• Handbag homicide. Doesn’t every fashionista want a dead animal hanging off their wrist…Should Victoria Beckham be on Alert for PETA Attack? – eocrazzi
• Don’t Blame Dairy Cows for Greenhouse Gas Emissions, New Study Finds – sciencedaily
• 2012 Mayan apocalypse may be re-scheduled…End of Earth Postponed – yahoo! news
• Nobody likes to see a cop writing a ticket…Russian Traffic Cop Charged by Wolves – orange.co.uk
• I wonder what the HOA fees are? Penguin ‘Condos’ Built Along Galapagos Isles – msnbc
• Reforestation…Winds Slowing Around the World, Study Suggests – natgeo
• Nevada Feline Becomes World’s Longest Domestic Cat – myway

Here’s an ecologically intelligent cleaning product that we can wrap our hands around and (pardon the pun), flip over…Sustainability guru William McDonough and his posse at McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) worked closely with Jason Foster, Founder and CEO of Replenish, and his development team to bring a more sustainable household cleaning product to market and it launches today.

“Recycling is good for the environment – but it’s just not good enough.  We need to get to reuse.  By creating more sustainable products, we can help change our throw-away, disposable culture,” said Jason Foster, Founder and CEO of Replenish.  “We hope to bring Replenish’s innovative design to all forms of household liquids, and in turn inspire a reuse revolution with smart, sustainable products for happier homes and a healthier planet.”

Why we like it:

• Replenish is made from 98% plant-based ingredients – natural, sustainable ingredients that are non-toxic to aquatic life, readily biodegradable and PH Neutral –  safe for you, home and planet
• high-tech green chemistry reduces the amount of cleaner needed to rinse away soils by more than 50 percent
• 100% made in the USA and has a supply chain radius of only 200 miles
  
• works on all surfaces that can be cleaned with water
  
• replace the Concentrate Pod, not the bottle…spray head & bottle are 100% recyclable (PET #1, the most recyclable plastic) and engineered to last about 3 years
  

How it works: (more…)

This thorny skinned ‘Orc‘ mask from MindsEyeCreation is made with recycled junk mail paper mache and a lot of artistry.

Created solely from upcycled materials, the ‘Mustachioed Mechanical Gentleman‘ mask features a base that in its prior life was a video cassette case, and has now been molded and painted to look like formed brass. A cracked clock face, positioned with thick metal wire, hovers as a monocle in front of his right eye. (more…)

It’s a pleasure to discover an apparel line steeped in eco cred and social responsibility:  a brand with brains, brawn and heart.

Currently manufacturing their sustainable menswear brand in Calcutta, India — New Jersey-based, Tompkins Point Apparel is creating ‘enlightened preppy’ threads for today’s busy but mindful man.  Kicking off with a new spin on the classic polo, here’s why this brand’s special:

• it’s the first clothing brand in America to receive fair trade certification
• all garments are made from 100% certified organic (GOTS) cotton with low-impact dyes (more…)

A major challenge to the installation of renewable, solar power generations system is lag-time experienced in recouping the initial investment and reaching break-even.  With most of the solar industry focused on increasing photovoltaic efficiency to reduce cost there’s one small company that thinks it can provide a unique cost-cutting solution in the manufacture of photovoltaic cells:  BioSolar, a California technology company, is creating a bio-based material to replace petroleum-based plastic in the production of photovoltaic solar modules.

Petroleum-based plastics are used in the production of virtually all PV solar modules.  With the cost of plastics steadily increasing due to rising oil prices, efforts to make solar energy cost competitive with conventional fossil fuels has continued to present a challenge. (more…)

Designer and artist Sang Won Sung re-assembles recycled dolls, toys and common, plastic household items into new hybrid toys and sculptures.

Perhaps this off-beat collection of dolls and creatures can provide some inspiration to anyone considering a DIY Halloween costume, or pondering an artistic way to clean out a family room filled plastic toys that have long ago lost their original fascination.

via:  recyclart
photo credit:  Sang Won Sung

Lounge in stylish eco conscious comfort — soft organic cotton top & pants set reduced from $58 to $19.99 – choose from 2 colorways (black or sage; low impact dyes) @ gaiam.com. Complete the look with an optional matching jacket, now $12.99.

** Place any order of $100 or more by 11:59pm, MT today, and receive free shipping with promotion code:  FALLFS.

It sometimes may seem like life is falling apart at the seams but don’t despair; things come and go, stuff happens in cycles, nothing is forever….It may help to have a sustainable sign hanging around to help remind us what really matters.  Live Laugh Love is made of renewable jute (a fiber created from corn husks) and it’s on sale now at @ world market.  $19.99 (was $24.99)

• Small is cool…Photos: Best Micro-Photos of 2010 – natgeo
• Ironic, given Japan’s record on whaling, illegal fishing and their voracious consumption of various animal parts… UN Meeting on Saving Species Opens in Japan – myway
• A bridge to somewhere…Bridges Built to Help Borneo Orangutans Meet Mates – yahoo! news
• Super Typhoon Megi Strikes the Philippines – cnn
• Human disruption cited…Salmon Losing Distinct Genetic Characteristics – bbc
• Climate Change May Alter Natural Climate Cycles of Pacific – sciencedaily
• That’s a lot of trekking. Record Breaker: Trekker Does Everest and Both Poles in One Year – msnbc

photo credit: national geographic