Compelled to buy something for your honey for Valentine’s Day?  How about making your expression of affection both a little greener, and a little more elegant by gifting this Fancy Bow Ring made from recycled sterling silver; ($80).

This Brooklyn based designer combines painting, drawing and design to create a variety of jewelry and printed wares from sustainable materials such as vintage, reclaimed metals, organic and recycled fibers. (more…)

In the second installment of Sustainability Spectrum, we hear from Paul David Terry, a musician and teacher living in San Diego.

Paul David Terry is a musician based out of San Diego.  He performs with the San Diego opera, and is the director of the UC San Diego Pepband.  At his home in Hillcrest he grows tomatoes, eggplants, basil, habanero peppers, chocolate mint, beans and “lots of flowers.”

Paul’s shopping list tends to look like this:
1.    Fancy cheeses
2.    All natural cleaners
3.    Non-organic milk
4.    Purple cabbage
5.    Chicken

“I like to reduce the artificial chemicals in my life,” he says about why he tries to buy green cleaning products, but organic is not high on his list of priorities.  “I don’t look for products just because they’re organic.  That’s the last thing I look for, just because the term is so broad based,” he says.  He buys organic not for the principle, but for his own personal health – it’s better on his allergies and the food from his CSA box just tastes better.  (more…)

You can use the snug it! as a shelving or storage unit, room divider or plant stand, or a home for all your funky collectibles.  This geometric shelving unit assembles with 100% aluminum connectors that are readily recyclable.

It can be purchased and built from a variety of eco-friendly woods including:  Douglas Fir from reclaimed bleachers, bamboo, World Mix – reclaimed shipping pallets, or post-consumer reclaimed teak.   Created and designed by Brooklyn’s EcoSystems.

• Hey Detroit…can you spell opportunity? Toyota to Announce Action Soon for Prius Hybrids – yahoo! news
• You gotta believe it’s rising faster in the USA…BBC Poll Shows Climate Skepticism ‘on the rise’ – bbc
• Wild Tigers Numbers in China Declining – enn/reuters
• Hey Saints fans…more good news…Beer May be Good for Your Bones – livescience
• High Above, Insects Travel on Sky Superhighways – npr
• Cool…Video: Vampire Squid Turns ‘Inside Out’ – natgeo
• EU Bioethanol Outlook Brightens, Biodiesel Dims - reuters
• Is this right or wrong? Ohio Strip Club Hosts ‘Lap Dances for Haiti’ - myway

From the highway, drivers will easily be able to spot the Green Leaf Inn, prominently marked by the sweeping, 151.5-foot arc of a 50kW wind turbine.  The turbine, which will help to harness Wisconsin’s Class 3 winds, will feed the grid as well as the Inn that is slated to be the first net-zero bed and breakfast in the Midwest. (The purchase of the massive, private turbine was funded in part by a Wisconsin Focus on Energy grant.)

Co-owned by married couple Fritz Kreiss and Catherine McQueen, the Green Leaf Inn is a testbed of eco efforts, including solar, geothermal and biomass power sources.  Perhaps the coolest feature, however, is that as the Inn is built, Kreiss and McQueen are keeping future visitors informed through “The Greening of the Inn” at www.thegreenleafinn.com .  At the website, you can check out the actual Inn site plans, see photos as the project progresses, and also view the timeline…which concludes with the grand opening of the 19-suite Inn this summer.

Located in Delavan, Wisconsin, the luxe B&B will offer Jacuzzi suites, five garden areas, a learning center for green technology and a pottery studio.  To check out a full list of the Inn’s environmental initiatives, click here.

I’ve got some issues…

• So the nation’s capital is now immobilized by a record snowstorm – can’t wait for the climate change naybobs to get all over this one.  How can there be cold temps, record snow storms and icy north winds if the world’s burning up like a Pop Tart in a microwave?  It’s called the weather dillweed.
• Speaking of climate change…should Obama be throwing the “Party of No” a bone by advocating a big federal investment in nuclear power, clean coal (fiction) and more offshore oil drilling?  Personally I think he should take it to the opposition the same way they go after him and his policies – the possibility of achieving positive results from a bipartisan approach is about as likely as hearing a clear and rational thought being uttered by one of the entertainment icons recently birthed by MTV’s Jersey Shore.  Don’t take the ‘grenade’on this one Barack…
• Valentine’s Day is coming up fast and the monster marketing effort to sell sappy lovey cards, flowers that will be dead in two days and all manner of baubles, doo-dads and gifts is in full swing.  Can’t we all say “I love you” in a way that is enduring and heartfelt?  Buying a crappy box of chocolates and a saccharin Hallmark card don’t take much effort (I’ve done it) (more…)

Aligned with the notion, “we are what we eat” and as a lover of food, I was naturally curious about Discovery Channel’s Planet Green new documentary, What’s on YOUR Plate? When invited to lunch at vegan restaurant Candle to meet the director and on-camera talent, I figured this was a promotional event worth attending.

So, just how did this project land on Planet Green?  President and General Manager, Laura Michalchyshyn explained that she was attracted to the project after catching the fine cut of director Catherine Gund’s doc. (Catherine, above – R)

Through the eyes of two adorable tweens (L to R, above) Sadie and her bff, Sofiya Riddle, we learn about the curvy journey of how food winds up on our plate. (Sadie also happens to be Catherine’s daughter.)

Between sips and sups I met a slew of lovely folks, including Amy Sudaris, the founder of Frugal-Mama.com.  Take a peek at Amy’s review of the film.  I’ll be tuning in tonight for the debut of What’s on YOUR Plate? on Planet Green; (10p-12mid, ET).  It also airs Feb 7, 11 & 12 – check your local listings for time.  Take a look, and let us know what you think.

Three repurposed bike rims have been sectioned to create the base of this coffee table.  The hand cut, reclaimed window glass top is supported by reconfigured bike spokes and strong cord.

The table is suitable for interior or exterior use and should make any cycling enthusiast feel right at home.

@ spokestitch’s etsy shop

As you know, we don’t favor mindless consumption, but we do occasionally like to perk up our wardrobes and spirits with a stylish indulgence.  Here’s this week’s small, edited collection of eco savvy fashion finds.

(above) The Andean Collection for spring-summer, rocks.  Fair Trade made in Ecuador, I’m kinda crazy for this gorgeously cool, layered chain necklace in sky blue / titanium ($125)

(above) - Handcrafted from recycled leather, and fully lined in hemp and cotton twill, check out this one of a kind hottie from Vancouver-based Ashley Watson – a real standout.

(above) – Cold hands, warm heart?  No thank you!  How about warm hands, warm heart…hand knit head topper and fingerless mitts.  Find these cute upcycled and crocheted good on the etsy shop, the art of zen…crochet.

(above) – With Cupid on the cusp, we can’t forget uranus? These are freaky geeky.  Get some brand spanking new eco panties made from super eco friendly soy…From now until Feb 14, enter code: VDAY to receive a 10% discount on your order @ uranusapparel.com.  These down to earth colors are achieved using 100 percent natural vegetable dye.  And the trio is packaged in burlap drawstring sacks that are reusable and biodegradable … seriously sustainable, no need for giftwrap; ($19 – 10%).

(above) recycled + eco = reco fabric to make reco jeans.  The good news is, it’s a step in the right (upcycled) direction.  The not so good news is it’s made from a partial combo of recycled denim as well as freshly grown cotton.  And the dyes are not chemical free, yet — but the Hong Kong-based company claims to be working on a natural dye solution.  To date, they are the “only green label certified recycled denim product.”  Hmmm…borderline green-washing alert or full-fledged green fashion contender?

That’s it for today – gotta fly.  Jump in anytime.