Sometimes it’s what’s under the hood that counts – that’s why there are times when care should be taken in choosing one’s undergarments.  If you make an effort to buy healthy green fashions but also require a little pizazz in your underoos, you can find both desires satisfied by the Urban Fox selection of fun, green undies.

All of Urban Fox’s undies and lingerie sets are designed, dyed and sewn by hand from machine-processed bamboo and organic cotton blends in the U.S.A.  Sexily green indeed!

@ urbanfoxeco.com

I’m purely speculating here, but could designer Ryan Mahan’s Frappaccino addiction have inspired this great little lighting fixture?

In any case…a small number of Lux lamps were created from repurposed Starbucks Frappaccino bottles and some old, upcycled computer power cords.  Ryan sold a small number of the limited edition lamps at a design store.

• Relief Well Connects to BP’s Gulf Well – npr
• No. This wasn’t Lady Gaga club hopping…Tornado in NYC? Experts Survey Damage – livescience
• Illinois won’t close Chicago locks.  Asian Carp: Multiple Efforts Afoot to Find a Great Lakes Solution – cs monitor
• Have you seen the TV spots with ‘real’ people questioning the wisdom of taxing big energy comapanies? Alabama Says BP Denies its Claim Over Oil Spill – reuters
• A BBC listener…Mini-Moo: 33-inch English Cow is World’s Smallest – myway
• Scientists Document Fate of Deep Hydrocarbon Plumes in Gulf Oil Spill – sciencedaily
• Next they’ll take away our rainbows…Rare Asian ‘Unicorn’ Captured and Dies in Captivity – msnbc

It wasn’t hard to roundup fabulous eco conscious fashion finds this week.  During NY Fashion Week, the Big Apple was especially green, thanks to the GreenShows in Chelsea.

We were on the scene each day, and we’ll bring you video highlights of the spring/summer 2011 collections over the course of the next few days…But hey, in case you missed them, here’s our video of eco designer Luis Valenzuela‘s stunning running event on Opening Night, as well as jumpin’ JoAnn Berman‘s runway takeoff…

Also in the spotlight earlier this week was Auralis Herrero, a sustainable fashion designer with roots in Puerto Rico and NYC.  Her hats were created by Isaac Laboy, a local artisan who handcrafted them from the fallen roots of the Cupey tree — the following are a few personal faves from the catwalk:

Part of the fun at the 3-day event was seeing many eco pals — Jill, Jasmine and Yuka of ecouterre; Emily Grady of Treehugger; Joshua of theDiscerningBrute; and Gina of crie de coeur; Kate of Kaight’s Boutique, Summer Rayne Oakes, Bahar Shaphar and having the opportunity to meet many new friends.

Hey, congrats to Kate for opening Kaight’s shop number 2!  With roots on the lower east side of Manhattan, her new digs are in Brooklyn — Opening Party in Brooklyn tomorrow, Saturday, 9/18, from 6-9pm.  382 Atlantic Avenue; between Bond & Hoyt.  Live DJ, Cava & nibbles all around…receive 15% off all purchases.

And from elsewhere around the ecosphere – a few standouts:

• How do you mend a broken plate? Give it a new life by upcycling it into great looking pendent.  The two handcrafted pendants pictured below are wrapped with black, lead-free silver solder, topped with a sterling silver bail and hung on a 16″ sterling chain.

(These pendants are made from real recycled plates, hence there may be slight scratches and marks on their surface from their former life.)  You’ll find them at TheBrokenPlate’s Etsy shop.

• To keep your body temp warm but not sweaty, check out the wool from Icebreaker — they create performance outerwear made  with renewable wool harvested from Merino Sheep in New Zealand’s Southern Alps.

They also offer a Baacode that lets you trace from where the wool comes, “meet the growers and see inside the factories where the merino was cleaned, spun and sewn.” Neat.

It’s the time of the week when we like to feature a designer, or builder, of green roofs.  This week we’re featuring designs and installations from the old school, German, mega-design firm, Zinco Group.  (Yes that’s High Line Park in NYC pictured below)

The company has been around since the 1950′s and has projects all around the globe. They install over 15 million square feet of green roofs annually, in the commercial, residential, industrial and institutional markets, worldwide.

more cool pix after the jump – (more…)

Catch our video – JoAnn Berman Spring/Summer 2011 takes off at the GreenShows in NYC…Fly Berman Airlines…Designer JoAnn Berman’s runway event – a  trippy trip back to the 1960′s with pieces featuring vintage and reclaimed fabrics, and designs based on some drug addled 60′s vacation – courtesy of Pan Am or some other defunct airlines…

Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education and performs research surrounding online degrees.  In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

There are plenty of solar charger options out there, and most of them can make you the proud owner of an iPhone that’s fully functional, 24/7.  The only thing you’ll be worrying about is grabbing hold of a Wi-Fi network when you’ve finished hiking the Appalachian Trail.  No matter what your outdoor activities and energy needs are, a good solar charger can take care of your iPhone’s battery juice so you can keep going strong.  The following are some classic, highly rated solar chargers that will power up your iPhone and other handheld electronic devices for under $100, so take a look to see which one best fits your needs.

The JuiceBar
This particular version is a pocket-sized, universal battery charger that can replenish its energy supply via USB or solar power. It can charge your phone several times on just one USB or solar charge.  One distinctive characteristic of this charger is its LED indicator, which shows you when it’s charging its internal battery so you’ll know when you’ve got full power.  The JuiceBar comes with 12 different connectors to make charging all your devices easy, and it includes the USB and charging cables as well as an accessory bag to keep you from losing connectors.  Priced at $49.99, it won’t break the bank, but it will break your habit of plugging into the wall.

The Novothink Solar Surge
The Surge, which is made specifically for the iPhone, has a lithium ion battery with solar panel and can be charged via USB cable or solar energy.  It comes built into a sturdy case, either black or white, that can be easily attached to your backpack or bag with a small carabiner.  The case even has a set of LED indicator lights that lets you know when the charger is ready to power up your iPhone.  What’s especially helpful about the Surge is that it serves as a docking station, so no cables are necessary between charger and iPhone.  It’s not much bigger than your phone and won’t even dampen your speakers because it has ports and cutouts.  For $79.95, you’ll be able to simply snap this charger onto your phone when the battery gets low and keep on going.  The Surge currently works with the Apple 3G lineup, with the 4G model coming soon.

Solio Models
Solio offers three different solar chargers: the Classic, the Rocsta, and the Mono.

The gunmetal gray Classic (pictured above) works with more than 3,200 devices, holds a charge for up to one year, can be charged via USB or solar power, and won’t damage your phone’s capacity by overcharging it.  (more…)

Opening Night at the GreenShows in NYC, ecofashion designer Luis Valenzuela unveils his stunning spring/summer 2011 collection…masterful creations handmade from “upcycled and found materials.”

Related:  Luis Valenzuela Kicks off The GreenShows in NYC (previously on altCon; September 14, 2010)

Nice figure.  Atlanta-based designer Joe Manus of Shiner International creates his Clover Lamp’s curvy shade from 100% recycled cardboard.  The uniquely formed lamp sits atop a minimal birch ply base.

You can purchase this designer lamp at the new website, stylefactory.com -  a new retailer of modern designer furniture.  The site has a unique approach to choosing what products to sell -  the registered users that comprise the StyleFactory community choose the products that go into production.