These stylish bags are made in Italy by Laura Giovannini and her anonima Mente design studio. Each colorful bag is constructed from chunks of discarded vinyl flooring. The material is colorful, soft, waterproof and durable. Some of the bags feature recycled seat belt material as straps … find them and more at Laura’s Etsy Shop.

June 1st, Toyota put out at press release about a voluntary safety recall for their 2001-2003 model Prius. Do not be fooled by the use of the word voluntary. Though it lacks a sense of urgency and almost sounds optional, this is not the case. It means that the regulatory agency overseeing the product, in this case the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has made a deal with the manufacturer to get a dangerous and defective product out of the marketplace.

The recall on these three years of the Prius is due to a defect in the nuts on the pinion shaft of the steering gear box (see photo at right). Repeated and strong turning of the steering wheel in these models can cause the nuts to come loose. If you have noticed increased difficulty making a left turn it is likely that you are already having a problem. (more…)

San Francisco-based, SunReports, a leading maker of residential solar energy monitoring for both solar PV and solar hot water systems, has announced a new tool for solar system owners. Consumers and businesses can now share their system performance data with friends on Facebook. This marks the first time a monitoring company has provided the ability for their customers to publicly display and share system performance within the popular social network.
(more…)