It’s all about the kids on Christmas, the smaller the better.  Love these organic cotton, handmade head-toppers, (right can be special ordered), and there’s only one strawberry left at the moment. Gotta keep those little noggins toasty.

($25) @ ecoknit

If you like glitter covered evening gowns, or a nice crew-neck sweater with a glittering tiger applique, this new photovoltaic technology could make you a solar-powered energy source.  Sandia National Laboratories scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used.

The tiny solar cells could turn a person into a walking solar battery charger if they  molded around unusual shapes, such as clothing.

The solar particles, fabricated from crystalline silicon, hold the potential for a variety of new applications, including: tents, clothing, phone cameras and solar roofing.  They are expected eventually to be less expensive and have greater efficiencies than current photovoltaic collectors that are pieced together with 6-inch- square solar wafers.  (more…)

Too late for tomorrow, but too cute to overlook — Christmas-and winter-themed garb for the green toddlers.

There’s an adorable array of organic cotton designs:  santa on slopes, into the woods…choose Dala Reindeer print and partial profits help children in need via the HannaHelps program, (below R).

find stripes here and other designs @ hannaandersson.com
(on sale now for $25). sweet.

I remember back in the day when Tonka Trucks ruled the sandbox.  Perhaps we can hark back to a time when boys played with trucks and left the dolls to the girls…anyhoo, these great looking eco toys from Sprig Toys are made of Sprigwood; a durable, kid-safe bio-composite material made of bits of reclaimed wood and recycled plastic.  Paint-free – dyed during the production process, no phthalates or heavy metals – made in Europe.

$15 each @ wilddill.com

• Good analysis…Why Did Copenhagen Fail to Deliver a Climate Deal? – bbc
• Now we’re talking real upcycling…Scientists Turn Plastic Bags Into Batteries – southtown star
• No – this wasn’t Friday night at your local bar…Flatulent Pig Sparks Gas Leak Alert – ananova
• This simply makes too much sense…NYC Urges Ban on Shale Gas Drilling in Watershed – reuters
• Keep eating Blitzen…Reindeer Dung Ornaments, Jewelry Net Illinois Zoo $20K – myway
• Venomous Dinosaur Discovered – Shocked Prey Like Snake? – natgeo

Green looks good on everyone, year-round…here are a few of my favorite, sustainably stylish, eco fashioned things of late.

If you like what you see, they’re all one of a kind, so make your move fast:

• organic and fair trade baby set (1 newborn hat, 1 washcloth, 1 large bib and 2 burp cloths), in green stripes, ($25) @ kinderCotton
• if you’re in the market for unique, vintage,  fancy headgear — shop @ Kalamazoo based, ($28) veraVague

• For the mini set of another kind, an eco pet bed for your little four-legged creature…Take an old pillow that’s lying around and cover it with a base and blanket set made of Malden Mills Polartec Polarfleece (recycled PET plastic bottles and/or post industrial poly waste), comes in many colors.  Blanket snaps on and material is removable and washable; ($60) from Ontario @ anniessweatshop

• fingerless mittens made from an upcycled felted sweater – handcrafted from Michigan, ($14.50) @ feltSassy
• Crafty meets high tech with this recycled circuit board turned light switch cover, helping to eco fashion your home, ($23.50) @ Maryland-based, debbyAremDesigns.

SolarReserve, a California-based developer of utility-scale solar power projects has announced it has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with NV Energy for the sale of electricity from its Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project.  Developed and owned by SolarReserve’s subsidiary, Tonopah Solar Energy, LLC, the 100-megawatt solar energy project will be located near the town of Tonopah in Nye County, Nevada. When completed, Tonopah Solar Energy’s facility will supply approximately 480,000 megawatt hours annually of clean, renewable electricity – enough to power up to 75,000 homes during peak electricity periods utilizing its innovative energy storage capabilities.

The project will utilize the advanced molten salt system technology from Connecticut’s United Technologies Corp. (UTC).  SolarReserve’s power generating technology features efficient energy storage that can provide electricity reliably during peak demand periods, unlike conventional solar and wind power facilities which only produce power when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.

SolarReserve’s design features a roughly 2-mile square field of tracking mirrors (called heliostats) that capture and focus the sun’s thermal energy on a tower-mounted receiver that resides in the center of the heliostat field.  Inside the receiver, concentrated sunlight heats molten salt to over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.  The heated molten salt then flows (more…)

Winter fantasy — bundle up one snowy eve, and take a horse drawn sleigh ride through the woods.  Just me and my hub, surrounded by fresh flakes, lost in the quiet night.

We return home to a roaring fire and the rest of this dream is for me to know and you to find out.

Dashing through the snow, anyone?

• Ohio-based, ma and pa’s shop offers private rides, ($65/couple); or group rides ($40/couple; 11-16 yr olds $10/each, kids 10 & under $5 and toddlers 4 & under, free.)  Call for more info:  440 548 5521.

• Or Lake Placid is lovely this time of year.  Carriage and sleigh rides on rescue horses can be had @ equinecenter.net.  While in that neck of the woods, a great side trip well worth taking is to the Wild Center in Tupper Lake.

Related: previously on altCon -
(1/3/09) – Call of the Wild – can you hear me now?

This one of a kind chair is made from the salvaged debris of the New York woodworking industry by designers Bart Bettencourt and Carlos Salgado of Brooklyn based Scrapile.