Welcome to our newest intern, Kayla McGlinchey, a senior and Environmental Studies major at the University of Washington.

Choose your location. Then, proceed to answer the question, “How many planets does it take to support your lifestyle?” Begin.

Perhaps most of you have taken a carbon footprint quiz online. But, were you able to create your own avatar? Were you able to calculate how much area of land and sea is needed to sustain the way you live? The Global Footprint Network has developed an interactive Ecological Footprint Calculator and its calculations encompass more than a standard carbon footprint calculator. (more…)

• Crap! Man-made global warming picks-up speed…Warming Gas Emissions Saw Biggest Jump on Record in 2010 – msnbc
• Making a stand takes guts…Obama Advisors Fret Over Pipeline’s Political Risks – reuters
• These guys were in a steel tube for 18 months…Simulated Mars Mission ‘Lands’ Back on Earth – bbc
• It’s getting harder and harder to access your money…(video) Snake in a Cash Machine – yahoo! news
• Seaweed, tree pulp and animal collagen replace fat in processed foods..How Low Fat Foods Get Their Texture – npr
• Rhino Horn Demand Leads to Record Poaching – enn
• I presume these cartoon-like rodents had advanced nut cracking capabilities…Saber-Toothed Squirrel From Age of Dinosaurs Discovered – livescience

This handmade round coffee table is constructed from reclaimed wood salvaged from an old Alabama whiskey factory. The piece is a handsome marriage of  modern and rustic styles – with the gray patchwork pattern of reclaimed wood mounted on a strong, contemporary iron base.

The piece is the handiwork of L.A.-based sustainable furniture maker Croft House, which specializes in fine handmade furniture made from reclaimed wood.

Find it @ the Croft House Estsy shop.

We’d like to welcome, once again, our monthly Guest Contributor, Debra Duneier, creator of the EcoChi System, a new design approach for living to help you: establish and materialize your goals, nurture your health and bring you greater harmony and prosperity.

Just as nature goes through its cycles of change so do we. We are as much a part of the seasons as the leaves that fall from the trees during autumn, the white snowflake crystals that magically fall from the sky in the winter, the rebirth of the early grass in  spring and the fire of the sun on a summer’s day. Autumn is the perfect time for us to prepare ourselves for changes that the season of winter brings. Here are some easy tips that will help you enjoy this moment and the seasons to come:

1. Add passion and excitement to your life by adding the colors of autumn, such as red, yellow and burgundy to your home. These colors have a stimulating Chi (energy vibration). Energize your space with a decorative pillow, scented candle or a throw in these colors for lively entertaining.
2. As the season changes it is important to change your energy which is called chi in feng shui. Technology makes it easy to be plugged in wherever we go, so visit a public library, park or café. Head out to your favorite locations to improve your chi, ignite clarity of thought, boost your creativity and elevate your mood. (more…)

Reduce, reuse, recycle takes hold in the art world…This elegant “Anenome” sculpture (above) was created by cutting recycled paper towel rolls into thirds and hand-painting them with an old sponge brush.

The artist, Erika, creates collages and sculptures from an eclectic array of found materials … @ Erikaceous.org

It seems many schools are taking a more thoughtful approach to managing waste, and as part of their eco-conscious efforts some are banning single serving packaged items from packed lunches. So the trick is how to pack lunch and snack items without using plastic. Opting for safe (BPA-free) reusable packing solutions is a positive move on so many fronts, it not only cuts down on the amount of trash, but also

• saves you money
• promotes healthier eating
• instills in your children an awareness of the impact purchasing & disposing of products has on the environment
• reflects the responsibility we have to take care of our personal health and that of the planet.

Whether dictated by school policy or not, the healthy and eco benefits far outweigh the minor inconvenience … we’ve outlined our Top 7 reusable and plastic-free, lunch packing alternatives to help you stay the course:

(more…)

• We need to clean up our act…How Soda Caps are Killing Birds – npr
• Large study finds: Eastern U.S. Forests Not Keeping Pace With Climate Change – sciencedaily
• What the frack? Fracking Tests Near Blackpool, England “Likely Cause” of Earth Tremors – bbc
• Storms May Have Prevented Record Loss of Arctic Ice – livescience
• Company refuses to remove chemicals…Activists Call for Boycott of  Johnson & Johnson Over Baby Shampoo – msnbc

Review: I recently received a complimentary bamboo duvet cover from Green Earth Bamboo for the purposes of this review. After a month of use, here’s what I think: it’s beautiful. To give it a good test, I’ve washed it twice … it’s nice and soft, smooth and maintained its pretty color. Even the hub thinks it’s cool. The material is 100% viscose from bamboo, the bamboo is certified USDA organic and the company is approved by Green America. Softer than cashmere, cotton or silk, the fabric is truly amazing. It’s available in an array of solids and prints, I chose Green Tea.

UPDATE: It’s official – our lucky winner is Nik, Congratulations! Thanks to everyone for participating…stay tuned to enter our next contest. (original post follows…)

Giveaway: One lucky winner will receive a $50 Green Earth Bamboo Gift Certificate for ANY product (gifts & essentials for the entire family made from renewable, antibacterial bamboo — bedding, bath, clothing, accessories or baby products). Winner must reside in USA.

to enter:
(with each bullet below, you may leave a comment & receive an additional entry)

• visit GreenEarthBamboo and let us know your favorite product
• subscribe to GEB for sales and new product announcements via home page newsletter signup box (more…)

Architecture graduate students Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta were asked to design a product to assist post-earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, they pondered the dangerous nighttime conditions in the tent cities and turned their attention to developing an affordable, off-grid lighting source. The process led them to design LuminAID: a solar-rechargeable, inflatable lamp that packs flat and inflates to create a lightweight, waterproof lantern.

The eco-friendly lamp is safe, sustainable and portable. The light can provide up to six hours of LED light not only for disaster relief situations, but also camping, first aid kits and everyday use. The lamp won first prize in the Columbia Venture Competition and the 2011 Echoing Green Fellowship, among others.

Today, November 1st, LuminAID Lab is launching the “Give Light, Get Light” campaign on IndieGoGo.com.  The goal: Distribute lights to community projects through a forty day pledge-drive ending December 3rd. Visitors to the site will be able to purchase LuminAIDs for personal use, donate lights to community projects, or both, giving the gift of light to rural schools, homes, and small-business owners in need.

Pledge packages range from $10 to $1,000 (to receive 5 personal lights and outfit an orphanage with lights donated in the name of the buyer or his/her company or organization, custom printed with the logo of choice).

For more info visit IndieGoGo.com