Designer Mr. Lentz likes to incorporate living or natural things in his jewelry designs. The designer’s Wood and Turkey Quill Ring (pictured above) is the first item in his new WearNature: Beast Series of unique, nature-based, fashion accessories. Mr. Lentz obtains the majority of his animal components from recycled and reclaimed sources — in this case, the refuse of taxidermy shops — using scrap materials that would otherwise be sent to the local landfill.

Product notes: the turkey quills are soft to the touch and pop back into shape after being bent. The wooden ring has been stained with walnut husks to create a natural, non-toxic finish.

related: Mr. Lentz planter necklaces

Summertime, your skin is likely to be up for a little extra TLC after all that extra time in the harsh sun.

While they’re abundant, pick up some organic strawberries and a cucumber next time you’re at the market. Fruit is full of wonderful enzymes that are good when put in your body but they also work wonders when applied to your skin. The cosmetic industry is aware of the benefits of these enzymes being applied to the face. So, skip the chemicals and all the production, and go right to the source for some fresh and beneficial homemade skincare.

Strawberries have astringent and bleaching properties, which also work on your teeth. (more…)

Imagine yourself strapped into a Baby Bjorn about to experience your first wilderness outing, 10 months old and helpless unable to tell your unwitting parents how badly the sun hurts. (Fortunately, most of us had, and are, better parents than this.) For all types of parents, say hello to UV Natural’s Baby sunscreen.

The name alone tells you that the ingredients in UV Natural sunscreen are all natural things like grape seed extract, vitamin E and macadamia sea oil. What’s more important are the chemicals it lacks: parabens, phthalates (good luck pronouncing that), and sodium lauryl sulfate. These chemicals are known endocrine disruptors, carcinogens and estrogenics, and have been found to produce metabolic complications, breast cancer, and a number of other ailments.

An added benefit to UV Natural products is that they are biodegradable, animal cruelty-free and contain a number of antioxidants and moisturizers for the skin. You can purchase this nontoxic, baby sunscreen at practicalorganic.com.

Every grill master’s dream come true – the ability to grill and chill anywhere. Sleekly transport the Element by either grabbing the built-in handle, or go hands-free — slipping on the adjustable canvas shoulder strap and slinging this lightweight fire pit over your shoulder.

The red travel band holds the legs, lid and grill in place while you make your way. With the press of a button, the little canister of propane ignites, heating up the entire 159 square inch, enamel-coated, cast iron grate with a robust 8,000 btu’s of cooking power.

Throw on the tasty morsels and pour yourself a tall one. link directly @ amazon.com (now $149.99)

The solar-powered party in a box Soulra XL is a portable, solar-powered sound system – perfect for all you poolside sexy beasts. Check out the specs – it looks great. Pick up yours @ apple store, crutchfield.com, shopetoncorp.com or link directly on amazon.com (now $249.36.)

specs:
swivel hinge for iPods and iPhone docking
compatible with iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3GS
2 tweeters, 2 woofers and 4 passive radiators for stronger bass
selectable bass boost
flip-up solar panel operates in full sunlight and cloudy conditions
72 inch square monocrystal solar panel
(keep charging the system by simply rotating the panel)
22 watts total power (more…)

• A complex, and somewhat subjective enterprise…The Trouble With Green Product Ratings – cnnmoney
• 2011 Already Costliest Year for Natural Disasters – msnbc/reuters
• There is now a map that tells you…Just How Many Trees are There in Central Park – ecorazzi
• Fluttering androgyny…Half-Female, Half-Male Butterfly Born in London’s Natural History Museum – aol news
• South Dakota’s Beloved Tortoise Dies at 130 – npr
• Protecting a vital component of our food supply…EU Revamps Fishing Policy to Save Depleted Stocks – bbc

Helping the environment can be as easy as switching search engines. Eco-friendly search engines, Ecosia and Znout, can make your daily web searches a greener endeavor and are just as capable as traditional ‘big box’ search engines like Google and Yahoo!. A single Google search consumes as much energy as an 11-watt light bulb does in one hour. The average individual searches 1,000 times per year which contributes to the 2 percent of global CO2 emissions created by information and communications technology.

For each search, Ecosia saves 0.1 square meters of rain forest in Northern Brazil, which, for an individual internet user, can amount to 100 square meters over the course of a year! Ecosia is powered by Yahoo!’s search technology ensuring its reliability and quickness. When you do a search and click a sponsored link, the company pays Yahoo! a fee for that click. Yahoo! then gives a large percentage of that to Ecosia. So far 10,319,493 square meters of the rain forest have been protected!

If you prefer Google searches, you can use Znout. Znout stands for Zero Negative Output and focuses on carbon offsets. They buy renewable energy certificates every month to counterbalance the amount of emissions generated by the searches.

Help out the environment in the simplest, yet effective ways with Znout and Ecosia!

We all know the importance of supporting companies with socially responsible values, but it shouldn’t come at a price that we can’t afford. Keep your cash, stay healthy and keep mama earth happy by shopping smart – here are a few places where you can find a good green deal and save a great deal, too.

Good apps for green living:

• Keep your eye on EkoMap – available from iTunes, it’s a comprehensive guide to green living which plans to expand and offer the world’s largest Eco Discount Card.
• GoodGuide – provides a wealth of info about the health, social and environmental impact for all sorts of products – type in the product name or take a photo of the barcode with your phone’s camera to access the vitals, and hopefully, special offers.
• EcoMall – a little app from Apple for conscious consumers

On-going Deals and Coupons:

• White Apricot – fashion & beauty
• Pristine Planet – eco-friendly comparison shopping
• RetailMeNot.com offers coupons and codes – search categories such as: green, organic, eco, natural and environment.
• Canadian-based, EthicalDeal.com offers coupons and features planet-friendly and Fair Trade products so you can tap into both daily or longer-term deals. (more…)

What’s the word? Are you a writer, blogger, or journalistic wanna be in search of unique fashion accessory? If so, this funky necklace created from upcycled, vintage typewriter keys may make just the literary statement you desire. Each one-of-a-kind necklace’s clasp features a black typewriter key button that hangs two inches down the back neckline for some additional sizzle. I think Cleopatra would have liked this one.

find it in one keystroke @ zanneavenue’s etsy shop

related: more eco fashion finds