Written by Louisiana author, Lynda Deniger, and illustrated by Paulette Ferguson, Patti Pelican and the Gulf Oil Spill is a cleverly done children’s book inspired by Deepwater Horizon’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. With the real-life debacle as its backdrop, the book teaches kids about the importance of taking care of wildlife – especially local birds, fish, water and land – whose environment and health have been harmed.

Released just before the first anniversary of Deepwater Horizon’s oil rig explosion (which occurred 40 miles off the Louisiana coast on April 20, 2010) – the story documents the facts and presents the real-life drama in a kid-friendly context.

We follow the plight of oil-drenched pals Patti Pelican and Sammy Seagull – their rescue, rehabilitation and release back into the wild. Supported by Dottie Dolphin and Captain Charley of the Salty Seas shrimp boat, the action unfolds as a charming educational story. (more…)

Soho-based jewelry designers Me&Ro have created this necklace to help you ward off all the negative vibes scuttling around our universe. This sterling silver necklace features three powerful symbols of positive energy: the cross has you covered on the faith front, the Buddhist flame will keep you pure and a consume all the ignorance you’ll undoubtedly encounter in your daily travails – and the heart, well…all we need is love, right?

The folks at Me&Ro are well aware of the destructive impact mining can have on the environment and thus are committed to using recycled metals in all their jewelry – 100% of their 18K, 10K, and silver castings are created from recycled metals. All their pieces are made in NYC.

I’ve been accessing info provided by the nonprofit, Environmental Working Group (EWG) since its inception in 2004. We’ve referenced their Dirty Dozen (fruits & veggies) Guides and Skin Deep database numerous times.

This past Earth Day EWG gave Skin Deep a makeover — featuring a new design, smoother navigation and easier search functions – enabling folks like you and me to vet companies and evaluate ingredients in everyday personal products such as: soap, deodorant, toothpaste, sunscreen, shampoo, nail polish, fragrance, and a slew of other beauty products.

As you may not know, a recent survey of theirs shows that we consumers use an average of 10 personal care products each day, containing a total of about 126 distinct ingredients, but there is no federal law requiring that these products or ingredients be proved safe before winding up on store shelves — and subsequently in our homes, on our bodies and eventually in our ecosystem.

To date, they’ve investigated the safety and toxicity levels of 65,000 products and profiled 7,000 ingredients. (more…)

We originally posted on Loll a few years ago and we’re glad to discover that the company continues to add to its selection of great looking, weather-proof plastic furniture.

If you’re not familiar with Loll they create their outdoor furniture almost entirely from recycled milk jugs. Pictured above and at right is their latest line – Racer – which consists of a rocker, side table and lounge chair all featuring a zippy racing stripe in a different color than the body of the piece.

The two seats in the collection each have a compartment in their back for storing outdoor accessories.

The line comes in 7 different colors. Another note: in addition to being super-durable and made from recycled plastic – the furniture is also recyclable.

The fine folks at Terra Dolce (sweet earth) provided us with a couple of complimentary bath & body products to put to the test – here’s my no-holds-barred review:

As a big believer in exfoliants to help keep skin nice and smooth, I could hardly wait to dive in and try Terra Dolce’s Floridian body scrub. After just one application in a half-filled tub (conserving precious water), my skin felt remarkably smooth and hydrated.

As suggested, I gently massaged the sweet scrub in circular motions from shoulders to toes – and enjoyed every minute. While the grainy texture of this rich and luxurious formulation sloughed off dead skin, the delicious-smelling herbs and essential oils hydrated & moisturized skin, and relaxed my soul.

It was an easy, at-home spa treatment, leaving me feeling refreshed both inside and out. It’s packaged in a lightweight plastic Mason-jar like container & comes with a little spoon, which are both intended to be re-used once the concoction is used up. (more…)

• Consumer alert…U.S. Issues Travel Alert After Osama bin Laden Killing – cnn/money
• This is how it’s done…Million Dollar Reef Sharks are Boon to Palau Eco-Tourism – afp
• Can wind farms survive tornadoes? Clean Energy Source Shows Dark Side in U.S. Tornadoes – reuters
• Exposure to BPA in Plastics May Lead to Wheezing in Children – sciencedaily
• Bad business: why does the U.S. Chamber of Commerce oppose environmental protections? Court Rejects Move to Stop Calif Clean Car Program – msnbc
• Further Delay to NASA’s Final Endeavor Shuttle Mission – bbc
• A reptilian Johnny Apple Seed…Alien Giant Tortoise Helps Restore Island Ecosystem – livescience

(above and below) Reta and Vana Howell and their friends at THISgallery create abstract pendant lamps from found materials – recycled plastic soda bottles and aluminum. The landfill-bound raw materials are personally gathered by the designers and their associates from a variety of public spaces.

The abstract shapes and hardened form of the lights are created via THISgallery’s fusion process – creating very durable fixtures closely resembling glass. Their illuminating one-of-a-kinds are fashioned in a variety of shapes and colors.