Kalon Studios has added the Echo Toddler Bed to its array of American-made, sustainable, craftsman furniture. (more…)

Tip # 7: When you can’t grow your own, a great way to ensure that you and your family have the freshest produce and smallest carbon footprint is to buy from local farmers, producers and merchants. A local farmer’s market is typically a great place to buy fruits and veggies…just be sure to choose the really local goods, ie not the Romaine wrapped in plastic that you can find at your grocery store.

Typical big-box supermarkets and super stores feature produce that has most often been: shipped thousands of miles, quick-frozen, wrapped in plastic, mass produced or genetically modified. Even if the produce isn’t organic, it’s typically better to buy local and fresh than produce that’s been shipped from far away. Just try to avoid the conventionally grown Dirty Dozen. Aside from harming Mother Earth, ingesting food products on a steady basis treated with: pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics and growth hormones can’t be good for our bodies.

Welcome to our newest intern, Jake Ayres, who’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Golf season is right around the corner and this season you can impress your friends with Earth-Friendly Golf Tees by Simple Ecology.

In the U.S., nearly 100,000 trees each year are used to make wooden tees. Earth-Friendly Golf Tees are made in Nebraska from surplus USA grown wheat. The tees save birch trees (wood tees) or oil (plastic tees) and supports U.S. agriculture. Not only do these tees save trees, they also turn to fertilizing compost in 90 days! Earth-Friendly Golf Tees are lawn mower friendly and have been proven to be just as strong as wooden tees.

$6.45 for a pack of 50 tees @ simpleecologystore.com

The one+ småhuse, designed by Lars Frank Nielsen, a principal of the Danish design firm ONEN Design, is an inexpensive summerhouse created for the Swedish company Add-A-Room. In it’s basic configuration this modular home occupies approximately 15 sq meters. Arranging several modules in a Lego-like manner can result in a number of larger buildings and design variations.

The durable prefab modules are constructed primarily of locally sourced Scandinavian materials that require minimal maintenance. The thin outer paneling is made from Super Wood – a Danish building material that utilizes Swedish spruce in an process that involves no heavy metals. (more…)

Tip #6 – Looking for financial incentives that reward you for getting more energy efficient in your home, office or car?

For the latest info on federal tax credits, check out: www.energytaxincentives.org.

To learn more about local incentives, contact your utility or state energy office.

(Reminder: Earth Day is Friday, April 22 – we’re doling out a green tip a day from April 1-22…)

If variety is the spice of life, what is a variety of spices? We’re about to find out…

We recently received a goody bag of spices from Teeny Tiny Spice Company to test and it’s brought us to our happy place. They’re freakin’ amazing. They smell great, and if you’ve lost your desire to cook – they make cooking feel new and fun again. (more…)

• (photo above) Invasion of the Body Snatching Algae – livescience
• Our energy solutions are all above ground…Global Wind Power Grows 24 Percent on China Boost – reuters
• A ray of hope? Highly Radioactive Water No Longer Gushing Into Sea – cnn
• Thinking inside the box: Prevent people from getting affordable health care and then ensure they get sick by breathing polluted air…GOP Seeks to Undo Obama Environmental and Emission Policies – cs monitor
• The risks and rewards of nuclear power…How Radiation Will Change Japan – msnbc
• “The dog started it.” Ohio Man Charged After Barking at Police Dog – myway
• Sir Richard is always up to something…Richard Branson Unveils Deep-Sea Submarine Plans – newsdaily

Leave it to a Swiss company to design an electric bike that folds up like a Swiss Army knife. Voltitude is marketed as “the world’s quickest and easiest folding bike system.” This zero-emissions, pedalec (pedal assist) unfolds in exactly one second and features a latest generation motor and battery module. The bike has wider tires for urban biking, a range of 20 to 40 kms (25 miles) and a top speed of around 16mph (you can go faster by providing extra pedal power or by going downhill).

The bike’s battery can be charged right on the bike or removed for charging in circumstances where taking the entire bike inside is impractical. Voltitude weighs about 48 lbs and folds up into a compact package that can be stored in a closet, locker, or the back of your Cooper. Currently available in small numbers in Switzerland – an international online store is coming soon.

via: beautiful life

Tip # 5: Use the dishwasher instead of hand-washing dishes.

Yes, it’s counter-intuitive, but you actually use more water and energy doing those dishes by hand.

Just make sure the dishwasher is full, (best if you have an Energy-Star-approved dishwasher), and of course use environmentally-responsible detergent:)

What’s your fav automatic dishwasher detergent? I’m loving GrabGreen these days.