No petrochemicals thank you!  Want to protect your precious iPhone and become a little more eco-friendly in the process?  A company called bioserie has created a line of bio-plastic covers for the iPhone 4G, which it has added to its existing line of plant-based Apple accessories and Iphone 3G covers.  The cover is made of a unique blend of biodegradable and environmentally friendly components derived entirely from plants and other annually renewable natural resources.

The iPhone 4G cover contains Ingeo biopolymer, which is licensed from NatureWorks, bioserie’s partner in developing the product.  The biopolymer is made in the USA, and derived from plant sugars.

Unique ridges on the front of the cover protect iPhone’s glass screen during face down placement or if you drop your phone.  The slim profile case has a textured pattern on the back to improve grip.

You can order the case in variety of colors @ amazon.com for $29.95

Recycling taken to the next level.  The ‘Nelson’ chair is the creation of French artist, visionary furniture designer and high-end recycler, Francois Royer and Stanker Design.  This industrial seating unit is an eye-catching amalgamation of recycled brushed silver steel drum, repurposed birch bedbase slats and a couple of rubber stops.

Feel free to checkout our previous posts on Monsieur Royer’s work.

If you’re looking for a handbag that keeps its shape, check out the Gina from Redhanded’s new collection of eco-stylish & vegan bags…classic lines in classic black; faux leather with organic hemp lining.

Designer Trace Russomano puts her unique spin on totes, clutches & carry-alls — working with high quality VOC-free faux leather; linings made from recycled material, certified organic hemp or bamboo; and with finishing touches made of either brushed nickel or solid brass. Each one nicely made in the USA under sweatshop-free working conditions.  ($135) @ redhandedbags.com

• This is a good thing…Cap is Off BP’s Ruptured Well – cnn
• Take THAT, California – American Samoa bans the plastic bag – huffpost
• Now, why would this outrage the North American chemical industry? Canada bans BPA.  Why Haven’t We? – grist
• The Japanese obsession with whale meat besmirches their honor…Japan Whale Meat Case Echoes Apartheid: Greenpeace Chief – yahoo! news
• My dad used to talk about the big hurricane of 1938 that cut Montauk off from the rest of Long Island.  Earl’s Path Along Northeast is not Well-Worn – myway
• Did they mistake it for an oddly-shaped grandson? Swiss Grandmas Knit Sweater for Smart Car – aol news
• Wild Chimps Outwit Human Hunters – bbc
• Tiny conservationists…Ants Take on Goliath Role in Protecting Trees From Elephants – sciencedaily
• Catch 22…BP Says Drilling Limits Will Imperil Spill Payouts – msnbc
• The latest spill…Mariner Oil Rig Explosion Leaves Oily Sheen on Gulf’s Waters – livescience

Electrolux will be announcing the winner of its 2010 Design Lab Compact Living competition later this month.  Here’s a look at the eight futuristic finalists:

• You can pop over to the Design Lab site to vote for your favorite.  I could probably do without the virtual reality cooking gizmo.

There’s a new green fashionista on the block. To celebrate the Grand Opening of Melissa Dion’s ecolissa.com, an eco and vegan conscious fashion site for women — you’ll receive 10% off your first order of already reasonably priced threads.  Some personal faves (above) – Cholla Elroy dress and Second Eco Denim jeans.  Just enter GO10 at checkout.

Tired of mass-produced, sterile fashion?  Need an edgy accessory to help you regain some of your lost street cred.  Maybe this industrial looking ring can help recapture a little of that ‘Trent Reznor’ vibe that used to be part of your appeal.

The adjustable ring, designed and created by Revonav, is made of recycled sterling silver and has been oxidized to show its character and detail – and hey, it’s only 33 bucks.

For this Tried and True Green Product Review, a complimentary Baringo messenger bag was provided to us by GreenSmart.

Check out GreenSmart’s new Baringo messenger bag — it’s good looking and has a lot of great features.  Every time I use it I tell at least one person, “it’s made from 31 recycled plastic bottles.”  Inevitably, it gets a “wow, cool” reaction.

Rather than create waste in their manufacturing, the innovators at GreenSmart are literally making new material from waste.  All fabrics used for their Bottles 2 Bags are derived 100 percent from recycled plastic bottles (rPET Polyester).  The recycled plastic bottles are first ground into chips, then spun into yarn, woven into fabric and finally sewn into bags.  This process uses less energy than making polyester out of refined petroleum.

Well-conceived and executed, it’s designed to hold a lot of stuff — laptop, notebooks, books, small packages — and keep you organized.  The material is soft and lightweight yet durable.

There are several well-placed pockets (you can stash a slim reusable water bottle & your cellphone in the end pockets) (more…)

Voltaic Systems looked at there competitors in the compact, portable solar charger marketplace and said, “we can do better.”  They’ve intro’d three new portable 4 watt chargers that far exceed the 1 watt of power provided by many popular competitors.  These compact chargers will transform 1 hour in the sun into 3 hours of cell phone talk-time and a fully charged battery will yield up to 19 hours of talk time or 48 hours of music playback on an MP3 player.

The Fuse (above left) attaches to your existing backpack, while the Switch Solar Bag (above right) can carry bigger stuff like a Kindle or iPad.  Each charger features (2) 2-watt solar panels, as does the very compact Amp standalone charger (pictured on right).  Each charger will fully charge their on-board battery in 7 hours of direct sunlight, additionally, each charger features an outer shells sturdily constructed of recycled PET bottles that’s waterproof, lightweight and UV resistant.  The solar panels themselves are designed to take a beating and each charger comes with all manner of adapters to keep all your small gadgets and gizmos charged.