Look and feel just like a celebrity except for all the fame and fortune  

Every since she was scolded by Leo about her gas slurping SUV, Oprah has deigned to nod (albeit rather coyly) towards environmental causes. One of her "favorite things" (and ours, not that it has Oprah-like impact. Yet.) is now the luxurious Cozy Chic Robe made from a unique new earth-friendly knit fabric that gets softer the more you wash it.

She gave a ton of these robes away to her audience, but you probably weren't there for that so you'll have to buy yours. Word is this robe is all the rage among the rich and famous. Not terribly useful or impressive on the surface until you consider that most celebs refuse to be cold or uncomfortable. So don't get caught behind the next big Hollywood trend like you did with Uggs or Botox. Pick one up pronto

Tell the outside world to buzz off with style
 
Snorers? Droolers? Babies? Mouth breathers? We've all sat next to them on a plane. They're no fun when you're on the ground, let alone trapped in a steel rocket at 35,000 feet. So the next time you prepare for a flight of any length, might want to check out the Jet Set travel kit. This environmentally friendly set of products has everything you need to comfort and soothe while you fly. The compact and durable micro fiber kit comes with inflatable neck and lumbar pillows made from recycled PVC with faux suede covers so everything can be washed and re-used every time you travel. You also get an eye mask, ear plugs, and special reflexology socks with shiatsu nodes to help massage your feet and give you added foot circulation. For you style-conscious jet setters, the kit comes in black, brown, or blue.

Come to think of it, why wait until you fly to get one?

Portland company does more with bike chains than most people do with entire bike
 
When most people get a flat tire their first impulse is to curse the heavens. When Portland-based Graham Berghe got a flat he decided to start a business. The northwest is nutty like that. Berghe's Resource Revival recycles old bicycle parts into useful household products including the S-Curve and Tea Light candle holders you see here. Once all curved automotive timing chains and bicycle cog flowers, they have magically been reproduced as stylish, pronouncable decorations that have a strangely attractive utilitarian elegance to them. Resource Revival also uses discarded bike chains and inner tubes to makes cool things like clocks, tables, CD racks, and its famous bottle opener. So next time you get a flat, rejoice! It just might be opportunity knocking.

File under: Making lemonade out of toxic lemons
 
Sometimes the best way to kick a wasteful habit is to embrace it. Literally. Such is the case with the Polartech fleece blankets from Blue Lotus. Made from 100% post consumer recycled plastic water bottles, these durable, breathable, and water resistant blankets are an example of what can happen when a bunch of big brained engineers get together in a lab. One blanket (60-inches by 72-inches) uses about 18 one-liter water bottles (or 14 Trump Water bottles). If you're thinking that they can't possibly be comfortable, think again. Soft, warm, and washable, these blankies are perfect for camping, picnics, or just cozying up at home. Show Dasani and Fiji and Poland Springs and all the rest of 'em some love.

Now, if only we could get those engineers to figure out a way to turn sunlight into energy.

Bono and Wife Poised to Take Over World
 
In between working for African debt relief, hob nobbing with politicos, and, oh yeah, still rocking with U2, Bono has managed to squeeze in the creation of a clothing line in his spare time. In conjunction with his wife Ali Hewson, and New York designer Rogan Gregory, their professional love child is called Edun (word has it that's "nude" spelled backward). The website claims that Edun "offers a return to nature with a fashion edge." But more importantly, unlike the numerous celebrities who feebly attempt to get into fashion, Edun's 100% organic cotton clothes are actually comfortable and snappy. We dig the all-white Will's Dragon Tee. So will you.

Like Medical Marijuana for your Feet
 
Yeah, we know it's winter. So what, you're still going to need flip flops at some point. And when you do, you're going to want these bad boys. Splaff's Lazy Boy Flip Flops are made from recycled racing tires, recycled inner tubes, and hemp. No, you cannot smoke them. But walking in them does have medicinal value. Plus they're completely vegan friendly, really comfy, and very "stylie" (a San Diego term we thought appropriate seeing as how that's where the Splaff guys are from).

And, as a final selling point, they said if you buy their flops they'll take you surfing next time you're in Southern California. Splaff also sells recycled inner tube belts and messenger bags for that complete eco-hipster look.

Small, Medium, Large, or Perfect? The Socially-Friendly Tee Shirt

How do you usually pick out a t-shirt? Do you look for a striking image or a cool design? Does it have to have that perfect fit? Are you a sucker for the front pocket or a fitted feel? Well, how about a tee that has been colored using environmentally friendly techniques? Or one not stained by the dirt of underpaid or underage children’s hands? If you haven’t thought about these things, then you just haven’t found the Perfect T-Shirt.

Better Thinking, Ltd has initiated an intriguing project, with the help of, well, whoever is willing; they have set out to discover the perfect t-shirt. Posed as a challenge to industries of all types, this quest to uncover the pathways to sustainable design, production, transportation, and consumption is ripe with optimism and ready to change the way the world works…one t-shirt at a time.

By furthering discussion in areas such as eradicating child labor and hazardous working conditions, saving water and eliminating pesticides, and cutting out pollution and reducing reliance on oil, Better Thinking is actively pursuing a sustainable future. The perfect t-shirt wraps itself around issues critical to all business in today’s world, but its fitted focus on the textile industry sets a tangible goal to be achieved. Not wrapped in cotton-coated language dyed with vague color, this project sets out to create the perfect t-shirt as a clear symbol of the thorough washing that all industry so badly needs. Better Thinking’s aims are truly size XXL.

For more information: www.betterthinking.co.uk

Candy Necklaces were Cool when you were, like, 5-years-old…but how about Upgrading to an Eco-chic Accessory made from Candy Wrappers?

Looking for that unique purse or belt to set you apart from the crowd of usual designer fare? Look no further. How about wearing some truly “disposable” fashion this season and helping artisans remain self-sufficient at the same time? Accessories made out of recycled (but crumb-free; don’t worry) potato chip and candy wrappers are appearing in high-end boutiques around the country and can also be found online at sites such as www.ecoist.com and www.sweetiepurse.com.

The idea began with a nonprofit organization, Grupedsac — or “Group for the Promotion of Education and Sustainable Development” — whose aim it is to help impoverished Mexican Indians become self-sufficient while also preserving the environment (www.grupedsac.org). A social worker who recalled weaving paper suspenders with her mother learned how to make purses from an instructor at Grupdesac and taught the technique to local women. The idea took off, and various entrepreneurs started purchasing the bags in large quantities.

Customers are attracted to the colorful utility of the products, as well as the chance to make an eco-friendly statement. What was once unsightly litter that accumulated in landfills is now folded and woven together to make fashionable handbags, belts, placemats, and other useful accessories. These shiny, sturdy, and snazzy pieces can make quite a splash — and since the conversion from trash to purse is often spectacular, be prepared for some ooh’s and aahh’s the next time your friends see you sporting your new find. (When they start saving Luna Bar wrappers and attempt crafting them into eco-hip accoutrements … feel flattered.)

Bono's Garden of Edun

You’re not finished going green just because you’ve traded in your military-sized, fossil-fuel-burning SUV for a cool, clean hybrid car. Now let’s take a look at your closet. How about donating your old clothes to the Salvation Army and investing in a new line of eco-friendly (though wallet-shattering) styles? You can start by heading over to your local Saks Fifth Avenue and checking out the new Edun (“nude” spelled backwards) clothing line from U2 front man, Bono, and his wife Ali Hewson.

The Edun line is part of a coming revolution in the clothing industry that encourages the use of sustainable materials and the promotion of fair labor practices. By avoiding sweatshops in favor of family-run factories in South America and Africa, Edun serves both the interests of local communities, as part of Bono’s fight against extreme poverty, and the interests of consumers in America and Europe looking for quality goods with a moral background.

Though changes in the clothing industry are coming at an increasingly rapid pace, they are not coming at a particularly affordable price. While upscale manufacturers begin to expand their lines of eco-fashion, mainstream Americans find it difficult to afford a $49 organic white short-sleeved t-shirt or a $195 pair of Edun beach pants. We’ve come a long way from the days when an organic shirt meant a piece of fibrous paper wrapped awkwardly around a model, but now we face the challenge of elegantly wrapping more of society in sustainable style.

For more information: www.edun.ie