It’s not your grandmother’s wine box!

This 3-liter tube contains a premium, rich and structured California Cab – the first release by winemaker Barry Gnekow, who went looking for a way to drink outside the box and to entertain without the waste.

“My goal was to produce the equivalent of a $25 bottle of wine that could be delivered to the consumer at under $10 per bottle,” he says.

At $40 a tube, The FOUR Cabernet scores many eco points. It eliminates expensive traditional glass-and-cork packaging, cutting wine bottle landfill waste by 85%. The vino package is 100% recyclable and the label is produced by windpower. The cardboard tubes weigh 20% less than glass and can be transported using less gas.

And it’s not just the package that defies the throw-away mentality. The wine, itself, also endures until all 24 glasses are poured.

“The great thing is that it holds about four bottles worth and stays fresh up to 4 weeks after opening,” explains James Robinson of WineStyles, a retail wine store and tasting club in San Francisco. “Often with red wine, people toss out what they don’t drink after a day or two, because it goes bad.”

Robinson poured me a taste out of the spout, and I found it to be delicious, medium-bodied, plummy and lightly oaked, even on its last legs, about two weeks opened.

The wine maker also promises to deliver white wine in a tube, including Chardonnays, at some point this year.

Aluminum Cans
I’m a soda addict, and I can go through a 12-pack faster than a roll of toilet paper. Even if you only drink a couple throughout the week, add your significant other or roommates into the equation, and the cans can pile up pretty quickly. Instead of tossing them in your recycling bin, bag up your plethora of cans and bring them to your local recycling center for some extra cash. You can also take them to a reverse vending machine, as long as they’re not crushed.

Plastic Bottles

The same goes for plastic bottles. Keep in mind that the majority of recycling centers pay by the pound, so save gas by accumulating as many as possible before taking a trip.

Glass Bottles

In addition to aluminum cans and plastic bottles, you can also bring glass bottles to a nearby recycling center or reverse vending machine to get money back.

Printer Cartridges

Hang on to your empty printer cartridges and send them in to be recycled by eCycle Group or similar programs. While you’re at it, get your office in on the action, too. You can also bring them to a nearby Staples, but you’ll receive store credit instead of cash.

PCs and Laptops

Computers become obsolete quickly, and that means more outdated electronics in the landfill. But, it doesn’t have to be. Send in your old laptop or personal computer to Gazelle or search online for similar sites to get money back.

Cell Phones

My puppy recently mistook my cell phone for a chew toy. When I told a friend, she told me that I could send it in to Buy My Tronics for cash – even if it’s mangled beyond recognition.

iPods or MP3 Players

So, you upgraded to the iPod Touch, and you’re wondering what to do with your old MP3 player. That’s an easy one; there are a number of web sites that pay you to send it in, including You Renew.

Car Batteries

If your car battery goes dead, call the company you bought it from to determine their policy. Since dead batteries can be reused to manufacture new ones, many companies will pay you to bring your it back.

Digital Cameras

Get cash for your old digital camera by sending it to Gazelle or other similar programs.

Game Consoles

Have you outgrown your game console? Even if it’s broken, you can still send it in to Buy My Tronics or similar sites for cash.

Calculators

Sure, that heavy graphing calculator got you through accounting classes in college, but it hasn’t seen the light of day since. Get money back by sending it in to You Renew or similar programs.

CDs and DVDs

Trade them in at a local music store or send them in to sites like Second Spin to receive cash in return.

Books

Sell your old textbooks and novels to Cash 4 Books or similar programs.

Feeling really resourceful? You can also recycle…

Copper
Salvage copper from singed electric cords, leaky pipes and other sources, and bring it to a scrap metal center for cash. Chances are, what you manage to recover is worth more than a bag full of cans and bottles.

Brass
Like copper, brass is worth more than your typical recyclables. So, turn rusty old hinges, door knobs, plumbing fittings and more into cash at your local scrap metal center.

Images: bitpicture, shazari, Muffet, Ev0luti0nary, lainBuchanan, Rene Schroeder, strollers, thingsimade, infomatique, Ciaran McGuiggan, Ken@okinawa, automatthias, henrybloomfield,

Call it a succulent message in a bottle: terrariums that capsulize nature’s beauty and grace without requiring high maintenance and daily watering to thrive. You probably have the ideal vessel stashed some place with your vases. Get inspired and grow!

Pictured above: A Carnivorous Plant Terrarium from Apartment Therapy is showcasing a Pitcher Plant, which is rumored to feast on flies.

This Etsy Moss Terrarium, described as the “instant boyfriend” is simple to care for, involving  a glass container that measures approximately 2″ x 3.5″ and includes moss, soil, charcoal and river rocks. And keep in indirect sunlight and lightly water every 2-3 weeks to keep it alive. The figures have tiny stakes which allow them to be repositioned.

This lovely jug Air Plant Terrarium found at Apartment Therapy was made using a  favorite pitcher filled with sand and an airplant.

Another orb with object, this fish bowl terrarium from Inhabitat is lovingly layered with pebbles, charcoal, fern, sphagmum moss and other plants. So deer!

Busy? Zip through the DIY process and order this Recycled Glass Pear Terrarium from our friends at VivaTerra. It  arrives with sand and four delicately hued air plants requiring minimal maintenance to thrive. You can easily design your own exquisite miniature desert landscape or order the pear on its own and brainstorm your own composition.

Window tints are optical grade polyester sheeting with colored dye and/or metal particles embedded into its surface.

For years, homeowners have applied the film to their glass to add privacy and security to bare windows in a modern setting, and to keep expensive furnishings from fading.

But as our energy conservation needs grown, consumers find the film to be a fairly inexpensive way to add or block heat and greatly reduce their electricity bills.  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an estimated $30 billion or more of energy is lost per year through single pane windows and an average home loses 25-40% of energy through windows.

Window film can greatly reduce the transmission of solar heat and ultraviolet rays through a pane of glass, getting rid of glare at the same time (especially with the frosted or fluorescent styles). Even for renters, the film can be a good option for creating a more comfortable nest while going greener.

Among good products on the market is Energy Film, available at Home Depot under the Artscape brand, and at other retail locations. Some handy homeowners like to install the film themselves, measuring the material and using utility knife and straight edge to cut the film to fit smaller or specialty-shaped windows.

Energy Film is made of a spectrally-selective material that blocks 70% of thermal solar energy in summer and reduces heat loss through windows in winter. The company says the product  blocks 97% of UV light while still allowing 77% of natural light into the room.

Energy Film is also known to have excellent visual clarity. I also like that the company partners with Habitat for Humanity on projects, saying it shares the goal of providing affordable materials for the country’s housing needs.

Another product sold nationwide by dealers is Solar Gard, made by Bekaert Specialty Films in San Diego. Solar Gard films are sputter-coated with durable, exotic metals such as titanium, stainless steel, copper, gold, silver, aluminum and other alloys.

The company says the varying mixes of  metals are what gives Solar Guard its exceptional solar performance capabilities and color. This film is professionally installed and comes in a wide range of products for residential and commercial use in varied climates (hot sun, ski lodges, etc).

One other option is to install solar screens or shades on your windows. Modern solar screens are made either of fiberglass or high tech fabrics and stop heat before it reaches the window, reducing as much as 90 percent of solar emissions. They are usually installed on west-, south- and east-facing windows. The sheer weave options look like Roman shades.

You can locate installers and dealers in most cities, or online at Blinds Galore and other sites. Some, such as Austin, Texas, offer a rebate of one dollar per square foot for the energy savings the screens provide. Check with your city and local electricity provider to see if they have a similar program.

According to eHow, some experts recommend removing the screens in the wintertime on the west and south sides of the home. But since they have an insulating function, many homeowners choose to leave them on all year. You want to select screens that are easy to detach and carry.

Now that my pancakes have been flipped (and, in one instance, removed from the ceiling), it’s time for me to take up Caitlin’s challenge and observe my very own Eco Lent.

I’ve already decided what I’m giving up for 40 days. It wasn’t very difficult.

First, a little about me – and a confession. Of the whole EcoSalon team, it’s a safe bet that I’m the least eco-friendly. I recycle, I try to shop ethically, and I walk or cycle everywhere (I’ve never learnt to drive, initially because I never needed to, now because I just don’t want to). But am I truly “eco”? It’s a question I struggle with – because sometimes I find myself cutting corners, particularly with convenience food. And sometimes I’m horrified at the garbage I leave in my wake.

So. For 40 days and 40 nights, I’m foregoing as much pre-packaged and pre-prepared (by other people) food as I can. I’m halfway to this goal already, since I already try to minimize food-wrapping waste, and I adore cooking. But that other half…well, that will be a good, healthy stretch. Here are my self-imposed rules.

Stay Loose. When wandering through the local markets or grocery stores, I’m only buying loose, unpackaged fruit and vegetables. I’ve lined my day-rucksack with a collection of cloth totes, and I’ll be using these to pop my dry food purchases into, instead of using the all-too-common filmy plastic bags ripped off a roll. I’ll also be sourcing out places in my home city of York that sell the freshest unpackaged food – farm shops, for example.

Nix Plastic. Where it’s unavoidable, I’ll use paper bags or even cardboard wrapping (no, Amazon – your packaging is still way too much for me) and I’ll compost this paper when I’m done. I’ll SIGG (or use the best alternative). Glass that I can recycle? Sure thing. I’ll also carry a few square cloths and brush up on my furoshiki-folding skills. But plastic? Not on your nelly. Maybe plastic is unavoidable in today’s modern world – but I intend to find out the hardest way I can.

Have All the Fun. I truly couldn’t love cooking more – that alchemy of mind, soul and ingredients that delights the senses and makes you realise how tragically inadequate packaged food usually is. I love cooking but I don’t do enough of it, because I don’t plan ahead. Collecting the right ingredients and freeing enough time to cook requires forethought. So I’ll be doing a lot of forethinking over the next 40 days. (I’m also planning to trawl back through our archives and rediscover the tastiest recipes, starting with Vanessa’s Butternut Squash Coconut Curry. Ah, curry).

A month is plenty of time to iron out some bad habits and discover some new, better ones. That sounds like a recipe for a successful Eco Lent.

Useful links: WRAP; TheSite.org; Food Production Daily.

Image: dvs.

In creating our own traditions, it’s nice to find alternative symbols that speak to who we are, Jewish or Christian, pagan or devout decorator. Here are a few unique items I came across that allow you to  responsibly spruce up your own winter wonderland.

I love these hemp holiday stockings from Amenity in earthy shades of brown, green and silver. Who says red and green rule in December? The organic company also offers beautiful hemp ornaments of balls and birds, and an inventive hemp tree skirt (below).

Recycled soda cans, wire, and beads let Ruldolph lead the way in these fetching handcrafted reindeer from the free trade company, Serrv.

Angels can appear from the sky or from old scrap, as proven by the Tin Can Angels ($29/set of 4) from our green sponsor Viva Terra. Or great the season with a Noel sign from twigs ($69) and an organic pussy willow wreath ($52 to $62). All of these offer fresh takes on old symbols.

Modern and green, these recycled menorahs are sculptural and made of glass from the past, $180 at Vertige Glass.

Eco Artware decks the halls with recycled glass balls ($36); reused record label tree trinkets ($18/set of 3); and an Ever-Green Aluminum wreath forged from traffic signs ($100-$140).

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As global warming delivers temperatures in the high 80s around much of the lower U.S., you may not want to pack up the picnic basket and hunker down for cabin living just yet.

I’d rather embrace the butterflies, since there are so many lovely patterns and accents to keep us connected to the prettiest garden bug we know. Inside or out, they let our imaginations take flight:

The Butterfly Jubilee Fabric from Mod Green Pod is 100% organic, featuring our winged friends in bold shades on an elegant field of gold. You can capture the look on your walls, too, in the hand silkscreened paper of the same design.

Mr. Squirrel chases butterlies on this sweet floor pillow from Amenity filled with eco-fibers and naturally retro-inspired, $110.

Modern and glassy, when you buy this butterfly plate from Plates with Purpose you are doing a service to not only your guests but also the Forbes Hospice. $88.

Butterflies seem to land on lots of vintage tableware, including this Seventies Daher Deocrated metal ware serving dish from Lorenz  Studio at Etsy.

These gold butterfly Corelle dishes seem to fly out of Etsy and other sites that sell them. Highly collectible, you can still locate this bowl at Mimi’s Back Porch. Fill with poporn and rent Butterflies are Free.

Observation and reflection: sit back in your garden chair while reading up on butterflies and taking notes about how to stop climate change. The recycled paper journal ($150) is fromMarcopoloni.

While you’re at it, donate a little extra something to butterfly conservation.

When I display flowers, I like to show them off from stem to petal. And these cute Glass Bird vases seem like a very sweet way to show off a few blooms in nooks and crannies that need a little cheer.

Mouth-blown to form crystal clear sculptures of a chickadee and a dove, this cheerful set brings a little bit of nature inside. If you love birds as much as our editor, Sara, does (see her posts here, here and here) you ought to scoop up a set for yourself as well as a holiday gift for a friend – sets of 2 on sale at VivaTerra for $39.

I like the intricate stems on these recycled glass pumpkins from The Pacific Northwest Shop ($72).  As you can see, the colors of the glass really vary depending on the source of the recycling.

The three below are pumpkins of kitris reycled glass handmade in Canada from Olive Barn. They come in small and large sizes ($49 to $109). All of the glass pumpkins can be safely shipped to you and it’s a good idea to put some tape on the bottom to safely secure them to the surface of your table.

You usually buy vases to display flowers, but, with the Recycled Jewel-Tone Bottle vases, it’s the other way around. Made from recycled glass that’s frosted to shimmering perfection, these rich pieces will add brilliance the autumn sprigs and buds you fill them with. Thanks to their flat bottoms, you don’t have to worry about knocking them over every time you walk past. Choose from three sizes in dazzling hues of gold, brown and red or opt for the whole colorful set. If your living space still suffers from too many empty surfaces, check out Mike’s latest discovery: the simple and sophisticated stem vase. (Available at sponsor VivaTerra for $39- $165.)