This handmade, double zipper wallet has all the features of a standard women’s wallet with one eco-friendly twist – it’s made entirely from upcycled seat belts. The wallet is stylishly compact, yet still large enough to carry all your essentials.

This wallet features: 16 card slots, 2 large and deep zippered pockets, 2 interior sections for notes, a magnetic snap. when closed the wallet measures 8″ long, 4.5″ deep and 0.75″ thick.

$45 from Australia-based Interrobang – ships everywhere

Following the Fantastic Anti-Plastic Beach Tour …

Valerie Lecoeur, owner of Zoe B. Organic, took her family and another mother and child down the West Coast stopping at beaches along the way on what she termed her “Fantastic Anti-Plastic Beach Tour.” The group did beach clean ups along the way, got airtime on the local news stations and tried to raise awareness to the negative effects of the plastic that gets into our oceans.

(above) The green mom’s tour also allowed her to promote her product, the world’s first biodegradable beach toys, made right here in the USA. Within two to three years these toys will completely biodegrade as they are made of a corn sugar-based bioplastic. They look a little different than what we normally think of beach toys looking like but that can be a good thing. Different sparks conversation and gets people sharing information.

Link to Anti-Plastic Beach Tour video
Buy organic b toys on Amazon for $19.99

• Could any event live up to that much hype…Irene Wet Deadly and Expensive, But no Monster – yahoo! news
• G.E. and Cinelan to Produce Short Films About Innovation- nytimes
• 2010 cold snap did tremendous damage…Florida’s Coral Reefs Cannot Endure Another ‘Cold Snap’ – sciencedaily
• Cutting off your nose to spite your face…Weather Satellites and Storm Warnings Threatened by Federal Budget Cuts – huffington post
• East Coast Tries to Pick up Pieces After Devastation Left by Irene – cnn
• Community Forests Safer Than Protected Areas – earth times

Designer Trevor O’Neil specializes in creating one-of-a-kind pieces from recycled, salvaged and reclaimed materials.

His custom-made ‘Cork Chair’ (photo above) is constructed of recycled cork and renewable bamboo, over birch.

Chosen by Popular Science as 2010 Innovation of the Year, Groasis Waterboxx is an irrigation device that protects and waters trees during their critical first year of growth. Users fill the 4-gallon box just once, and the newly planted tree receives water for the entire year. The design creates and contains condensation, which keeps the water from evaporating. A wick drips about two ounces of water into the sapling’s roots daily.

$275 for 10 boxes; made of polypropylene, they’re reusable and last about 10 years. A biodegradable version is also available – made of Ecopure, it can be used once only and then provides nourishment to the tree as it decomposes.

In addition to growing trees in the desert, it can also be used to help: revive fire-ravaged lands in the U.S., grow acacias in the savanna of Kenya, cork oaks in arid Spain, as well as veggies like pumpkins and eggplants in dry ecosystems. more @ groasis.com.

Hurricane Irene looks like it’s going to make a horrible mess of the Eastern seaboard from the Carolinas to Maine. If you’ve received an evacuation notice like folks in Lower Manhattan and the Outer Banks — take heed, it has the destructive potential to be the storm of a lifetime. The sheer size of Irene ensures that it will impact tens of millions of households, if not with high winds and storm surge, then with flooding and power outages. Recent heavy rains have weakened tree roots in much of the Northeast and many of those trees will not withstand high winds and a foot or more of additional rain – when those trees fall they’ll take down power-lines.

Here are some quick tips:

• Have a container ready to haul your emergency supplies and valuable documents (insurance policy) in case you have to relocate.
• Stock up on water, canned goods and non-perishables. Fill containers, bathtubs, and pots with tap water while you have the chance. Break-out the board games – that Playstation may not work for awhile.
• Remember to pick-up some ice and get your coolers out of storage. Trees are coming down and your power is going off – perhaps for days. Buy a portable generator or if you already have one, make sure it has fuel and it’s in good working order.
• Fill up the car with gas, and get some cash out of the ATM.
• Batten down the hatches. If your home is on the beach, board-up those windows and secure anything that moves.
• Protect your grill and have extra propane handy. You may be cooking on your barbie for the next few days until power comes back.
• Charge those cell phones and electronics and get out your ‘old school’ battery operated radio out of the attic. (more…)

(above L to R) From North Carolina-based, Gaia Conceptions, two sporty beauties made from a blend of hemp and local organic cotton … the Short Skort (skirt with hidden boy short) – total comfort for the active chica … great for bike riding;$75. So easy to slip on and off  – the Floating Tube Mini Dress $135. (more…)

I recently received several complimentary eco beauty products from Spirit Beauty Lounge for the purposes of this Tried and True Green Products Review. This trial was a real treat. Here’s the scoop…

backstory – Spirit Demerson, organic beauty expert and founder of Spirit Beauty Lounge, (the only carbon-neutral online boutique specializing in luxury green, organic and cruelty-free beauty and lifestyle products), recently selected a Top 10 list of Natural Beauty Essentials for Fall/Winter 2011. A treasure trove of body-friendly goodies – here’s what we tried:

• Hydrea London Carbonized Bamboo Exfoliating Gloves – These are very cool. I’m a big proponent of exfoliating (year-round), and I usually do so by using a dry body brush. It was nice to be able to slough away dry flakes with an actual pair of gloves – made of bamboo fibers, no less. But their uniqueness goes even further. (more…)

• Good news and bad news…Hurricane Irene Weakens Slightly, Stalks U.S. Coast – cnn
• Better safe than sorry…New Jersey Issues One-Year Moratorium on Fracking – reuters
• This year could set record for least ice…Arctic Sea Routes Open as Ice Melts – bbc
• Could be as long as the Amazon…Brazil Scientists Find Signs of Underground River – myway
• Hot tip…Heat in Chili Peppers Can Ease Sinus Problems, Research Shows – sciencedaily