How do you make a home that looks this great – green?  Combine a geothermal heating and cooling system, with loads of cross ventilation, tankless-toilets, low-flow faucets, a rainwater capture system, a living, green roof – and a 15KW wind turbine capable of powering the whole deal – and you have a designer home that’s fast on its way to LEED Silver Certification.

Designed by Peter Gluck and Partners of NYC, the home which sits high up amidst the Blue Ridge Mountains, possesses a very compelling 100 mile view.   The house is divided into 3 programmatic zones, kitchen/dining, sleeping and recreation.

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Upcycling factor aside, these handbags are awesome in size as well as fashion statements.  Each is one of a kind and made from repurposed Japanese obis (komono sashes).  The handle is custom made from birch ply, laser cut locally for Grace Designs in California.  The backing is a micro fibre solid red ultra suede and the bag is lined with unbleached cotton.

The two bags pictured here retail for $125 each @ grace design

(Sorry to say it!) But summer is slowly coming to an end and school is starting up again.  This means stores everywhere are having back-to-school sales on brand new lunch boxes, supplies, clothes, backpacks and more.  Aka your kids are going to be competing with the other kids in school to get the freshest new gear off the market.  While the greenest way to start school again is to reuse your supplies, it is pretty tough to tell your kid that his old Batman shoes are just as cool as the new Iron Man shoes Tommy across the street is sporting.  So while you bring in the new clothes, books, binders, and more, don’t be too quick to throw out the old stuff!  There are plenty of places willing to reuse or recycle what you need out of your house.

General school supplies that have been slightly-used can be donated to I Love Schools where you can choose to donate to a certain school district or even a specific teacher you had in mind.  Check out your local schools and shelters as well; they are always accepting supplies for potential low-income neighborhood children.

Donating clothes to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army for re-sale is an easy quick fix for piling old clothes too.  You can look into other donation non-profs like The Backpack Project which takes used backpacks and fills them with hygiene products, non-perishable foods, socks, first-aid kits, and journals for homeless and transitional youth or Soles 4 Souls that cleans and sends used shoes to people in need all around the world.

Clear out the landfills while clearing out your own house by doing a little research on donation centers around your area!  Happy first days of school!!

Totally comfy, fun and sexy shoes — at the right price – how cool is that?

Designed by women, for women, Jambu shoes have a distinctive look and can transform even the most mundane outfit into something hip.  These above feature synthetic leather uppers & soft lining, contoured memory foam footbeds; and non-marking, durable outsoles made with partially recycled compressed leather.  They arrive in 100 percent recycled, recyclable and re-usable packaging.

Find the Touring Vegan ($113) and red carpet ready, Oscar (top photo; $123) @ zappos.com