorstep – msnbc
• 140 turbines strong…Europe’s Biggest Onshore Wind Farm to be Ready Early – reuters
• Creationism…6 Random Coincidences That Created the Modern World – cracked.com

I received a press release the other day and the timing couldn’t have been better. I had just finished clearing out a book shelf (four shelves actually), and sorting through the keepers and pass-alongs to friends. What a sense of accomplishment. It was so satisfying to declutter and claim new/old space. I had several boxes of books ready to drop off to the local library, untiI I discovered that our library doesn’t accept donations anymore because they’ve run out of room. So I figured, okay, time to freecycle. But along came this timely news which I’m stoked about, and must dish. Here’s the deal. (more…)

You need some tough kid’s furniture to stick up to Mother Nature, like notNeutral’s BBO2 Collection of contemporary, all-weather furniture fashioned out of recycled high density, post consumer polyethylene (HDPE).  (Post consumer HDPE consists primarily of plastic milk cartons and detergent bottles.)

notNeutral teamed up with the recycled plastic design experts at Loll Design to create their original BB2 line of recycled plastic furniture for Warner Brother child care center.  The new BBO2 table and chairs come in black (nite), green (leaf), blue (sky), white (cloud), chocolate (brown), apple (red) and sand.  This indoor/outdoor furniture will stand up to Mother Nature for a long, long time.

sold @ notneutral.com

Related: previously on altCon
lollygag your way to summer with loll design (4.9.08)

A green stimulus package for your eyes, ears and mind…

• WBAI (99.5 fm, NY) today, 5-7p All Mixed Up – Mother Earth Mix Down
  
• EARTHFAIR today (Saturday, 4/25), NYC.  Join Simple Shoes 11a-5p at Booth E11 for their hourly giveaways of eco conscious shoes and bags. Grand Central Terminal — Vanderbilt Ave between 42 & 43rd St.  Meet DIY Network’s Ed the Plumber @ KOHL’s exhibit area and learn how to save 39,000 gallons of water each year in your home.
• today (11a-6p) and tomorrow (11a-5p):  GREEN LIVING EXPO Suffolk Community College.
• cnet tv debuts their green side…highlighting green technology, the green show (video)
• Vivavi showroom closing, but online will remain.  50% off eco home furnishings through this weekend, 10a-6p, click here for directions to Riverhouse, Suite 11N, 2 River Terrace, NYC showroom.  Tell Josh I said HI.
• now we’re talkin’ my kind of green…Stimulus Bill Funds Green Energy Gold Rush
• tribeca film fest through May 2
• solar-powered billboard in Green Bay, Wisconsin
• (more…)

Is it too early to be thinking summer when my thermometer is stuck at 37 degrees?  Not to worry, one peek at the 2009 swimsuit collection from Australia’s Emobi (French Polynesian for birth) will get you in a very beachy mood.

Made with water-based, earth-friendly dyes and UPF 50+ fabric, the fashion-forward prints are all created in-house.  (more…)

UPDATE:  It’s official – Congratulations to CONNIE W. of Ottawa!  Thanks to everyone for participating.  Didn’t win this one?  Don’t despair, check out our next Great Green Giveaway, in honor of Mother’s Day.

(original post follows…)

Continuing our springtime trend, this Great Green Giveaway is generously sponsored by LEHR, an innovator in eco friendly lawn care.  One lucky winner will be able to beautify their lawn by using this Detachable Curved Shaft:  Propane Powered Eco Trimmer.

Rather than spill gas on the lawn and spew toxic fumes around the neighborhood, a cleaner, easier to operate alternative is here — the LEHR Eco Trimmer…the world’s first propane-powered lawn and garden tool.  The Eco Trimmer has all the power and performance of a gasoline trimmer — minus the detrimental pollution and emissions associated with dirty gasoline engines.

It has zero ozone depleting potential, zero evaporative emissions, 96% fewer carcinogens and 97% fewer particulates than its gasoline counterpart, and already exceeds the EPA’s 2011 regulations for home and garden equipment.

Fueled by propane and its patented, “Twist ‘n’ Go” fueling system, this baby will run for about 2 hours on a single propane canister, requires very little maintenance and starts at the push of a button.  Empty canisters are 100% recyclable.  Learn more @ goLEHR.com.

If you don’t have a yard but know someone who does – this clean and green lawn and garden tool would make a great gift.

Prize value, $199 + (plus free shipping to USA or Canada)

To Enter this Random Drawing, simply:
Visit goLEHR.com. Then leave a comment on this post, telling us how this prize would make your lawn care endeavors greener.  (Winner must reside in USA or Canada.)
Add the following address to your email address book:
m at AlternativeConsumer.com. (*one entry per person)

One lucky winner will be selected in our Random Drawing, and notified by email on Thursday, April 30 at approximately 8p (ET). Winner has 24 hours to claim their prize, or offer is null and void. Winner’s name will also be included on this post.

*EXTRA CREDIT
If you have your own blog, you can post about the giveaway with a link back to this giveaway post. To make sure we know, you can come back and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.
If you Twitter, you can tweet about the giveaway, and leave a comment linking to the status.
The more ways you post about it, the more entries you receive.

Time’s ticking, so start clicking, and good luck!

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