Porcelained out? Carve your niche with an alternative sink for soaking up greener materials like certified teak, bamboo, recycled metal and glass and friendly painted ceramics. You can even experiment with poured concrete with 50% recycled fly ash, as seen in the striking orange basin by Jeremy Levine Design.

Here is a handful of other options we rounded up:

From William Garvey’s Fusion Line of handmade sinks from certified teak grown in the mixed deciduous forests of South Asia.

Spotted at the Story Hotel in Stockholm, these decorative ceramic bowls make brilliant bathroom basins.

Recycled aluminum and brass vessel sinks from ECO round out the eco bath and are paired well with a bamboo plywood or stone tile counter top.

Handblown recycled glass emerges as sensuous craft for the bath with the clear tortoise trim Classic design (above) and Ocean shell (below) from Bear Creek Glass.

Main Image: Jeremy Levine Design

Getting back to nature – same thing as roughing it? If you find yourself loathe to ditch your oh-so-self-indulgent rituals like “warmth”, “being clean” or “eating actual food” you’ll be delighted to pitch in with a hot new approach to the great outdoors – glamping. Luxury without ostentation, eco-tourism without eco-terrorism – and everything catered for so you can enjoy your surroundings without worrying if you’ll survive the night in them.

Solar-powered lighting, rainwater reuse and an organic menu make Canvas Chic an eco-friendly lodging, while antique décor, four-poster beds and oriental rugs make it luxurious. Located along the Ardeche River gorge in the Rhone-Alps region, the scenery is awe-inspiring.

At Ecocamp Patagonia in Chile, you can stay in domes that resemble the ancient dwellings of the native Kaweskar and soak in the stunning landscape of Torres del Paine National Park with activities like hiking, horseback riding and kayaking.

Looking for something a little closer to home? Just an hour outside San Francisco, Costanoa is set in the heart of nature among 30,000 acres of protected wilderness. Their spacious canvas bungalows seem more like cabins than tents with queen beds, windows and hardwood floors. (Image via Jazz Violin)

Built above the ground to catch the breeze off Jervis Bay, the safari style tents at Paperbark Camp in Australia are extravagant and eco-friendly, with spacious verandas, solar-powered lighting, insect screening and hardwood floors. Plus, guests can explore the bay and surrounding forest with complimentary canoes and bikes.

At Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, tents are equipped with their own fireplace, cozy bed, antique dresser and composting toilet. This stunning destination on Vancouver Island provides plenty of activities for its guests with library, lounge, spa, dining and games tents.

The Resort at Paws Up is nestled along the beautiful Blackfoot River in Montana. Lavish tents with king beds, stylish wall art and a personal butler make for a pampered stay, while activities like horseback riding and mountain biking cater to your adventurous side.

Not exotic enough for your seasoned taste? Take a journey into the Gobi Desert and stay at the Three Camel Lodge. Their deluxe gers feature wood stoves, hand-painted furniture and a king bed. Plus, they come stocked with Mongolian-style bathrobes, felt slippers and locally produced toiletries.

Main image: notsogoodphotography

Unless otherwise noted, images are the property of the corresponding, respective facilities.

No one growing up during the upbeat, Mattel-directed Sixties figures they’ll be worse off in middle age, forced to scrounge harder for work, buy less, live smaller.

Those Barbie songs my sister and I sang along to in our pink and green room constituted teenage visions of a supercalifragelistic future that we owned, co-starring Dick Van Dyke, four kids, a shiny Lincoln and full-service yacht.

“Here’s a cake, that you and I can make, I’ll share the recipe, if you say yes to me.”

But due to the recession and soaring costs of raising two girls in the city, I’m singing a different tune today on my birthday. Sure, I married Ken, but where are the other Camelot conquests I was guaranteed?

Gone is the wine country home, jaunts to spas on a whim, the black velvet boxes concealing gems he bought for me with cash from cases he settled.

Despite the unexpected Barbie plot twist, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of gratitude as I take inventory of what I do have.

For instance, I spotted a gold necklace on Fillmore Street with a round charm that that bore the words I am completely blessed. I didn’t dare buy the $600 trinket but I have kept the affirmation close to my heart.

So, I’ve decided to count my blessings today (my colleague Sarah Irani should know that quite a few of them came free!). Here are a whopping 50, plus one for good luck.

I am completely blessed because…

1. I birthed two healthy, spectacular daughters who teach me something new each day.

2. I married a great father.

3.  I follow my bliss every day that I write.

4. My girls are strapping amazons because God gave me super human breast milk.

5. I’m surrounded by friends who are like family.

6.   My mother is still around and down to just one biting criticism of me a day.

7. I am never hungry when I don’t want to be.

8. We live without war in the  streets of San Francisco.

9. I have not been killed by a truck like my brother.

10. My religious faith has connected me to a community of fellow yentas to grow old with.

11. My older sister is an exceptional auntie.

12. My older brother is keeping the family business afloat during rocky times.

13. My pug and cat think I’m their mommy and I am.

14. I married father nature.

15. I’m healthy and strong from exercise and can climb the fence when I get locked out.

16. The builder’s daughter has always had a roof over her head.

17. I have commercial-free TV.

18. I have art on my walls from friends who made it.

19. I have memorized dozens of bedtime songs.

20. My daughters sing the songs I have sung to them.

21. My children are known for being creative and kind.

22. My beloved camera almost always works.

23. My children can read and write and like to do both.

24. My children make me exquisite birthday presents and set a regal table with a tiara at my place.

25. I can walk to the movie theater on Saturday nights.

26. No one at the theater asks me if I want the senior discount.

27. My city has excellent public transportation.

28. I can still see very well when I wear magnified lenses.

29. My mom, who unloads much, has kept her box at the iconic Hollywood Bowl.

30. My children get to use the box at the Hollywood Bowl and hear live music.

31. No menopause yet.

32. Menopause will come sooner or later.

33. I think I’ve seen god.

34. I think god is the miracle of birth.

35. I have learned how to kayak.

36. I have learned Italian.

37. Henna makes me higher than jewelry.

38. I married a great teacher.

39. My husband rarely spends money. When he does, it is on books and candy.

40. I have kept my commitments.

41. I’m in a bad girls book club.

42. My book club is all about the food.

43. Decent chick flicks are still being made, i.e. Julie and Julia.

44. I can grow vegetables in my yard to make soup.

45. I can pick flowers in my yard for table bouquets.

46. I can find stylish Sixties-inspired fashion on sale.

47. My Weight Watchers Guru is a Stanford Nutritionist.

48. I have gained the wisdom to see my own culpability.

49. I was born a healthy female in a rich land.

50. I’m a survivor because my Polish grandparents were survivors.

51. Today is my 51st birthday.

Main image: Sparkleneeley

Second image: Luanne Bradley

This is the fourth in Luanne’s new lifestyle column, Life in the Green Lane.

I love to sleep. When my head hits the pillow at the end of a day, I’m usually snoozing inside of 10 minutes. I’m also a fan of the cat-nap. In fact anything remotely resembling sleep rests well with me”¦including beds.

A literal luxury in many parts of the world, the bed happens to be my favorite piece of furniture. Sleep, read, nap”¦there’s so much to do in bed. The bed that currently captures the key to my always-eco heart is dreamy. And I mean “seriously in my wildest dreams I just might be able to afford this bed” dreamy.

I’m sharing despite its $6,899 price tag ($7399 for the King), if only to illustrate that eco and luxury are not mutually exclusive.

The Sanaz Bed, by the Italian manufacturer EVVE, is available in all types of fabrics including “ecological leather”. And every single Sanaz Bed is made with eco-friendly wood harvested from sustainable European sources.

If it’s options you’re hungry for, add the Swarovski Crystal buttons to your headboard for an extra $250. If you’re sufficiently intrigued and desire more details, call IQ Matics at 847-885-3600. Or visit the website and chat with one of the salespeople.

via Design Milk

Few places in the world are as remote, mysterious and ethereal as Rapa Nui – better known to us as Easter Island.

Rising from the sea 3,600 km west of Chile, this volcanic island is steeped in history. European explorers arrived in 1722 AD to claim first discovery, little realizing they were a thousand years too late. It’s generally agreed that 4th Century Polynesians created the island’s archaeological remains, after enduring a staggering sea journey of over 1,500km eastwards. Today, it’s temperate, breathtakingly gorgeous and as enigmatic as its famous moai (carved stone heads).

One thing it isn’t is inaccessible (not completely, anyway). You could use a tour operator such as EcoToursChile – or, for a little more luxury, use explora’s package, that includes a stay at the Posada de Mike Rapu hotel (application underway for Gold LEED status), with package prices from $2,634 for 3 days.

For a taster, read about Edward Albee’s visit for The New York Times.

Image credit: Aurbina

The early mornings are for padding along silently.

When the sun’s barely risen and the house is as cool and serene as a Buddhist temple, it would feel wrong to clatter through it in hard-heeled shoes – but at that hour, the floor’s too cold for your bed-warmed bare feet.

To wander through the house without a sound, you’ll want some soft, snugly contoured slippers. We’ve been in love with this softest of footwear since at least 1478 (the earliest recorded use of the word in English), but in recent years slippers have tended towards parody – great fluffy acres of them, the wider, (mock-)furrier and sillier the better.

Now, slipper fashion has come to its senses again. Take the calming, svelte lines of Acorn’s Quilted Eco Scuff Slippers (at Planet Shoes): the “Ivory” variety (shown) is made from natural hemp and organic cotton, while the “Earth” is hemp, wool and yak down. Both types use CFC-free polyurethane to form a soft sole that’ll keep you gliding silently through your waking home. Alternately, if you don’t live as far north as I do and your floors aren’t as cold, wiggle your toes deliciously in a pair of Acorn Eco Wraps.

You all deserve a night on the town – your favorite restaurant, your favorite wine, your best friends. Alas. It’s time for one of you to take the short straw – the one soberly marked “designated driver”.

Or, you can hire a limo – and you don’t have to sabotage your eco principles to do it! The green chauffeur industry is on a…roll. (Oh dear, that’s two.)

For example, if you’re in the San Francisco area, you could contact Bauer’s Worldwide Intelligent Transportation. Over 85% of their miles are eco-friendly (they use sustainable fuel sources in hybrid vehicles). Google use Bauer’s to shuttle 2,500 of their employees back and forth from Silicon Valley.

Everyone gets the long straw and a green conscience. It’s the perfect way to let your hair down for an indulgent night on the town. Driver!

They’re watching you – the advertisers and marketing gurus – keeping track of your every eco-purchase. And since the so-called green “trend” doesn’t seem to be such a trend after all (see What’s the Story), these marketing experts are watching more closely, and with green colored glasses.

Who is this green fashion consumer and what does she want…and why? Listed below are the four types, according to Iconoculture, and each has her own agenda:

If you’re The Living Green consumer you “most likely eat organic foods. [You're] finding new ways to use old clothes, shopping vintage and thrift shops, and buying clothes made of recycled fabrics.” For you, green is a way of life – you’re committed to making a difference and not just in your closet.

If you’re “looking to build up the green in [your] fashion portfolio”¦rethinking and redefining [your] sense of style and eco-chic”, they call you The Core Fashionista. Hemp and hippie are not in your vocabulary, but if it’s stylish and green, you’ll buy it.

The Walking Green consumer describes the younger shopper “driven by wanting to belong to a greater community…a trend follower.” This may be your daughter or sister or niece – she wants to go green because everyone’s doing it – her budget is small and her attention span is short.

If you’re The Spending Green consumer you “…embraced green when it was still very much a luxury category, and intend to keep it that way. For you, buying green connotes luxury, not sacrifice.” You’ll spend what it takes, but in return you want unique and chic and exclusive.

What’s your agenda when it comes to eco-fashion? Is a category missing”¦and you’re it? Tell me – I’m waiting to hear from you.

Source: Ecopreneurist

I already know there’s a reader out there who will find this post extravagant, excessive and possibly even outrageous.
And if that reader is you, rest assured that I can hear you already. You’re saying things like “don’t waste our time. It’s ridiculous to pay that for a dress or a coat, when the sky is falling and the globe is warming”. Gulp. Here I go anyway.

Why am I going on about a line of eco-friendly clothing and the Florence, Alabama-based company that sells it, when I can smell the impending controversy? Well, maybe I love controversy; but mainly I just adore this Revolution Circle Appliqué Dress.

The company, Alabama Chanin, rocks…as does their entire collection of lifestyle products. They’re all about sustainability, from their business model to the types of craftsmen and artisans they choose to work with. Unique, one of a kind and hand-made describe Alabama Chanin’s products…and of course organic and recycled. A focus on tradition and design techniques handed down for generations allows for exceptional quality and attention to detail. A perfect example is the dress (*swoon*).

Made of 100% organic cotton with 3/4 sleeves, the Revolution Circle Appliqué Dress has a fitted bodice with a flowy A-line skirt. The bottom two-thirds of the dress is decorated with faded grey appliqué stitched in a circle pattern that is just lovely. Absolute perfection in my humble opinion. And it better be, for the $2350 it will cost to possess such an eco-frock.

They offer other pieces in their collection – all of which are gorgeously gathered and delicately detailed in just the right way. The stitching on this Revolution Double Breasted Coat adds a special touch. And I can’t resist showing you the Revolution Minis Long Coat and its $10,500 worth of scrumptiousness. Made of 100% organic cotton and covered with zillions of tiny square fabric appliqués in various shades of grey, it looks like a coat covered in jewels. Wow.

In a more reasonable price range, but still pricey, are the Elm Wrap Shirt, the Striped Swing Skirt and the Ruffled Cardigan. All organic, all hand-made and exquisitely unique.

I dare you to adore Alabama Chanin. I do.

I can’t help but feel more like a girly-girl when my ridges have ruffles. Maybe that’s why the layered trim look is so alluring for fall. The eye-catching Juicy Couture modal dress from S Sense proves y’all can be a Georgia peach and hot tomato at the same time. You grow, girl!

Now, you won’t catch me in lacy bloomers but I’d certainly don any one of these frilly dresses and separates. The reason? They’re frilly but not silly. Instead, they flaunt soft and sophisticated lines.

Demure meets knock-out in Kate Organic ’s Julianne Dress ($150) at The Green Loop. And what could be more angelic than the ruffled sleeve of this choirgirl’s tunic from Camilla Noorback?

Keep warm and trendy in these ruffled wraps, including a Lilac cardi from Indigenous Designs, a fair trade and organic line; an elongated and ultra flowy red Alpaca Duster ($249) and Tweedy Wrap scarf ($59 from VivaTerra), and the White and Warren Ruffle Wrap in black or camel ($275).

 

The Ruffled Cloud Scarf ($89), also from VivaTerra (below) makes a soft, ethereal statement in a watercolored palette. The Lilac ruffled tank from Soul Flower ($18) is great for layering, as is the Stewart+Brown eco cashmere cami ($75) at The Green Loop.

Even if you’re preggers you can still crave ruffles. Slip on this two-tiered, Tutu dress by Nest by Swanky ($75) and it’s just like when you went to the prom with that guy with the afro in platforms (of course, now it’s okay to have a bun in that chiffon oven).