Time for our weekly spin around the ecosphere, bringing you our small, edited collection of eco fashion highlights…

It’s more than just eye candy.  Sustainable fashion designers Nixxi and Nicole Bridger caught our eye with their separate and distinct debut collections a little while back and we’re happy to see both fashion houses nominated for a Fashion Takes Action Sustainable Fashion Award.  (Want to take part?  Cast your vote.)

(above – Nixxi)  Exuding alluring sexiness and enduring uber eco style, Nixxi is playful, fun and built to last. Create a quiet splash this season.

(above – L to R) Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Nicole Bridger’s spring/summer 2010 line looks eco chic and totally comfy – some styles even works as maternity wear.  A couple of personal faves – Today Tunic in a cool shade of Lake, with button and pocket accents ($241) and Comfort Dress made from bamboo, organic cotton and a touch of Spandex ($223) – available in black, fog or blue.

(above) Looking for a tasty handbag or bracelet?  Hot off the press, Ecoist teamed with Frito-Lay to create a line made from obsolete or unusable snack packaging.  Grab your new Cheetos, Sunflower, Tostitos, Scribbles or Lays’ Greenleaf bag…now if we could just avoid eating the junk that’s in those bags. Ranging from $22 – $138, depending on style; funky bracelets $12. -  more @ ecoist.com.

(above) Searching for the “perfect weekend handbag”?  Our pals at shefinds have you covered – stash your beach bound stuff in this organic cotton striped tote — in yellow, red green or black; (only $33).

Artist/designer Orlando Dominguez and his G-I-N Studio believe that furniture consciously made and creatively designed can result in something special…like his “Chictorian Chair”.   Take one Victorian chair, add repurposed leather and repurposed hair on hide – equal portions creative vision and a feel for all things funky – and you’ve created a chair that’s brimming with fun and eco-friendly exuberance.

When’s the last time you opened a phone book?  I just got the unsolicited delivery of a fat stack of 3 phone books that I’ll never use.  Each year something like 5 million trees are cut down just to create the White Pages and tens of millions of dollars are spent each year recycling old phone books.  And then there’s the added costs of the emissions and expenses involved in the delivery of the things…

An idea whose time has come – an opt-in (or opt-out) program for phone book delivery.  Why should I be made an accomplice in crimes against man and nature just because I use a phone (or they need to sell ads for bankruptcy lawyers and botox treatments).  Visit BanthePhoneBook.org to join the movement and keep using those phone apps and web searches to find stuff.

• UN Climate Talks Resume Amid Fear of More Divisions – bbc
• Important breaking news! Pamela Anderson Moves to Next Round of DWTS with PETA’s Help – ecorazzi
• Nasty, primitive business…Canada’s Annual Seal Hunt Kicks Off – msnbc
• The answer is “yes.” Environmentally Friendly Detergents: Are They for You? – cs monitor
• Cutting the cost of installation may make residential solar power economically viable. Cutting the Cost of Solar by Watching Every Nut and Bolt – sciencedaily
• Color me skeptical…Nuclear Waste May Get a Second Life – npr
• Only thing worse – Mario Batali in a thong! Croc Sandal on the Timeline of Fashion Blasphemies – cracked.com

Junk mail is choking mail boxes, bloating landfills and devouring one of our great natural resources…trees.  Time for catalog shoppers to find another way to browse for merchandise (in addition to their computer).  Home furnishings innovator, IKEA, today announced a bunch of new improvements to their 2010 Catalog iPhone app.  IKEA has redeveloped the app just two months after inviting fans who had downloaded the original app from the Apple iTunes Store to suggest improvements.  Suggestions were gathered via twitter, a phone hotline, email and via the App Store.

The latest version of the catalog app, now features the most requested functionality, including:

• search function enabling customers to select products using keywords
• bookmarking, helping customers to save pages
• contents page, a color coded index with links to main sections

Other updates IKEA is currently investigating based on user feedback include:  detailed product information on-demand, functionality to find your nearest store and info about what is in stock in your local store.  Pretty cool.

The eco-friendly ZENERGY House had its grand opening on April 2, in Studio City, CA.  The ZENERGY House project was created by REAS (Residential Energy Assessment Services, Inc.) as a prototype for “greening” existing homes and exhibits a wide range of green building innovations.

ZENERGY House was conceived as a living example and educational tool for the average person to learn about and incorporate greener elements into their home environment.  The one-story home was originally built in 1950 and includes 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2,450 sq. ft. of living space, and a pool. The home was selected because of its unique architecture and because the home’s size reflects the national average for square footage.

The ZENERGY House will host a number of seminars and tours for architects, builders, designers, government officials, realtors, financial institutions, homeowners and other interested parties through 2010.  Supporting ZENERGY House’s educational mission, tours will be performed by students from LACHSA (Los Angeles County High School for the Arts) ‘The Giving Tree Club’ who have attended specific training events at the property.

The project’s major improvements address: the mechanical systems; lighting; energy management systems; building envelope; ventilation; water conservation; appliances; interior finishes; and renewable energy.  The home also showcases green furnishings, textiles, art and wallpaper. Visit ZenergyHouse.com for more info and a complete list of green building companies which participated in this innovative project.

Timberland continues to expand its green initiatives with the intro of its new Earthkeepers 2.0 Boat Shoe. The 2.0 Boat shoe is designed to be recycled at the end of its product life.  Consumers simply return them to any Timberland store for recycling.  The sole is dismantled from the upper through the simple process of un-threading the stitching that appears along the sole.  The upper and sole are then sent to Timberland to be reborn as a new shoe.  Timberland is undertaking this cutting-edge “second life” program to pilot reusing components from the returned boot to make a new pair of shoes and keep components out of the landfill. (more…)

To most folks, a cross-country RV trek seems anything but green — guzzling gas and creating carbon while passing one state line after another.  But times are a changin’ according to Roaring Times, a site devoted to the RV lifestyle, which recently named recreational vehicle manufacturer Earthbound their 2010 Green RV of the Year.

Thanks to the use of lightweight material composites, thermoplastics and hybrid structural materials found on today’s cars and aircraft, Earthbound’s RVs save on gas in a big way.  In fact, for every 1,000 pounds trimmed off the weight of an RV, the vehicle garners approximately 8 percent improved fuel economy.  Add to that the use of low organic volatile compound and recyclable materials, as well as the elimination of all wood and wood by-products on the V-2 model, and you’ve got an environmental differentiator in comparison to the competition.

The company, which offers seven travel trailer models, all decked out with the kind of plush interior you’d expect at an eco-chic hotel, is attempting to revolutionize the recreational vehicle industry.  My opinion? Kudos to Earthbound for benchmarking a new standard of RV manufacturing.  After all, isn’t RV-ing it to the Grand Canyon someday a little part of every pure-blooded American’s dream?

FREE certified organic cookies for horses and dogs — lay a little extra love on that four-legged pooch or pony.

Jump on over to Winnie’s and simply sign up for a complimentary sample.

These special treats are food-based, and focused on nutrition — no synthetic or chemical additives — no toxic residues or preservatives.

Endorsed by the Parelli‘s of the Parelli Method of Natural Horsemanship.