Hi everyone. EcoSalon has a fresh new look that I hope you’ll love. Do you know it’s only been 9 months since we launched and we already have over 1,600 posts for you to read? I’m not even sure how we managed to do that! If you’re new, or just want to browse around and acquaint yourself with our new design and features, this post is a great way to get started.

Here’s a fun at-a-glance peek at some popular posts in the last few months at EcoSalon. The list will always be changing, so bookmark this post and check back soon to see what everyone’s buzzing about most.

• 20 Inspiring Works of Environmental Art
• 10 Simple Acts to Unlock Your Inner Green Goddess
• 7 Delicious Meat Alternatives (and not a Lick of Tofu in Sight!)
• A Sneak Peek into the Future of Green Homes
• Can Obama Green the Planet?
• Green Your Junk: Fun Ways to Turn Your Trash into Treasure
• How to Quiet Your Mind in 24 Hours or Less
• Ignite Your Brainpower with the Smartest Organic Foods
• Save the Planet, Save Cash: 25 Ways to Green Your Green
• 15 Books That Will Change How You See the World
• Weird Science: the Strangest Things You Can Compost

You can also browse content by your favorite author. (But you don’t have to pick just one favorite.)

Be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed to get the latest in green. And to be automatically entered to win great green prizes, don’t forget to sign up for our weekly highlights.

Let me know what you think of our new look. See you soon!

P.S. Special thanks to Jon, Kurt, Mu, Matt, Joe, Danielle, Laurie and Gwen, Piper, everyone at VivaTerra (especially Claire), my amazing, amazing team and all the other friends who offered feedback and helped along the way.

Image: matrianklw

Hi everyone, it’s your editor and I need your help. I’d like to know your thoughts about EcoSalon. Many of you have emailed us this year with ideas, tips, thank you notes, and helpful criticism, and we’ve been tremendously appreciative of all your feedback. But I’d like to get a public conversation going. This is your site, after all. What would you like to see in 2009? Be honest, be candid, be yourself – tell me what you think.

What do you like best about EcoSalon?

What’s your favorite section or type of content, and why?

What’s your least favorite? What can’t you stand?

What’s missing? If you were in charge, what would you add?

I want to know what will make you feel refreshed, inspired, informed and entertained by your daily visit to EcoSalon. We’ve grown so much this year thanks to your amazing support, and we are excited to bring you our best possible work in 2009. So speak up! It’s your time to shine.

Image: ndrwfgg

Here’s some great news for Amazon fans, especially those planning on doing some of their Christmas shopping online. Amazon now offers “Frustration-Free Packaging” which consists of streamlined packaging using recyclable cardboard.

Imagine, no more struggling to a get a gadget out from its packaging. No more plastic cuts (the dreaded cousin of the paper cut). And not only will it be easier to release the product from it’s packaging, the packaging itself is more environmentally friendly. Sounds like a win-win decision to me.

While Amazon’s CEO does hope to eventually offer Frustration-Free Packaging for all its products, they are currently focusing on 19 bestselling products from leading manufacturers such as Fisher-Price, Mattel, Microsoft and Transcend that have been traditionally enclosed in the notorious clamshells (hard plastic cases). Learn more at Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging.

Image: germes online

Prunes, prunes, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you “¦neutralize free radicals and protect against cell damage?

Yes, you read that right: dried plums, also known as prunes, top the list of fruits tested for antioxidants in a Tufts University study, even surpassing the almighty blueberry. The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) score for unglamorous prunes: 5,770. The score for runners up raisins and blueberries: 2,830 and 2,400.

Of course, the researchers didn’t test cacao or goji berries, which blow prunes out of the water with ORAC scores of 62,100 and 25,300, but don’t tell “˜em I told you so. Maybe some chocolate-covered prunes would make the much-maligned fruit a little more palatable!

Image

Hi everyone, Sara, your editor here. if you haven’t had a chance to fill out our little survey yet, I’d appreciate your help. The survey only takes a minute and it’s your chance to share what you love about EcoSalon, what you can’t stand, and what you want more of (though I’m guessing probably not end-of-sentence prepositions). Don’t be shy! The noisy bird gets the worm. Athough, if you’re lazy, you can just leave a comment instead of committing to a click. We love and accept all levels of participation here at EcoSalon.

Click Here to take survey

Image: pasotraspaso

It’s Thursday again, and that means it’s time for another fashion fix. Here’s what our friends in the blogosphere have to say this week.

My It Things reminds us to tune in tonight to the Sundance channel’s show Iconoclasts to see the “It” collaboration between designer Stella McCartney + artist Ed Ruscha.

Fashion Pulse shows us how to prepare for a walk on the wild side with affordable versions of the leopard print trend.

Fashion Fille shares a glimpse of her cut-off experiment. I guess it’s never too soon to prepare for next summer.

Image: Porcelaingirl

One of my girlfriends admits to a severe professor complex. She loves – adores – geeky guys. The sight of tweed sends her over the edge. The nerdier the better, and bonus points for glasses and a big…vocabulary. As she always says, “Talk nerdy to me, baby.”

When I opened the mail this morning and found a new Eco Bag, I chuckled at the newest design from the green-your-grocery-trip retailer: a bold black canvas tote emblazoned with the message: “Talk Green to Me.” Perfect for the girl with a granola complex – leave me a message in the comments and one of you lucky gals gets the bag.

Are you curious to know if any endangered animals are making a comeback? We were, so we did some digging. Although many ecosystems and animals are suffering from pollution, habitat destruction and climate change, some animals are happily getting the crucial support they need, which is encouraging news indeed. (As they say on the net, animals FTW!)

Bald Eagle

Reduced to 417 breeding pairs in the 1960s by the ravage of DDT, Bald Eagles have made a huge comeback and have been removed from the endangered species list. There are now about 10,000 breeding pairs in the wild. (Image: rjackb)

Regent Honeyeater

Although the total population is still small, Australia’s Regent Honeyeater is making a definite comeback. Some birds had been bred in captivity and released into the wild, and encouragingly enough, most of them survived and adapted quickly. (Image via daylife)

Black Footed Ferret

Black Footed Ferrets were given up for extinct in 1979, but when a small population was discovered, captive breeding and artificial insemination programs have brought the population back up to 4,000, with 1,400 having been released into the wild. (Image via PRWeb)

Giant Panda

When I was growing up, the Giant Panda seemed doomed to extinction, but thanks to extensive captive breeding, the population remains stable at about 1,500 and their habitat has been promised extensive protection by the Chinese government. (Image via Inhabitat)

Humpback Whale

Hunted down to only about 1,500 in the 1940s, the Humpback Whale has made a dramatic comeback after a 1963 ban on hunting. Now there are approximately 40,000 of them inhabiting our oceans. Unfortunately, the Japanese have begun hunting them again even though they are still protected. Humpbacks are still officially considered endangered. (Image: Bethany L King)

Yangtze Alligator

The Yangtze Alligator of China was nearly wiped out in the 1980s as forests were destroyed and turned into farmlands. This 230 million year old species, considered a living fossil, now has about 150 living in the wild. Some alligators been bred in captivity over the years and released into the wild to help the species out. (Image: bildung)

Gray Wolf (pictured, top)

After being nearly wiped out in the 1930’s, the Gray Wolf population is up to 5,000 in the lower 48 states. The Bush administration recently removed the Gray Wolf from the endangered species act after the population had risen, but some argued that 5,000 is not enough, so a Federal Judge overturned that ruling and put the Gray Wolf back on the list. (Image: mad paul)

TripAdvisor, an online travel community, is running the More than Footprints initiative and they want your help. They’ve picked 5 travel related non-profit organizations to give a total of $1 million dollars. But they can’t decide how much to give to each organization. So, in an act of democratic philanthropy, they have thrown the decision out into cyberspace and are letting others decide for them.

Here’s what you do. Check out these five well-deserved organizations:

Conservation International
Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
National Geographic Society
The Nature Conservancy
Save the Children

Then visit TripAdvisor and place your vote by November 9th. In return, you’ll receive a free e-book on great eco-destinations around the world (and the satisfaction of helping promote a good cause, too).

Image: andy 5322