If your mouth waters at the thought of seared scallops, salmon, crab, coconut crusted prawns, lobsters, and sushi, you must be a seafood lover like me. Fortunately, there are ways to enjoy seafood and to help preserve and support the oceans simultaneously.

Monterey Bay Aquarium, provides handy pocket guides to allow you to eat ocean-friendly seafood and satisfy your cravings of seafood without the guilt. Unfortunately these pocket guides don’t diminish the guilt you get from all the calories, but a jog outdoors will take care of that! So indulge, just make sure you’re eating ocean-friendly!

There are a variety of pocket guides available for download. Download the pocket guide for your region, or the APP for you iPhone. If you plan to travel to a different region, download and take that pocket guide with you. Help save the oceans by eating only ocean-friendly seafood. Visit the website to learn more about saving the oceans, and for a tasty and sustainable recipe!

Related: (previously on altCon) -  Monterey Bay Aquarium – a Mission of Conservation

How many flashlights do you own and how often do you use them?  How many toxic batteries do they consume?  Here’s an eco-friendly rechargeable flashlight, that when charged for 90 seconds, will give you two hours of up to 270 lumens of very bright light.  The Light For Life UC3.400 has a life expectancy of 50,000 charges and discharges (once a day for 135 years) and packs LED bulbs that will provide 50,000 hours of light.  And there’s no battery degradation over time – the flashlight’s power management technology allows the flashlight to perform at 96% efficiency for the life cycle of the product.  No batteries or parts to replace and its rugged too. You can pass this baby down to your grandkids.

Downside it costs $169.99 @ 5.11 Tactical website

Who isn’t taken by the full Harvest Moon?  October 22-23 marks this year’s light spectacle.  As she cycles and begins to cast her magnetic spell, I find myself drawn to these modern marvels of illumination.

A cool way to add a dose of lunar drama to your environment year-round…glowing spheres from Moonlight Globes. The newest design allows for programmable LED lighting to enhance your space with soft transitioning colors.  Choose from full globes, half hemispheres, floating globes, pendant globes or the very groovy Moonlight Sound fixtures with 360-degree professional audio speakers in one fixture. What a marvelous night for a moon dance…anyone?

Choose from five installation options: (more…)

Surveying the environmentally conscious fashion landscape this lovely Autumn day, I discovered some fine and funky finds…enjoy!

(above 3 photos)  Designer Nicole Deponte’s ultra hip Lillian Asterfield neckware made from recycled ties @ supermarkethq.com

(above)  Save 10% on slinky Nixxi leggings and Wrap V-Neck made of an organic cotton stretch jersey blend (either bamboo or soy) @ environmentally conscious etailer, ecolissa.

(above)  Love the cool lines and big pockets of this Breeze fleece jacket in organic hemp and organic cotton. Soft on the inside, smooth on the outside for warmth and true comfort.  By North Carolina-based, Gaia Conceptions, ($215) on their Esty shop.

(above)  Add some perk and pretty eco style to your lingerie with the newly launched Sixties Collection by Peau-Ethique.  Smartly made of 100 percent organic and Fair-trade cotton, the kicky threads include: camisoles, briefs, underwire bras, thongs, nighties and panties in black, rouge and fushia.

(above)  Pop Love Designs makes cool dresses from recycled material and tees from organic cotton.  This one of a kind Golden Dress is on sale now (was $129, now $69) @ their Etsy shop.

(above) Check out Nina Dolcetti’s chic shoe line made from scraps and upcycled leather, plus 6 other fab eco-finds from London Fashion Week that’ll rock your socks off @ ecouterre

(L to R above)  I found these simply irresistible – sweet tiny tot sweaters handmade and upcycled from pre-loved sweaters felted felted Cashmere Sweater in pale green ; size 6-9 months ($50) and 100% pre-loved lambswool heather brown, coral, sage and loden green size 12-18 months ($45) @ Massachusetts-based StudioWorkshopDesign.

…and that, my friends, is a wrap for now.  Heading to the dunes, gotta catch some fish and fresh air.  Have a beautiful weekend, remember to keep it on the down low (low carbon impact).

Google has been caught secretly testing their futuristic prototype, a self-driven car!  If anyone in and around the San Francisco to Los Angeles area has seen a Toyota Prius with a funnel cylinder on its roof driving around, you’ve seen it.  Google has done it again in the field of technologic awesomeness by creating cars with artificial intelligence — cars able to drive themselves in streets with normal ongoing traffic.  These cars are able to make real life “human” decisions and sense anything that occurs near the car.  The Google prototype has even been able to drive down Lombard Street in San Francisco, one of the steepest and curviest streets in the nation.  In fact, the only accident that occurred was when a Google car was rear-ended while stopped at a red light. Hah! (more…)

UPDATE:  It’s Official – our 2 lucky winners are  Jessica T and Michelle H.  Thanks to everyone for participating.  Enter our latest giveaway for a chance to win an iPhone 4 Case made of recycled plastic.  (original post follows…)

Having grown up in Keds, I’m kind of excited about the introduction of the Organic Champions - Keds’ latest take on their classic sneaker, and newest addition to their green lineup.  Absent are pesticides, herbicides and bleach in the making of this eco sneak. It has uppers made of 100% organic cotton; stitched eyelets; tea-stained laces and 15% recycled rubber outsoles.

Outfitted in a complimentary pair of slip-ons, I’ve been bouncing around town in these cute and comfy kicks, feeling light and green every step of the way.  Enter our Great Green Giveaway and start channeling your best Marilyn or Jackie O…style icons who flitted about in the Champion back in the day.

2 lucky winners will be selected in our Random Drawing, and notified by email. Contest ends Monday, October 25, 2010 at 11:59p (EST). Winners have 24 hours to claim their prize, or that offer is null and void. Winners’ names will be included on this post.  Retail value:  $55 + free delivery to anywhere in the USA or Canada.  Winner will receive either lace-up or slip-on style, available in neutral, in their choice of ladies’ sizes 5-11, medium width.

To enter, simply:

• Check out Keds’ new Organic Champions: the Organic Slip On and Organic Lace Up.
• Then answer:  When purchasing footwear, aside from style — what’s more important to you – how the shoe is made & what it is made of … or simply, price?
• Add the following address to your email address book: m at AlternativeConsumer.com.
• Bonus Entry: sign up for our RSS feed; (if you’re already a subscriber, just comment by writing a complete sentence to let us know).
• Additional ways to receive extra entries: (more…)

Wheego Electric Cars, a U.S. manufacturer of all-electric cars, today announced it will unveil the Wheego LiFe, an all-electric set of wheels they profess to be the nation’s first affordable electric car to the public at the Los Angeles International Auto Show November 18th.

The compact LiFe, which looks like it just swallowed a smart car, has some nice features. The details: The full-speed Wheego LiFe travels approximately 100 miles on a single charge and retails for $32,995.  It qualifies for a $7,500 Federal tax credit, as well as many state tax incentives, including $5,000 in California.

The LiFe comes fully-equipped with driver and passenger airbags, anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, and power windows and locks. The 115V lithium battery pack can be charged from a standard 120V outlet, a 240V outlet or any of the J1772 standard charging stations being installed in public locations throughout the United States.  It is available in red, white, blue, black, silver, and green.  The Wheego LiFe is a two-seat subcompact car with fit, finish and features designed for today’s environmentally-conscious commuters.

About the name:  LiFe – it stands for Li as in the symbol for Lithium + Fi as in Iron…hats off to chem class 101.   Wheego is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.  The emission-free LiFe and other Wheego vehicles are assembled in Ontario, California.

We extend a warm welcome to our newest contributor, San Diego based, Jessica M. Han.  This is her first in a series of forthcoming posts on sustainable beauty, health and food…

Every year Allure magazine publishes a list of the best beauty products, from lipsticks to hair products — this list also contains “natural wonders.”  These earth-friendly, budget-friendly products have what it takes to help keep you looking naturally wonderful!  This year’s award winning green products are: (more…)

Can the biggest of the ‘big boxes’ help small farmers, local economies and consumers?  Walmart today launched its new global commitment to sustainable agriculture intended to help small and medium-sized farmers expand their businesses, get more income for their products, and reduce the environmental impact of farming, while strengthening local economies and providing customers around the world with long-term access to affordable, high-quality, fresh food.

(more…)