Musician/inventor Diego Stocco created a totally new instrument by repurposing the keyboard of the dismantled piano he keeps in his garden and combining it with variety of other parts he had laying around – including the recycled neck of a broken electric bass, a cabinet handle for a bridge, recycled guitar pickups and a chimney cap.  He ended up with a mechanical hybrid that he christened a “Bassoforte” (bass + pianoforte).

He then wrote a track as a tribute to his dad who is a big fan of Western comic books and Spaghetti Westerns films and played the whole deal on his newly created instrument.  A super cool and complex DIY project.  Crazy.

This pendant lamp will bring a little of the forest into your home office or living room.  Vancouver-based Propeller Design creates the Galiano Slim’s bio-degradable shade from reclaimed Douglas Fir.  The light’s pull switch is a twig salvaged from a section of a wind-downed Arbutus branch from scenic Galiano Island, BC.  The light is small but beautifully handcrafted.

3.75″ × 3.75″ × 12″ (plus twig pull-switch, which varies) and featuring a 13W CFL light bulb (equivalent to a 60W incandescent)

Available at Propeller Design’s supermarket.hq store

• “My garbage is my legacy.” Colbert Report Busts SunChips for Ditching Biodegradable Packaging – ecorazzi
• I guess the ethanol lobby added a zero to that check…U.S. to Allow More Ethanol in Gasoline for Newer Cars – reuters
• I was once attacked by 6 different species while eating a sandwich in Central Park…Surprising Ant ‘Mixing Bowl’ Found in Manhattan – natgeo
• Hydropower may not be so green…Reservoirs: A Neglected Source of Methane Emissions – sciencedaily
• Whale of a trip: Humpback Makes Record Migration – yahoo! news
• ‘Flocculence’ is the word of the day. Whale Poo: The Ocean’s Miracle Grow – livescience
• Deep-Water Drilling Moratorium Lifted: Why Neither Side is Happy – cs monitor
• Habitat destruction – it’s everywhere…Video Shows Tiger, Then Bulldozer Moving In – msnbc

The folks at natural beauty brand, Collective Wellbeing, generously provided me with 3 products for the purposes of this Tried and True Green Products Review…Although Collective Wellbeing launched in 2004, this beauty brand didn’t hit my radar til just the other day.  (more…)

GSky Plant Systems recently unveiled the largest green wall system in North America at the world-renowned Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA.  Longwood’s redesigned East Conservatory Plaza wing features a 4,072 sq ft green wall, displacing the title of North America’s largest green wall from the PNC Bank building in Pittsburgh by over 70 percent.

The green wall at Longwood Gardens is unprecedented in size, but its long-lasting plant support system makes it one of the most advanced green walls in the world.  The wall’s 47,000 plants provide as much oxygen as 90 fourteen foot-tall trees and clean over 15,500 lbs of dust and harmful toxins per year.

The backbone of Longwood Garden’s wall is GSky’s Green Wall Panel System which features advanced technologies that allow plants to thrive in atypical environments.

Photo Credit: Longwood Gardens, L.Albee

Yogurt lovers just got an eco-friendly bonus…Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic yogurt company, introduces the first yogurt cup made from plants.  Beginning today, every Stonyfield Farm multipack yogurt cup will be made from plant-based plastic.  The new, sustainable container slashes carbon emissions by nearly half (48%) and places Stonyfield in the forefront of the growing sustainable packaging industry, a market segment expected to reach $142 billion by 2015.

Stonyfield makes this positive change with no increase in price on any of its multipacks.  The new cups look and feel just like the petroleum-based polystyrene (PS#6) cups they replace, the only difference is the new “Made From Plants” stamp on the bottom.

source: prnewswire

I’m on a mission. I have been since the day I decided to kick throw-away water bottle convenience in favor of something healthier and less wasteful. Over the past few years, I’ve bought and tested dozens of BPA-free plastic, stainless steel and glass vessels… and right now, I’ve settled into a nice rut with a couple of standbys: a Precidio glass bottle for my cold drinks (so pretty with its birds-on-a-wire design) and a generic insulated stainless steel thermos for my hot tea. Both dutifully serve their purpose and until I drop the glass bottle (which will no doubt occur before year end), I’m content with lugging either on my daily ventures. (more…)

UPDATE:  It’s official – Congratulations to our 3 lucky winners:  Valerie H, Toni M and Carolyn W!  Thanks to Melvita for sponsoring such a wonderful giveaway, and to all of you for leaving such great comments.  If you didn’t win this one, don’t despair, stay tuned for our next one, just around the corner. (original post follows…)

Three lucky winners will each get to choose their favorite face, body, hair or nail oil made from plants by French organic beauty and skin care brand, Melvita.  Choose from a beautiful selection of 24 organic oils such as: Argan, Arnica, Avocado, Hemp, Sweet Almond, Lily, Calendula and many more.  Get your glow on – treat that fabulous bod and face to some wonderful pampering, healing and rejuvenation.

To enter, simply:

• visit Melvita and check out their certified organic skin care products and their plant-based oil products.
• tell us which is your favorite oil, and why you’d like to receive it.

Extra Credit:

leave an additional comment and receive extra entries by

• posting the giveaway to your facebook page or blog
• become an alternative consumer fan on facebook
• Tweet once per day if you like, just include a link to this post and comment to let us know @altCon.

Be sure to add m at alternativeConsumer.com to your address book so that if you win, your email program will accept our Winner’s Notification.  Enter before Wednesday, October 20, 2010; 11:59pm, EST.  Open to USA residents only.  Prize includes free delivery to anywhere in the USA.  Time’s ticking so get going…

As always, we will never share your email or any other info with anyone.

Your watch says a lot about you.  Rolex – rich douchebag; Timex – kind of a loser; Casio – it works and fashion sucks; Tag Heuer – look at me, I’m a rock climber; a wooden watch – now we’ve got a conversation starter.   WeWOOD makes these hypo-allergenic watches with no toxic chemicals, entirely out of wood (with the exception of the timepiece’s Miyota movement).

For every watch they sell they partner with American Forests to plant a tree.  The watches come in a bunch of styles and woods from maple to red wing celtis.  Some of the wood used is reclaimed manufacturing debris.  One of these unique wooden watches will cost you $119.  Just don’t jump in the pool wearing one of these…they’re not waterproof.