A Tried and True Green Product Review: Prancing Leopard recently sent us a few complimentary items from their new line of organic Zeugma® cotton clothing. Here’s the scoop: in a word, amazing.

(above) I love their artisan line comprised of hand-knit items by their non-profit, Women Artisan Project – designed to financially support women in need. I received a pair of hand-crafted, organic cotton ballet slippers and my feet couldn’t be happier. I slip into them while making my rounds at home – they’re totally comfy and adorable. ($49)

(above L to R) Prancing Leopard Tunic Antibes II ($89) and Cantabria II Yogi Surfer Capri ($98).

These threads are soft to touch, versatile and well made. I’ve traipsed from yoga class to Palm Beach or NY City street without missing a beat. A proprietary blend of hand-harvested, Turkish organic cotton with a small dose of Elastane for four-way stretch, this wicking material helps absorb sweat as I make my way through the day.

The grey tunic is nice and long, with a pretty neckline and an extra layer for built-in bra support. I love the color, fit and sexy silhouette. (more…)

• Thick Green Algae Chokes Chinese Beach – Swimmers Dive In ( photo via nat geo) – natgeo
• Climate hero Tim DeChristopher jailed for 2 yrs for protesting new gas & oil leases. Stand against the tar sands via Bill McKibbon’s 350.org
• Trapped after earthquake…New Zealand Goldfish Survive 134 Days Without Food – myway
• Wolves in the Rockies were taken off the Endangered Species List by Congress, not scientific review. Environmentalists, Government Debate Wolf in Court – msnbc
• No math involved…Calorie Labels Fail to Sway Fast-Food Fans – livescience
• Human applications? Shark Bites No Match for Dolphin’s Powers of Healing – npr

Thanks to BodyVerde for providing us with a complimentary bottle of EZ Waterless Shave. We gave it a try and here’s what we think: it’s a great way to save water and go chemical-free when shaving.

Initially, I was skeptical about just how effective and real this product might be. With claims of

• no lathering & no rinsing
• no bumps & no burns
• no water needed
• great for legs, face or body
• all natural proprietary botanical blend

… it all sounded just a little “too good to be true.” Don’t you think?

But after both my hub and I used it – we have to say that it’s all true – the only water required was a little to rinse the razor. Absolutely no water is required to lather or rinse your face, legs, underarms. Do you realize how much water that can save? On average, a person may use as much as 3 to 5 gallons of water to shave at a sink and up to 5 gallons per minute in the shower.

The lotion itself is moisturizing, goes on and comes off smoothly, and smells nice. A little (more…)

When I recently received my review copy of Superfood Cuisine, I was ready to dive in. Author Julie Morris is an expert recipe developer so I figured I’d be in good hands.

Morris not only provides over 100 delicious looking recipes comprised of plant-based whole foods and superfoods, but also useful ancillary info: (more…)

A talented group of NJIT and Rutgers University students have teamed up to create the eNJoy house, a prototype for a sustainable modular home that expands the possibilities of green building. The group of young architecture, planning and engineering students calls themselves “Team NJ”.

The futuristic, energy efficient, 940 square-foot, one bedroom eNJoy home is the two schools’ submission to the 2011 Solar Decathlon, a solar-housing competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy every two years.

The home’s energy efficient systems are designed to power all its appliances while heating the home in winter and cooling it in summer. (more…)

180º South is an inspiring documentary that follows rock climber/surfer Jeff Johnson through some of nature’s toughest challenges. He sets out to retrace Doug Tompkins and Yvon Chouinard’s 1968 journey to Patagonia (they did it in a van – Jeff hitches a ride on a boat).  The documentary is filmed beautifully and captures some great shots of the environment.  The film is composed of equal parts adventure and conservation. Throughout his adventures Jeff and his crew come to terms with the environmental degradation taking place on our earth. They realize that the adventure they’ve undertaken is at risk of being duplicated – with potential damage to the fragile ecosystem – by many others in the future.  In the end they cross paths with their inspiring predecessors, Yvon and Doug, who are now dedicated to saving Patagonia’s endangered, damaged terrain.

I definitely recommend this movie to anyone concerned with the preservation of our environment, or anyone who enjoys the outdoors. It’s a great adventure documentary with a calming soundtrack.

So you’re looking for some trinket to out-do your fellow cubicalists, but nothing seems cooler than your neighbor’s boastful tower of energy drink cans. Worry not, BLUEiQ has just what you’re looking for – a miniature ecosystem. It’s sort of like an aquarium, but nowhere near as expensive or hard to manage.

The BLUEiQ ecosystem comes with a hand blown glass container, owner’s guide, tweezers, tying thread, magnifying glass and thermometer. The ecosystem part includes: 5 dwarf shrimp, 2 snails, your choice of substrate and your choice aquatic plant. Once you’ve designed the environment to your liking, add filtered water, the substrate and the flora and fauna to the glass container and watch the ecosystem come alive. One of the beauties about this system is that it’s very low maintenance and low energy, requiring only a light source for the plant and occasional water replenishment. The BLUEiQ ecosystem can be found at amazon.com for $79.00.

Made from bioplastic and touted as the world’s first biodegradable belt, these light and bright accessories come in slim or kids’ styles and keep you pulled together and tied to nature in any ensemble. Biodegradable belts are shown above and all other styles pictured are recyclable only. The adult bioplastic collection features a white strap and an array of colors for the tongue. Kids’ bio collection also features cute multi-colored buckles.

All belt styles are washable and come one-size-fits-all, just cut to suit your size. Create your own colorway or buy one right off the shelf – shop the bio collection – kiss traditional plastic & leather belts good-bye and say buon giorno to Italian start-up, tie-ups.com

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• Plan has support of Native American groups, power company and farmers…Will Dam Removal in West Restore Salmon? – natgeo
• Danger in the wild…4 Teens Badly Hurt in Alaskan Wilderness Brown Bear Attack – cnn
• Melting ice may contain hazardous materials…Has Warming Put ‘Dirty Dozen’ Pollutants Back in the Saddle? – yahoo! news
• Criminal…357 Dead Sharks Found on Boat in Galapagos – msnbc
• Photo gallery of lost boats, planes and seafarers…Lost in the Bermuda Triangle – livescience
• Amateur Fossil Hunter Makes Mammoth Find in Florida – npr
• Biggest Cloud of Water in Universe Discovered – tg daily