What better way for a lazy urban dweller to spend their Earth Day afternoon than contemplating how to save the world whilst reclining on a tree-covered park bench?

French designer Gaspard Graulich conceived this integrated, eco seating concept – now if you were to make these out of reclaimed wood or post industrial timber waste you’d really have a win/win.

Tired of living in a box? Do you possess a great building site that just screams for a way to capture its magnificent 360° view?  Prefab round home builder Deltec Homes has been building prefab round homes for years – and green ones, too.

The ‘Windsor’ design (pictured above & below) features 2000 sq. ft. per level, an 800 sq. ft. garage and is set on a Superior Wall basement.  This home, which is located in Harrisonburg, VA, has a bunch of  other green features, including: photovoltaic solar panels, radiant floor heating, recycled denim insulation, light colored shingles, soy foam insulation and 2×6 walls.

The roof of the connector supports six solar collectors which drain down into a 500 gallon water storage tank which supplies heat to the radiant floor heating system and also pre-heats water for the hot water heater.  The 12 Photovoltaic panels on the south roof have the capacity to generate 4.8 KWH of electricity.  All that green and all that view…

No more dirty little secrets — here’s a new twist on how to spread the eco love…All you eco-sexuals can be kind to your body, your fellow man and mother earth…all at the same time, for the entire month of April.

As Earth Day turns 40, Babeland, the high-quality sex toys and accessories boutique, will donate 20% of their proceeds to Grist.org – a non-profit, and one of our favorite green news sites. With a popular Web site as well as 3 stores in NYC and 1 in Seattle — it’s easy to get eco sexy and start feelin’ glad all over @ babeland.com

Related:  previously on altCon (4/25/07) Get Eco Sexy

This week’s small, edited collection of finds is focused on the stylish, eco minded man.

(above) A great partnership – iPath, that innovative purveyor of casual footwear and The Hempest, home to all things fashionably hemp.  Help save the planet and look good doing it in these hemp men’s shoes. (We’re featuring a few iPath styles in our OpenSky Shop.)

(above, L to R) A couple of classic casuals — From high performance maker of outdoor wear for men and women, Ibex Clothing — brushed organic cotton knee length El Fixie shorts; ($89).  Or the Scout Vest in New Zealand Merino wool; available in black, pine or shetland heather…on sale now $95, was $140.

Send your trooper to the frontlines to fight climate change with a manly bag made from genuine Swiss and U.S. vintage military materials.  The Field Bag (at right) is outfitted with a special pocket that was originally used for carrying a gas mask; ($195).

Farm Tactic Field Bag and Scout Bag via Context (free shipping).

PACT will release its newest underwear print (pictured above) inspired by the work of Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Mathaai’s Green Belt Movement, a nonprofit that promotes peace, democracy and the empowerment of women in Africa thorough tree planting.

From April 16-25, PACT will donate every penny of the proceeds from the sale of the collection toward the planting of 10,000 trees in Africa. Every time someone buys a pair, PACT and Green Belt will plant 20 trees.

The Green Belt print is the work of a new PACT artist, famed African architect David Adjaye.

PACT launched in August 2009, offering sustainably manufactured, premium organic cotton underwear for men and women connected to powerful social and environmental causes.

“Change starts with your underwear” — Their organic cotton men’s and women’s undies can be found exclusively @ wearpact.com

• Cancel my trip to Ibiza...Volcano Flight Chaos to Continue for 24 Hours – msnbc
• Bad manners…Man Arrested for Slapping Rival With Snake – orange uk
• And the Heat Goes on: Warmest March on Record – my way
• Will the debate be all about partisanship or the future of the planet? Senate Climate Bill to be Unveiled April 26th – reuters
• Down boy! Slobbery Kisses From ‘Man’s Best Friend’ Aid Cancer Research – sciencedaily
• Whaling Peace Plan to go Forward This Year - bbc
• Just when I stopped putting on makeup while driving and talking on the cellphone…Hyundai Luxury Car to Include Free iPad – livescience

UPDATE:  It’s official – Kelly Ann T of Missouri and Ed N of Illinois are our 2 lucky winners!  Thanks to everyone for participating, and we hope you all have a good Earth Day everyday.  If you didn’t win, don’t despair.  Check out our latest Giveaway – we feature goods that we’re passionate about and we’d like you to try them as well — for FREE! (original post follows…)

This is a cool Great Green Giveaway, generously sponsored by Walt Disney Studios. Two lucky readers will be selected at random on Earth Day, April 22, 2010.

Prizes:
Two (2) winners will each receive:  a DVD of Disneynature’s record-breaking film, EARTH (which debuted Earth Day, 2009), and the companion book for their latest epic, OCEANS (Earth Day, 2010).  Total retail value of each prize is approximately $50 ($29.99 DVD + $19.99 book) plus free shipping to USA only.

Disneynature’s OCEANS is scheduled to make a splash on the big screen, 4/22/10.  Featuring spectacular imagery and narrated by Pierce Brosnan, I’m sure it’ll be phenomenal.

Here’s the eco kick — see OCEANS during opening week (April 22-28) and “in honor of each moviegoer, Disneynature, through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, will help establish new marine protected areas in The Bahamas with The Nature Conservancy, one of the largest conservation organizations in the world.  These areas will contain miles of vital coral reefs that provide natural habitat, nurseries and feeding grounds for hundreds of marine species.”

How to enter:

• Visit http://www.disney.com/Oceans
• Leave a comment on this post, telling us how you plan to celebrate Earth Day this year…and what’s your favorite animal/species that lives in the ocean?
• Be sure to add: m at alternativeconsumer.com to your address book so we can notify you if you are selected.
• Entry must be received by Thursday, April 22, 2010 (11:59PM, ET)

more ways to enter

• blog about the giveaway with a link back to this giveaway post. To make sure we know, you can come back and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.
• If you Twitter, you can tweet about the giveaway once a day — be sure to refer to @altCon, and leave a comment linking to the status.
• Receive additional entries 3 more ways: subscribe to our RSS feed, follow us on Twitter or become a friend on FaceBook. (If you’ve already signed up, just enter a comment to let us know.)

(photo above – Fur Seals, in the Galapagos, courtesy of Disney)

This sweet looking conceptual commuter bike from German design student Christian Vollmer, is a Pedelec design – meaning the on-board electric motor assists, but doesn’t replace pedaling.

Christian points out the bike was developed “based on urban lifestyle and usability as the commuter does not necessarily want to be a cyclist. It’s not about cycling – it’s about getting from A to B in a comfortable, reliable way without looking like a sports geek.”

From a practical standpoint, we think a people-friendly e-bike should probably function as all of the following: a fully electric vehicle, an electric-assisted bike and it should also possess a full-on pedal yourself mode (we could all use some exercise).  Add some carbon fiber fenders (above), a super plush seat (not pictured) and solar safety lights and you’d really have something.

via: bicycledesign.net

Earth Day turns 40 this year, and won’t be slacking on the festivities.  Thousands of events are being held in over 180 countries to raise awareness and support greener practices.  No matter where you are in the world, you can get involved – whether it’s attending a hosted event or picking up trash at your neighborhood park.  Here are a few ways to celebrate this upcoming April 22:

• Search for global events at earthday.org.  Just type in your zip code, or select your country (for international users), and you’ll find a list of featured local events.  They’re sorted by distance, and range from city fairs to river cleanups to e-waste collections.  You’re sure to find an event for the environmental issue that interests you most.
• Be sure to look up your community websites and local newspapers for event listings near you.  Many cities sponsor neighborhood cleanups, charity events, and green exhibits and fairs the whole family can enjoy.
• Even small steps go a long way.  Get involved in your hometown by picking up garbage on your block, planting a tree in your backyard, cleaning up public beaches, supporting your local eateries and shops, walking to work, or turning off your electricity for the day (that may be a tough one, but keep in mind it’s only one day out of the year).

However you choose to celebrate, what’s important is spreading the word and adopting green practices because a collective effort makes a huge impact.