Toyota is using these giant solar flowers as part of its launch of the 2010 Prius. Each of the five, 18′ tall plant sculptures seats up to 10 people. Solar panels on the petals and stem provide passersby and free-loaders with free wi-fi and power to their laptops and small devices. The displays recently made an appearance in Boston’s Prudential Plaza and will be making additional summertime stops in New York (7/23 to 8/2 at Flat Iron Blg), Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Though the display is entitled “Harmony between Man, Nature, and Machine,” it appears to have been created by the set designer of an Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors.

via: cherryflava.com more photos @ toyota’s flickr page

America needs to start getting behind industrial hemp as a raw material.  No, you can’t get high off the stuff, though our brain-dead politicians continue to confuse the bong loading variety with industrial hemp which is used to make clothing, rope, plastic, biofuel, and even food.  Hemp is one of the fastest growing sources of biomass around and its propagation doesn’t require fancy soil, fertilizers or pesticides.  U.S. manufacturers are forced to import hemp, or hemp products, from places like China, Canada or France.

These stylish, vegan, hemp skate shoes (above) from iPath are a fine example of a product created with fast growing hemp…they’re durable and they look great, too.

these men’s skate shoes are $49.99 (marked down from $72) @ shoesteal.com

Today’s Tried and True Green Product Review focuses on a new, innovative water bottle from ecoUsable.  There’s a plethora of stylish designs of reusable bottles available today. But we’re also considering the materials used in manufacturing, and how the bottles actually perform.

ech2o has a unique, ecofriendly design.  It may cost a bit more than most, but it’s well worth it.  Here’s why we highly recommend it as a great way to get instantly filtered water and stay hydrated while on-the-go.

• We like the fact that the container is made of 304 food grade, non-leaching and recyclable, stainless steel. (Compared with aluminum, stainless steel requires less energy to produce, and it doesn’t require a lining.)
• The Ionic-Absorption Micro-Filtration System is BPA-free.
• The ech2o straw top filter, on the 25-ounce size, filters up to 100 gallons of water, (estimated to last about a year). Replacement filters are sold separately, and made in the USA.
• As you drink, the straw top instantly removes up to 99.99 percent of pollutants: toxic chemicals, detergents, pesticides as well as other harmful industrial and agricultural wastes; and reduces unpleasant taste, odor, chlorine, sand and sediment. (Tested by independent state and EPA approved labs to EPS/ANSI protocols and NSF Standards 42 & 53.)
• Filters water from: the tap, pool, rivers, streams and lakes (everything except salt water).  For on-the-go hydration, that’s a lot of filtered, great tasting water for your buck.
• Available in an array of colors, various sizes, with sport caps and water wraps; ($12.49-$39.99) EcoUsable is offering AltCon readers an exclusive offer — you can save 10% at checkout via this link.

The best way to eliminate the use of plastic water bottles, save money in the long run, and get great tasting, instantly filtered water – we give Ech2o a definite, green thumbs up.

• I guess he’s no longer the ‘Terminator’. Popular San Diego Seals Win Reprieve From Governor – myway
• This is not a fashion story…Zookeeper Wears Abandoned Baby Kangaroo – msnbc
• A new miracle weight loss cure? Chuck the Richard Simmons tapes… Warming World May Mean Smaller Animals – livescience
• I think my career was hit by a heat wave…Hot Climates May Create Sluggish Economies – npr
• I missed this one – Pablo Escobar had a pet hippo?…Hunt Called Off for Drug Lord’s Hippo – reuters

Guests arriving at your door can now locate themselves without resorting to Google Maps.

This doormat made of 100% recycled truck tires, is durable, washable and 24″ in diameter.  Designed by John Cave.

$35 @ re:modern.com

Architect Lloyd Russell’s Rimrock Ranch House is a tasty blend of practical functionality and sustainable style.  The home sits 4,500 feet above sea level in the California desert outside Palm Springs.  Russell, who describes his design aesthetic as “handmade modernism,” created the canopied home to both integrate, and flourish in, the challenging desert environment.

The most striking feature of the residence is its steel canopy designed to shield the home from the sun’s unforgiving rays and winter snowfalls, while simultaneously promoting air flow and passive cooling.  The exterior walls of the the house consist of a well thought out combination of corrugated steel and sliding glass.  Many of the home’s fixtures and details are recycled or salvaged providing the space both sustainable function and character.  The home is designed and situated to take advantage of its open patio space and desert surroundings.

The modern take on ranch-style living space recently won the AIA San Diego architectural design award.

Rimrock was built for Jim Austin, (photos by Harrison Photography).

From the inside, out — the Help line was created as a clean, green alternative to traditional over the counter pain remedies.

In stark contrast to the garish graphics slapped on typical packaging, Help’s bandages and array of pain and allergy relief appeal to more modern aspirations. Packaging made from materials that will biodegrade, and “is compostable – which means that one day, they might become part of a large tree.” And a neat array of product ingredients, as natural and effective as possible, (500mg of acetaminophen is sans coatings and dyes; waterproof bandages made of hydrocolloid to heal wounds faster, reduce scarring and stay on for days), all sourced east of the Mississippi.

They’ll even help you express yourself.  Order a custom tee, ($20).

We all need Help at one time or another — available @ their online store, or elsewhere.

Related:  previously on altCon
(8.13.08) – i need Help – who doesn’t?

Are you sustainable?

Ladies and men’s tees – 92% organic cotton fine Jersey, 8% Lycra.

Available in short or long sleeve, fitted and straight cut;

make an eco statement

$19.99 / $24.99 @ planetforward.ca

• “Honey is it my imagination or does the RV have a little glow about it?” Grand Canyon Uranium Mining Halted – msnbc
• How do you keep speculators out the market? CO2 Caps and Trading Central to Climate Fight: UK – reuters
• I see a Corey Feldman movie in here somewhere…Alaska Sea Blob Mystery Solved – aol news
• This approach has a bad track record…Hot Issue: Should We Deliberately Move Species? – myway/ap
• A great bunch of words…Fossilized Dung Balls Reveal Secret Ecology of Lost World – sciencedaily