Located just north of Seattle, in Marysville, Washington is Elpis&Wood, a small-scale furniture design studio with a big heart. Following the mantra: design, build, donate, founders Matt and Blake handcraft contemporary home furnishings from locally salvaged and reclaimed lumber and donate 5% of each sale to nonprofits to help their surrounding communities. Placing their values right in the workplace, they also offer employment to marginalized and disenfranchised young adults in Snohomish County. (more…)

This intricate handmade jewelry is made in Thailand from renewable bamboo. The beautiful earrings (above + below) and barrette (immediately below) are made of tiny bamboo strips, woven together into a delicate design by skilled hands.

The raw material is a specific type of bamboo found only in Northern Thailand. As an added fashion feature – Thai custom states that wearing this auspicious bamboo will bring happiness and prosperity to the wearer.

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• We should be going in the other direction…No Let Up in Greenhouse Gas Rise – bbc
• Whales in the Desert: Fossil Bonanza Poses Mystery – myway
• These destructive immigrants are going south…Mexico to Cull 50,000 Wild Boars That Invaded From US – yahoo! news
• Your cash can help fund the next great science project… Explosive Duck Penis vs. Zombie Fish: Scientists Compete for Crowd-Sourced Money – livescience
• Depleted Texas Lakes Expose Ghost Towns, Graves – yahoo! news
• Smaller is better…Nano-Technology Makes Medicine Greener – sciencedail

Related: more eco news from The Alternative Consumer