Adrian James Architects‘ Muswell House features their distinctive curved roof – designed to maximize the internal space, and a wall of glass in the open-plan living room to take advantage of the expansive southern views.

The house is innovative, both structurally and environmentally:  prefabricated engineered timber fills out the primary steel frame; the house is heated by a ground source heat pump; and a heat recovery ventilation system uses the stale exhaust air to heat the incoming fresh air — which all adds up to a very small carbon footprint.

Channel your inner Hunter S. Thompson (cool) - or Ted Nugent (not so cool) – with this rustic and manly wine rack. If you have some empty ammo cases in your basement bunker, or man-cave, this makes a great DIY project.

The case also comes as a wine bar to accommodate your stash of wine glasses and a couple of bottles of your favorite elixir.

Each one is handmade from upcycled vintage boxes from the 1960′s to ’70′s.  Made in Canada.

Wine Rack:  $325

Wine Bar:  $300

uncommongoods.com

One of the main drawbacks of using an eco-friendly compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) is that it takes a few minutes for it to reach full brightness — it’s problematic when you need light, quickly.

GE, however, may have seen the light — they’ve recently unveiled a hybrid light bulb that is due to market in 2011. This light bulb combines the instant brightness of a halogen bulb along with the efficiency and longer rated life of a CFL bulb. When turned on the halogen capsule turns on instantly, giving off bright light; and once the CFL bulb is in full brightness, the halogen capsule shuts off!

Moreover, these bulbs have a life 8x longer than incandescent bulbs, which means fewer replacements, saving money, and reducing landfill waste.

• The spirit of GW lives…a fresh load of Republican science haters is on the way…GOP Victory May be Defeat for Climate Change Policy – npr
• Spilling oil can be an expensive business…BP Sells Four Gulf of Mexico Oil Fields to Marubeni – bbc
• Now if they could only do something about all those toxic Florida’s political ads…Everglades Show Improvement in Water Quality – sciencedaily
• There goes local property values…Indonesia Warns Mount Merapi Volcano Could Erupt at Any Time – myway
• 1000 green jobs…Spain’s Gamesa to Build Offshore Wind Factory in UK – reuters
• Bug’s tiny brain can do complex computations…Need a Shortcut? Ask a Bumblebee – msnbc
• The Italian government makes ours look efficient. Italian Dump on Hold, Garbage Piles Up in the Street – enn/reuters

I hate to admit it, but I stereotype nutrition bars. I generalize most all of them as chewy, chalky and calorie-packed. And I don’t eat them. For as long as I can remember, I’ve relied on the consistently satisfying crunch of Nature Valley’s “Oats ‘N Honey” granola bars when I’m tossing a snack into a hiking sack or grabbing grub for a long plane ride. (On occasion, I indulge in a Bumble Bar, too, but since it’s mostly seeds, I don’t lump it into the nutrition bar category.)

But recently, the unthinkable happened. I found a bar that I like. And not just one flavor—an entire line-up—of nutrition bars that are not only tasty (really!), but full of stuff that does a body good. You can choose from Espresso Coffee (rich cocoa and coffee beans), Almond Raisin (you guessed it) or Cranberry Crunch (raisins, sesame seeds and crisp brown rice) versions, and best of all, they’re organic, gluten free and they include natural sweeteners like agave syrup and brown rice syrup. And for the adventurous traveler or dashboard diner, they don’t melt. Really. I tried. It might be tricky to peel the wrapper off a warm bar, but it’s doable, and totally worth it. Unlike a lot of options, these bars aren’t baked or cooked, so they retain all of those fresh nutrients. And they’re made with a minimal eight ingredients. Hard to believe that something so good can be so simple.

Made by Wings of Nature, these bars are currently sold locally, but you can order a box of 24 for yourself for $32 on the company’s website. Do you have a favorite bar that you can’t live without? If so, drop the name in the comment section. I’d love to hear the inside scoop on the best bite for your buck.

Full disclosure: Wings of Nature provided us a sampling of bars to taste-test.

Here it is the day after the robust, full harvest moon (and my wedding anniversary, which was quite special) — but before heading out to do some beach clean-up and surf casting – we bring you up to date on a few environmentally conscious media happenings & events.

• New Amsterdam Market (South Street & Peck Slip, site of the historic Fulton Fish Market) in NYC will celebrate the region with a bounty of fresh, local fare on Sunday October 24 and October 31.  On October 24, in collaboration with Glynwood, the market will feature the best of the season from the Hudson Valley’s fall harvest, fish from Maine, as well as local produce, meats, cheese, wool, herbs, wine, books and lots more locally made goodness. 12 family-owned businesses and farmers will be on the scene for this special event. See what’s in store @ newamsterdammarket.com.
• Check out 350.org‘s video highlighting the results of Bill McKibben’s powerful 10.10.10 global initiative about the critical need to lower carbon output:

• Trailer for COOL IT (based upon the book of the same name, by Bjorn Lomborg, which opens in theaters November 12, 2010.
• Currently reading, The Vertical Farm – Feeding the World in the 21st Century by, Dr. Dickson Despommier – it’s a real whopper — an idea whose time has come.  I highly recommend it…Sting bought the film rights to the book…more @ verticalfarm.com
• The Farmer and the Horse rolls into town on November 13 at 9:30p.  Catch the documentary’s premier at The Tank (354 W. 45th Street, NYC) and have a discussion with the director, Jared Fletcher, and the 3 organic farmers who decide to farm with draft horses rather than tractors.  Buy tix, ($10) @ thefarmerandthehorse.com
• Fruit Tree Giveaway in Miami, tomorrow (Sunday, 10/24) from 8:30a – 12:30 noon.  Grapeland Park, 1550 NW 37th Ave.  2 Fruit trees per household allowed; must show proof of residency (ie: driver’s license or utility bill with Miami address)… more @ Our Green Miami.
• New show Everest ER just launched on Current TV, Tuesdays at 10/9pm Central.  A behind the scenes look at the medical professionals who volunteer to work at Everest Base Camp, the highest hospital on Earth.
• October is Fair Trade month – support companies who treat their workers fairly and provide decent working conditions…look for Certified Fair Trade on product packaging.
• And hey, we’re thrilled and honored to be included in The Complete List of Eco Fashion Blogs!

Sephora has a specialized logo for natural products to let you know which products are approved of being “natural.” In order for products to receive the natural seal, they must be formulated with a minimum of 90%:  antioxidants, botanicals, essential oils, fruit extracts, marine bioactives, minerals and vitamins. At the same time they must exclude at least six of the following ingredients: GMOs, parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, sulfates, triclosan, synthetic fragrances and dyes….So, it’s a step in the right direction, but not perfect…be sure to still read the fine print before deciding what you want to put on your skin.

Below are some of Naturally Sephora’s best sellers…

• Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Get Started Kit ($49).  For a 100% natural, natural look that improves your skin.
• Boscia Luminizing Black Mask ($34).   Peel off mask which detoxifies, purifies, and brightens skin.
• Claudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum ($79).  Serum which improves skin tone and boosts radiance while correcting dark spots.
• L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream ($10).  Composed of 20% shea butter, protects, moisturizes and nourishes skin.
• Korres Brightening and Anti-Aging Rose Collection ($54).  Brightens, tightens and moisturizes.

These aren’t your grandmother’s recycled vinyl record clocks…Designer Pavel Sidorenko‘s nifty looking Re_Vinyl clocks are laser-cut into unique designer shapes.

via: yankodesign.com

Rain barrels are a smart way to save money and precious water — just place one under a gutter and start capturing rainwater to water your plants.  What I love about these is that they’re portable and easy to store.

The wide mouth zips open for easy water collection; mesh screen helps keep out debris. Either dip in to fill pails and buckets or tap into the built-in nozzle at the base with your garden hose.  Comes in 3 sizes:  34, 50 and 74 gallon – $59, $79 & $92 respectively.

find @ greenhome.com