eco-chic design

have a green Valentine’s Day

If you love the earth, but hate Valentine’s Day since it’s a commercial invention and creates more consumer waste you might want to check out the heart skull reusable tote bag by Dogeared. It’s one of multiple designs within the canvas series and perfect for any love/hate relationship with its hot pink and orange colors. All canvas bags are made of natural cotton canvas. They let you carry groceries while spreading words of love or wisdom like  “I might like you better if you recycled”.

Dogeared is based in Los Angeles and creates handcrafted jewels and gifts with an increasing selection for eco-friendly demand. Their website states that each canvas bag sold saves 1,000 plastic bags in its lifetime and that as of today 2,124,000 plastic bags have been saved. So please stop carrying plastic bags and start declaring your love to mother earth this upcoming Valentine’s Day by using reusable shopping bags. And you can always reuse the bag and maybe regift it in case you have a change of heart.

turn over a new leaf today

There’s no better way to start a new chapter in your life than with the smart and eco-friendly notebooks from Sukie. And there’s probably no better day to write a post about it than inauguration day.

Sukie is based in London and creates a whole range of notebooks, cards and wrapping paper with retro designs. Their collections also include a range of textiles ranging from cushions to hankies. What I love about the turn over a new leaf notebook is the simplicity of the retro font on the cover and then obviously the leaf designs in a variety of shapes and colors on the inside pages. The concept is inspiring with its daily reminder to make a positive change and perfect for journaling or jotting down ideas. It’s made of 100% recycled paper and printed with soy-based ink. You can purchase the notebook through delight.com if you're looking to turn a page this year.

green gadgets on the go

I’ve to admit that I’m a late adopter for new gadgets, but I finally decided to buy my long overdue Solio. The universal solar powered battery charger is a one stop charging solution for all handheld electronics ranging from cell phones and iPods, to digital cameras and GPS.

It’s a “hybrid” charger, since it can use the power from the sun or a traditional wall socket. A fully charged Solio Classic will charge a typical mobile phone more than twice. I love the simplicity of the fan-like design. You simply spread out the blades for maximum sun exposure. There are 3 Solio chargers to choose from based on battery capacity and design: the Solio Classic, Solio Hybrid 1000 and the Solio Magnesium. I like the stylish Solio Classic in silver. Its compact lightweight design makes it easy to put into my purse or backpack. It’s essential that I can use it anywhere, since I go to Germany quite a bit. Better Energy Systems is the UK based company behind this amazing gadget. BES also developed an eco-friendly case through tread made from the inner tubes of tires recycled in South America.

recharge your mobile life-style

I absolutely love the sleek design of Energizer’s solar battery charger that launched at CES in Las Vegas this week. Thanks to Inhabitat for introducing me to this amazing green gadget.

The compact, little solar battery charger converts sunlight into power for rechargeable AA and AAA batteries. It also features a USB port to charge some devices like cell phones, GPS units, cameras, or iPods. On a cloudy day you can even cheat on your eco-conscious by plugging it into an electrical outlet. It comes with two rechargeable batteries. And last it’s weatherproof which makes it perfect for any outdoor activities like skiing or hiking.

It’s great to see that CES included a Greener Gadgets tech zone this year to show off the latest innovations in green tech. I’m planning on visiting the Greener Gadgets show in February here in New York to give you further updates.

a new slant on home design

Wouldn’t it be great to have a constant reminder in your home to change your perspective a bit? Well, the full slant coffee table does just that in a very elegant yet eco-friendly way.

Modern slant was created by Todd Laby (a former art director in advertising like myself) and he truly rethought the way books are meant to be displayed. I especially love the simplicity of his full slant coffee table. It’s part of the slant line, which also includes the slim slant, and wall slant. The bottom doubles as legs and bookshelf by creating a space for books to lean on naturally. This reduces the fatigue on their spines. I honestly wish somebody would design something like this for my spine as well. But best of all the modern slant collection is constructed with eco-friendly bamboo ply. Think of it as an orthopedic shelf for books – just much cooler.

sustain yourself this year

One of my resolutions for the New Year is to start yoga and I already found my first exercise. Inhale: check out the great designs of yogoco yoga bags. Exhale: notice they are made of recycled t-shirt scraps.

The yogoco yoga bag was designed by Avi Woolman to have a mat section with mesh fabric to keep the mat aired and another section to hold your towel, bottle of water or keys. All patterns are fun, whimsical and motivating, but my favorite design is buddha's garden in red and black floral. The best part though is that the fabric is made from pre-consumer T-shirt scraps, discarded during the apparel cut and sew process. This reduces incinerator and landfill use plus it saves water, since it requires no new dying and adds no pollutants. Yogoco prints all bag tags, business cards and brochures on recycled paper with soy and vegetable-based inks. I can’t think of a more stylish way to take better care of myself and the environment. Please leave a comment once in a while to make sure I follow through.