Prove your love of both Mother Earth and your honey.  Why give your loved one flowers that will die in a couple of days when you can sponsor a tree in their name that will reforest the Amazon jungle – while also becoming an enduring symbol of your affection.

Cool Earth’s “Say it With a Tree” program is offering a neat gift alternative for Valentine’s Day.  Sponsor a tree from a selection of 12 Amazonian species and receive a certificate in your sweetiepie’s name, with both details on the tree and its location.  Sponsor as many as you like at $5 – $10 apiece.

more details @ coolearth.org

That marketing bonanza, Valentine’s Day, will soon be upon us.  It may be time to find some affordable baubles for those ecofashionistas in your circle of influence.   These eco-friendly wrist cuffs and bracelets are primarily made from recycled and upcycled belts.

over 200 featured – with most cuffs going for $17 or $18 @ stapsnw’s shop

Designer Shiao-Fang Shen conceived the Transalon electric & low-floor bus as an addition to the fast public transportation system in China’s cities.  The designer states the bus concept focuses on “high efficiency, easy transmission & environmental concern.”

The shape and form of the TranSalon are intended to integrate the harmonious and calm feeling of Chinese traditional architecture with the dynamic feeling of marine life.  Hmmm…public transportation has never looked this good.

Good news. Within five years, electric vehicle enthusiasts who savor the style of Tesla’s sleek roadsters – but not the pocketbook – may be able to slip behind the wheel. In a recent article by the UK’s Autocar, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed plans to bring to market an affordable EV option, reported to ring in at approximately $30,000.

The yet-to-be-named vehicle will join the lineup that currently includes the company’s $110,000 two-seater (slated to cease production in 2011), as well as the recently announced 2012 Model S sedan.  Rumored to mirror the BMW 3 Series, the new car holds potential to be a springboard for a similarly badged coupe, sedan or crossover variant.  And according to Autocar, it will be built right here in the U.S. at a new west coast plant.

Such a car could bump Tesla’s production volume to nearly 200,000 vehicles per year, staking claim as a practical (not just pretty, performance-based) manufacturer.

• I never like to see the words “dam” and “Amazon” in close proximity…Huge Hydroelectric Dam Approved in Brazil’s Amazon – reuters
• Another guy loses his job…Groundhog Day: PETA Wants to Replace Punxsutawney Phil With a Robot – cs monitor
• Will this bribe be enough for the party of “NO”? Obama’s New Climate Card: Nuclear Power – msnbc
• I have a hard enough time on the sidewalk…New Adhesive Device Could Let Humans Walk on Walls – sciencedaily
• Toyota Braces for Sales Hit on Recall – reuters
• It’s called ‘weather’…Scotland Records Coldest Winter – bbc
• Sometimes we screw-up the ecosystem so badly this happens…Connecticut Parks Bring in the Deer Hunters – npr
• I think we’ve reached the end of the universe…Eva Longoria Reveals Green Roots, New Eco-Friendly Vegas Nightclub – ecorazzi

Designer Margaret Dorfman creates these decorative bowls from thinly sliced, cured vegetables.  Each handmade bowl takes about 10 days to cure, shape and construct.

The bowls are intended to hold potpourri, a votive candle in a glass holder, or simply adorn your home as a decorative piece of eco friendly art.  The creation process is all-natural – no chemicals are used in their creation  – though some vegetables were harmed….

via: recyclart

Vodka lover alert – Here’s a Tried and True Green Product Review of Vodka Fourteen.

We’ve discovered a new libation for warming up these cold, frosty winter nights – Vodka 14.   Altitude Spirits, the family-run distillery of this Boulder, Colorado organic vodka, were gracious enough to submit a sample of this fine liquor to our dedicated panel of tasters and miscreants.  The test results were very positive…with the exception of a couple of overly-enthusiastic product testers who had to shake off teensy hangovers after a raucous night in our lab.

How do they do it?  Hand-selected organic corn and organic rye are blended with water from a 200 foot deep mountain spring and then distilled in Vodka 14′s purity-inducing, four column continuous distillation system.  The result – a zippy, clean-tasting vodka with a robust after-kick.

Once poured, 14 did a great job enhancing a variety of organic mixers, and tastes great both neat and on the rocks.  My personal fave was on the rocks with a twist of orange.

In addition to creating an award-winning, (and USDA-certified organic) vodka, the folks at Vodka Fourteen have packaged their product in a handsome glass bottle with a recyclable synthetic cork closure – avoiding harmful plastic and making the whole package recyclable via most municipal recycling programs.

Anyone looking to whet their whistle can find out more about where to buy this homegrown beauty, via vodka14.com.

Last summer I took a road trip up and down California.  We packed as much as possible into the few days we had, stopping at Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redwood National Park, Napa, and finally the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  I was six years old the last time I’d been to this famous aquarium, so I didn’t remember much.  I’m very pleased that this time I’ll remember it well.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium, located on the same Cannery Row of John Steinbeck’s book of the same title, is large enough to spend several hours exploring, and interesting enough to spend a whole day there.  All throughout the aquarium is evidence of their mission “to inspire conservation of the oceans,” including Seafood Watch Guides and conservation tips readily available.  The aquarium is home to about 550 species of plants and animals and many interactive exhibits that promote education, conservation, and the kind of fun suitable for family outings, dates, or solo ventures.

While the very special place in my heart reserved for fish was what first led me to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I have another special place for birds.  Throughout my teen years I cared for nonreleasable birds of prey (birds that had been injured or imprinted and thus could not survive on their own) and spoke to the public about them, so you can imagine my excitement when I saw Makana, a nonreleasable Laysan albatross, in person.  From what I could see, her caretakers followed ethical practices of using wild birds for education, including giving Makana lots of personal space.  Makana was not there to do tricks, but to teach the audience about the perils facing this amazing flyer.  The International Union for Conservation of Nature recognizes twenty-two species of albatross.  Of those, nineteen are threatened, including two that are critically endangered.

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Let’s get this outta the way immediately – no critters should be caged and killed for fashion – that being said recycling stuff that already exists, rather than sending it to the scrap heap, seems a reasonable design approach.  Anyway, I love the funky chic look of these crazy fur earrings.  Would you have the guts to wear them?

$50 from designer Sara Lagace of Montreal