Today’s cutting-edge fashion and jewelry designers are increasingly using vintage and upcycled materials as key components of their creative designs. One such designer, Victoria Tane, creates her limited edition Cleopatra necklaces from 1960′s vintage pencil eraser tops, recycled chandelier crystals and glass beads … an attractive twist on sustainable bling.

Today, Rachel Carson would have turned 104 years old – we honor her memory and all that she accomplished in the name of conservation.

Golden Globe award winning actress and activist Sigourney Weaver and artist Maya Lin were named winners of the 2011 Rachel Carson Awards at the recent The National Audubon Society’s Women in Conservation event at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. A key speaker at the ceremony, Weaver praised Rachel Carson, drawing inspiration from the legacy of the great biologist and author. Noting that women play a central role in the environment, the alien-hunting actress urged that all women “kick some ass” for Mother Earth.

The Audubon Society praised Weaver for her role as Primatologist Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist, her narration of the Planet Earth series, as well the environmental documentary, Acid Test. She is also a noted activist on many issues, ranging from the Gulf oil spill and Amazon rainforest exploitation, to global reproductive health and birth control for all women. (more…)

• There may be bipartisan support for funding electric car technology and infrastructure…Lawmakers May Back Electric Car Bill – reuters
• Prices at the pump make getting places pricey…Memorial Day Driving by the  Numbers – americanprogress.org
• How to Survive a Tornado: Plan Ahead, Avoid Debris – npr
• These colorful Himalayan imports cause trouble…UK: Parakeets Guilty of Intimidating Native Garden Birds – bbc nature
• Experts Spar Over Gulf Spill Methane Fate – cosmic log msnbc
• Political games: Why is science under attack? Scientists Cry Foul Over Report Criticizing National Science Foundation – livescience
• Good news for meat-eaters ‘downunder’…Australia’s Burping Cows More Climate Friendly Than Thought – enn.com
• Home Deconstruction: Can an Entire House be Recycled? cs monitor

The geometrically-shaped JustK House is the creation of the German architectural firm, AMUNT (architects: Martenson, Nagel +Theissen).

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Madison, Wisconsin is the latest city to launch a B-cycle urban bike-sharing program, joining cities such as Boulder, Denver, Chicago and San Antonio. Oufitted with computers, riders can take a joy ride or commute to the office and track their mileage, calories burned and carbon offsets. It’s a great way to keep that carbon footprint small, get some exercise and not have to buy or store a bike. (more…)

When cycling around it’s always nice to have a little extra protection from the elements as well as those tough handlebars.

Vancouver based, Heidi the Artist creates fingerless gloves that enable you to transition easily from driving (or yoga class) to texting, applying lip gloss, or hitting the ATM. One glove’s cuff features a graphic element lifted from one of her pieces of artwork, in this instance, a tree.

The jersey fabric is sourced from easily renewable bamboo – fully biodegradable, antibacterial and odor resistant – to keep mother earth and you, cool. Ride in sustainable style. $25 US, only one available @ etsy.com

Seafood, and fish in particular, is often viewed as a healthy, low fat source of protein. It’s unfortunate that fraud at your local fish counter is an all-too-frequent industry practice. Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans, today launched its new campaign to Stop Seafood Fraud at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

At the press briefing, Oceana and other experts explained how seafood fraud can come in many different forms – from mislabeling fish and falsifying documents to adding too much ice to packaging – and how it hurts our oceans, wallets and health. (more…)

As pervasive as digital is today, there are still those of us who love the look, touch and feel of paper. Just in time for summer exploring, here’s a Travel Journal to help keep those memories alive, and a tri-fold notefolio (below) that blends notebook, pockets and portfolio to keep you organized. (more…)

According to recent surveys by SustainAbility and GlobeScan, Unilever is now considered the global leader in industrial sustainability. Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational that makes a number of popular foods, beverages, cleaning agents and hygienic products.

This achievement is no doubt the result of the corporation’s November 2010 Sustainable Living Plan, which intends to bring 50 environmental, social and economic programs to fruition. Set to be achieved by 2020, some of these endeavors included halving the environmental cost of all Unilever products, extracting 100% of the company’s agricultural raw materials from sustainable sources and last, but certainly not least, improving the health and well being of a billion people around the globe.

You already may be enabling Unilever to help consumers (more…)