Give your furnace – and your electric bill – a break this winter.  Here area handful of smart, easy ways to keep this winter green and your thermostat at bay. Long lost Uncle Sam can even lend a hand with some cash incentives for you.

• Insulate – Proper insulation alone can save a household up to 20 percent on energy bills, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).  While there are many insulation options, try choosing a recycled material such as cellulose or natural fiber UltraTouch – which is made from post-industrial recycled denim.
• Plant trees – Planting trees on the north side of your home provides natural insulation against winter’s northern winds.  Try to avoid planting trees on the south side, which can block half of the sun’s rays from reaching your home.  If you can’t, be sure to cut back shrubs that may block windows and hinder the sun’s rays from penetrating in on sunny days.

• Seal window cracks – Say goodbye to those icy drafts by sealing those cracks under your doors, windows, and vents.  Weather stripping comes in a number of varieties to accommodate types of friction and temperature, but is generally quite inexpensive.  If you’re stuck with single pane windows, make use of heavy curtains to help trap heat from escaping. (more…)

Create nutrient rich compost in just 4 to 6 weeks with the rolling Ecomposter. This forest green tumble composter is made of recycled and recyclable materials.

Roll it to where you need it.  Has a 71 gallon capacity – and requires assembly.

marked down from $239.99 to $138.94 @ eco-outfitter

Beginning at noon (EST) today, Abe’s Market kicked off Ten Days of Discovery with a daily, 50% off sale on one featured natural or organic product.  Good stuff.

A new item goes on sale at noon each day, but quantities are limited.  You can register to receive an advance email alert to ensure that you don’t miss out on any great deals.  Abe’s Daily Deal runs Monday through Friday, from February 15 – Feb. 26.  Oh, and maybe best of all, they offer $4.99 flat-rate shipping on all orders.

Kia’s been catching my eye lately. First, with that adorable sock monkey on the company’s “awww”-inducing Super Bowl commercial.  Now, with the unveil of a sleek hybrid concept in Chicago. A plug-in compact sedan dubbed “Ray,” the concept car mates a 1.4-liter gasoline engine with an electric motor and lithium-ion polymer batteries, and hypothetically offers drivers a 746-mile range.  (That’s 202 MPG on a single charge.) As for speed, the curvaceous four-seater tops out at 109 MPH.

Crafted of lightweight composite materials that lend an aerodynamic appeal, the car catches eyes with a dark, shiny roof and hood combo that upon close inspection, are glass panels embedded with solar cells.  The “cool-glazing” glass works to power climate control and lighting within the vehicle, which a nano-laminate film keeps the interior a comfortable temp.  Inside, eco-friendly materials like wool flooring are awash in white tones–and advanced technology like Microsoft’s UVO infotainment system digitally soothe drivers and passengers alike.

The concept, full of Kia’s test technology, seems to be a good indicator of what we’ll see in the not-so-far-away future.  As a part of the company’s EcoDynamics sub-brand, the Ray pleases both the design-savvy and environmentally minded.  And THAT pleases us. Our opinion?  Keep ‘em coming.

The GreenShows runway scene in NYC kicked off with a fabulous Valentine’s Eve eco couture collection by Creative Director Gary Harvey.

This London-based designer captures the essence of eco + couture — and the hearts of many.

Ecofashioned from existing materials — product packaging, trench coats, tee shirts, denim, newspaper, reusable bags and other such down to earth matter — his beautiful ball gowns literally rocked the house.  They were masterfully engineered and visually captivating.

The first green piece to hit the stage sparkled like an emerald — a stunning creation made from Weleda product packaging – now transformed into sweet fashion candy.  Looking back, in addition to the Weleda work, my personal faves ranged from the Black T Shirt and Trench Coat gowns to Funeral gown and the show’s finale, Newspaper gown, a real show stopper.  Although a NYC debut, many of the works made of recycled materials appeared as a retrospective of sorts.

I’m no Anna Wintour, but in my book, Gary Harvey is the ‘it guy’ in eco couture.  As he told me after the show, “What can I say?  The girls were terrific, the venue was fantastic; it all worked, I’m so happy.”

We’re looking forward to more eco fashion innovation at this week’s The GreenShows.

Never go into the supermarket hungry…or if you do, make sure it’s a fabulous market like our local NYC favorite, Fairway.  As we voraciously foraged through the aisles of the no-frills Fairway yesterday, I stumbled upon this sweet cookie find from Back to Nature.

These cookies don’t contain:  artificial flavors, colors, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, or preservatives. The packaging is created from recycled paper printed with vegetable ink accents, and the box features a solidly sustainable graphic look – all very green.  I grabbed a box and had to put these eco-cookies to the flavor test.

My fear that the cookies would taste like the recycled cardboard of the packaging were soon allayed as my first bite revealed a cookie with “I just might eat the whole box” potential.  These babies are as good, or better, than any big brand Peanut Butter Creme out there and Back to Nature’s simple approach to the whole deal makes them a pleasure to devour.  I look forward to trying more of their flavors in the very near future.  Here’s a link to where you can find them.

Sustainable fashion company and upcycling specialist, LooptWorks, has created these sexy looking, Hoptu laptop cases from 100% upcycled wetsuit neoprene recovered from the manufacturing process.  The inherent cushioning qualities of the nylon neoprene will provide an extra layer of protection for that precious laptop of yours.  Features a couple of zippered pockets for biz cards and little stuff.

available in 15″ and 17″ sizes for $30 and $35 respectively

Related: Maureen posted on the launch of the LooptWorks Website back in September of ’09′

Hugs all around.

Sweet news of the day -

• Congratulations to April B, our very lucky winner of the L’Occitane Great Green Giveaway!  Enjoy snagging your very own set of red hot goodies.
• Seen a stork in your neighborhood?  Try your luck in our current contest – win yourself a hip designer diaper bag (retail value, $69).
• Feeling the puppy love?  See what Olive has in store (enter OliveAC at checkout and receive 10% off your purchase).
• Get ready for Maggie’s Amazing Monday – tomorrow, Monday, 2/15/10 One Day Only Sale on Bogo Tights for Baby & Kids.  2 pairs for the price of 1.  Enter Promo Code TWENTYKIDS at checkout. (12:01am – 11:59pm ET), Monday only.

Swedish energy company Seabased Industry and Finnish energy giant Fortum have received approval and financing from the Swedish Energy Agency to create the world’s largest renewable wave power installation.

The plant, to be located off the coast of Smögen in Sotenäs, Sweden, will consist of 400 to 500 interconnected wave power units.  Upon completion the estimated installed power will be approximately 10 MW.

The Swedish Energy Agency will also be providing significant financial support to the project by contributing roughly $19 million (US) of the total investment of approximately $34 million.

The plant will be the largest of its kind in the world.

related: hywind floating wind turbine goes live