Eco fashion for the hip — upcycled, vintage 1942 canvas is reborn as a handy little hip satchel for carrying your cellphone, keys and credit cards.  Features original hardware for that rough hewn, retro – G.I. Joe look.

each Hipshack is a little different; several styles available; ($39 – $59) @ the maytreeark etsy shop

With Earth Day coming up fast it’s a great time to consider the materials and processes utilized in the creation of products.

A great example: Designer Peter Danko and his Peter Danko Design studio create great looking, eco-modern, sustainable furniture.

We particularly like these chairs (above) made with recycled nylon seatbelts.  Nylon seatbelts make a surprisingly fine seating material.  It’s durable, possesses a little stretch, lasts a long, long time – and comes in a wide array of colors.

Danko’s use of ply-bending, or bending wood in layers, combined with his use of other recycled and sustainable materials has reduced the wood used in his chair’s construction approximately 10 fold when compared to traditional chair construction.

via: dotmaison.com blog

Communities near and far are gearing up for green festivities in honor of our 40th Earth Day.  To get involved in your community, scope out the EPA’s Earth Day events page, which lists sustainable celebrations regionally.  Or check out one of these major gatherings to get your green on:

Baltimore Green Week (April 17 – 24)
Daily themed events make this eco effort fun for the whole family. Free to the public, an EcoFest, tree plantings, and green design workshop are just a few of the fascinating activities taking place throughout the week. And who could ask for a better backdrop than this east coast harbor?

St. Louis Earth Day Festival (April 25)
Held in Forest Park, St. Louis celebrates the environment with a festival featuring music, entertainment, educational exhibits and local, sustainable food vendors. The celebration will feature Recycling On the Go, the region’s award-winning recycling and clean up program, along with an open art area to stroll.

EarthFair San Diego (April 18)
This year marks this southern Califonia city’s 20th annual Earth Day celebration in Balboa Park, drawing a record 70,000 attendees for a day of free fun. Crowded with exhibitors, food, entertainment, art and a Cleaner Car Concourse, it’s the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon.

If you want to start up your own event, be sure to check out the Earth Day Take Home Kit for tips and tricks to doing good and doing green.

With innovative health & beauty products always on our radar, we were happy to receive, gratis, a few SEED body care products for the purposes of this Tried and True Green Products Review.  We put them to the test, and here’s what we think…(note:  all comments are our honest appraisal from our first-hand experience, nothing more.)

What intrigued me most when I first learned of SEED was a key component in the ingredient mix — grape seed. As a lover of grape seed oil in food preparation, I was very curious about this new 100 percent natural, body care line.  According to the folks at SEED, the line is “rich in Vitamin E, a powerful skin care rejuvenator; and they also provide multiple forms of antioxidants and beneficial essential fatty acids.”

For the past several weeks I’ve been showering with their 100% natural Grape Seed Enriched Moisturizing Body Soap (citrus thyme, photo above) – it’s probably the best body bar I’ve ever used.  My skin feels great, silky smooth.  The bar itself is speckled, and filled with pomegranate, apricot and strawberry seeds, in addition to grape seeds.  Although the texture of the bar is bumpy, it’s surprisingly not at all rough on the skin.   Added perks:  it’s made right here in the USA and the packaging is 100 percent biodegradable. (more…)

In honor of Earth Day (April 22), Pangea Organics is offering 25% off ALL products, site-wide, through April 30, 2010.

Pangea’s ecocentric bodycare is:  handcrafted, organic, Fair Trade and cruelty-free.  You won’t find one bit of sulfates or detergents, parabens/synthetic preservatives, artificial colors or fragrances; petroleum-based ingredients or genetically modified organisms in this entire line.  Receive 3 free samples with every order and free shipping on orders $50 or more.  Another good karma perk:  5 % of all sales this month will support the Jane Goodall Institute.  more @ pangeaorganics.com

Here’s an interesting union of art, sound and solar technology – Designer Craig Colorusso is giving the public a chance to experience his Sun Boxes, a unique solar powered sound installation.  The event will be at the Important Records Compound on Saturday May 8th 2010 – noon to sundown.

From Craig:

Sun Boxes are an environment to enter and exit.  It’s comprised of twenty speakers operating independently each powered by solar panels.  There is a different guitar sample in each box all playing together making the composition.  The guitar samples are all of different lengths so the whole piece keeps evolving.

Participants are encouraged to walk amongst the speakers. (more…)

• Big guys vs. little guys…‘Slim’ Prospects for Climate Deal This Year – bbc
• PETA Asks Feds to Shut Ringling Bros. – ny daily news
• Pay to pee…or…The other kind of carry-on…Potty Policy Has Air Travelers Holding it in – aol news
• Something about photosynthesis…Inexpensive Highly Efficient Solar Cells Possible – sciencedaily
• Calif. Gray Whale-Watchers Fear Dip in Population – yahoo! news
• Jersey shore ‘situation’…Fight Over Beach Sand Gets Dirty – msnbc
• It’s called ‘bycatch’…Pix: Millions of Sea Turtles Killed Accidentally? – nat geo

Here’s a nice animation illustrating the operation of the Oyster hydraulic wave power system designed by Aquamarine Power of Scotland.

Oyster harnesses the abundant natural energy found in near-shore waves and converts it into sustainable zero-emission electricity.  Oyster is a simple mechanical hinged flap connected to the seabed at around 10m depth.  (more…)

In the spirit of spring we’re reprising this post about a great gardening product.

A large percentage of the waste that goes into our landfills is organic material comprised of yard and food waste. Over 90% of of gas emissions from landfills are methane and CO2 created by decomposing organic waste. How can you help alleviate this problem? Start composting.

This compact and handy Envirocycle Composter has some great features: It’s made with durable recycled plastic and produces both solid and liquid compost. The drum rotates easily on 8 rollers and can be rolled to any spot to spread solid compost. The base collects liquid fertilizer for use on plants. It holds 7 cubic feet of compost and is suitable for year-round use. Dimensions: 25.5W x 20.25D x 30.5H (inches).

$159.99 @ compostbins.com or, you’ll find it for $143 @ amazon.com