• Alternative energy and biofuels will have to be price competitive…Engineers Strive to Make Algae Oil Production More Feasible – sciencedaily
• ‘Sox’ got traded…Rare Giraffe Sent From Boston to Pittsburgh – boston globe
• The economy is making climate change a hot issue…U.S. Urged to Set 2020 Target to Save Climate Deal – reuters
• The battle is really just starting…America’s Energy Policy Dilemma – bbc
• Going up? Elevator to Space? They’re Really Trying – myway
• (video) Farmer Aims to Correct the Food System – msnbc
• Little known fact – my mother raised a starling and taught him to speak…Movie Role for Talking Starling – ananova

Israeli design shop, Studio Groovy, transforms recycled items into functional products imbued with new-found style and funky flair, (car rim fruit bowl, above).

A telephone handset gives birth to a retro-designer bottle opener for a different kind of communication.

Moroccan themed end tables created from laser cut vinyl record albums.

This lighting fixture (above) was created from 4 colorfully authentic Israeli metal soda bottle siphons.

via the very groovy: recyclart

We spent a few days in Wellfleet on Cape Cod a couple of weeks ago – visiting old friends and partying with new ones at the annual Oyster Shucking Festival. Despite the pouring rain, the 2-day contest, featuring the world’s fastest oyster shuckers, was attended by hundreds of happy fans who stood huddled, elbow to elbow, juggling beer and fresh oysters while getting completely drenched. Only hearty New Englanders could survive the bone chilling conditions.

In the bay, we made a few casts off a low lying bridge with hopes of catching some tale but to no avail. The blustery winds of a nor’easter won that little battle. Although wet and soggy, the rain didn’t dampen our spirits as we continued our sojourn through quaint Provincetown ducking into pubs, shops and eateries, soaking in the last of the season, happy to be one with the water.

Along the way I made a mental note to try and find a nice neck warmer for winter.  Inspired by our freezing but relaxing trip, I did a little digging and uncovered a few handmade fineries, all made in the USA of natural fibers. Cowls make stylish, cozy alternatives to scarfs.  Add some cool gloves and they’re a great way to update your cold weather wardrobe.

(above, L to R)

• 3-button Cowl Neckwarmer, by bizzybcreations, 70% wool/30% soy, ($45)
• Cowl Neck Brown by Lulu Caswell, 100% fisherman’s wool, ($30). Not pictured, but also available in a shabby, rugged style with rollup ends @($25)
• Infinity Scarf with Buttons, alpaca & wool with Indonesian wood buttons, by corrugatedfiber, ($55)

(above, L to R)

• Ribbed Cowl in Charcoal, Pima Cotton & Merino Wool, by trishafern, ($32).
• Slate Cowl bamboo/wool/angora with 3 buttons by corrugatedfiber ($52).

A simple, cleanly designed product with “recycle” written all over it.  Depending on where you shop, or shopped, this frame, designed for holding your reusable bags for recyclables, can be a testament to your good taste in shopping venues – or a physical manifestation of your green street cred.  Set your kitchen recycling area up with a little style by using several matching frames to bag your metal, plastic and paper recycled stuff.  The frame is made of 30% recycled steel and is itself fully recyclable.

frame comes in steel, red, white or black (and with 2 paper bags) – 30.00 eur @ matteriashop.com

An ironic product name can often take a company a long way.  In this case, use less is the message, and Useless is the name – we all could do a little less consuming of everything – whether it be too many Halloween gummy bears, too many six-packs of bottled water or the plethora of pointless do0-dads and gadgets with which we clutter our lives.

U.S.-based Useless makes its hoodies, water bottles, bags and tees from trash, recycled, and/or low impact materials and donates a fat 10% of its profits to developing nations’ water and sanitation products.  Good stuff, and far from “useless.”   Find out more at useless.org.

UPDATE:  altCon readers receive a 10 % discount.  At checkout, simply enter code:  uselesstote.

• Not good…Snows of Kilimanjaro Could Vanish in 20 Years – dawn.com
• A 20% increase in wild fires…Climate Change Will Burn Yosemite – bbc
• See above…Republicans Move to Delay Climate Bill Progress – reuters
• Another climate change story…Fishing Boat Sunk by Giant Jellyfish – livescience
• Related – Rare Photos: Giant Squid Eaten by Sperm Whale – natgeo
• The power and glory of fossil fuel…Leaking Oil Rig Catches Fire Off Australia’s Coast – msnbc
• BPA Safer Than Contraceptives in Rat Study – npr
• Fla. Wildlife Officer Loses Gator at Show and Tell – myway

The body wash and shampoo aisle is overwhelming. There are literally thousands of different soaps and shampoos “specially formulated” for your hair by people who have never seen your hair. Here are a few things to watch out for when buying soaps:

• soap companies can put “natural” on just about anything
• “fragrance” means a conglomeration of chemicals
• avoid anything that has palm oil, as it is extremely unsustainably harvested

A great resource when purchasing health & beauty products is the good guide. They have a rating system that helps you tease out the good from the bad throughout the grocery store. Here’s what they say about soaps. You can also look for local soap producers, and see if you can support their business and get clean, chemical free soap.

If you’re interested in making your own soap from scratch, it’s a pretty complicated process. Especially bar soaps, which easily turn into messy, slimy little balls. You’ll also need several ingredients you probably don’t have lying around the house, such as lye and tallow. If you have the time, and the patience however, home made soaps leave your skin feeling really soft, and they also make great green gifts.

Half way recipes (in which you take a pure form of soap and spruce it up) can be fun and easy to do at home (more…)

Wind power innovator, Mariah Power, and Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University are installing the first micro-wind farm at a U.S. university.   The 25 turbine installation, which will be installed along the new York Hill Campus’s main walkway, will power about 50% of the campus’s exterior lights.  The 35 to 45 foot Windspire vertical axis wind turbines will create a “wind terrace”, or “kinetic sculpture garden” that, when combined with a sweet view of Long Island Sound, will hopefully become student destination.

read the full press release