While the stock market's belly-dancer-gyrations (more of a limbo, "how low can you go?", really) seem significant — according to a study commissioned by the EU, the global economy actually loses more money through the disappearance of forests than through the financial ho-down. The study pegs the cost of the loss of forests between $2 and $5 trillion per year, while calculations put the financial mess at $1.5 trillion.
How did they arrive at that figure?
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Cleaning out a closet can feel like a cathartic breakup. The relationship is over, but many good memories and feelings are often tied to your threads. I have kept a bin of goodies stashed away for unknown purposes.
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As the nights get chillier, many of us crave the warmth of an outdoor fire, but might be concerned about the pollutants that a roaring wood fire produces. Leave it to green designer Michelle Kaufmann to create a solution to this problem. She's come up with a great, inexpensive, and very modern-looking way to create an outdoor fire on your patio, deck, or in your yard.
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In the latest episode of Top Design, the remaining designers tackled a project near and dear to my heart: renovating a space in a green fashion. Guest judge Danny Seo, whose green designs and ideas I love, offered the contestants advice on remembering the R words (reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, and be resourceful, among others) in their spaces.
The designers were challenged to use all materials in the office (including ugly desks and bad carpet).
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Having a child makes a parent focus more on the future and the world. Since you've become a mother, have you made more ecological choices? Many tots inspire their parents to eat organic, recycle, compost, wear more natural fibers or celebrate ECOWEEN.
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Baby soft skin deserves to be pampered! Wrap your lil love up in a handmade blanket from Shi Shu Baby ($88). Inspired by her son's sensitive skin and her travels to India, Tamre Sutphen designed the natural eco-friendly breathable blanket made from cotton and bamboo sateen.
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![[re] drive: The Eco-Geek-Chic Portable Hard Drive](http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/1/15111/41_2008/redrive_1.larger_0.JPG "[re] drive: The Eco-Geek-Chic Portable Hard Drive")
Going geeky-green doesn't only mean conserving energy or using solar-powered gadgets, it can also include purchasing devices that are made from renewable and recyclable materials, like this [re] drive by Fabrik. I got the chance to check out this plug n' play 500 GB external hard drive, and it's completely eco-friendly; from the 100 percent recyclable bamboo panels, aluminum case and box it comes in, right down to the low-power design that performs quietly and reliably.
This drive is not only eco on the outside, but it includes auto sensing power (that will turn on or off with your computer) and an energy star power adapter that keeps grid demands to a minimum, and its unique exterior ridges act to keep the drive cool without the use of a fan.
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Recently, I interviewed Tyler Velten, whose apartment had been featured in a New York Times article about designing on a student's budget. Tyler has a lot of cool, creative ideas for making eco changes on a budget. Check out some of his household experiments in the slideshow.
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Tyler Velten, a student at the Yale School of Architecture, was recently featured in the New York Times article Lighting Changes Everything. However, Tyler wasn't interviewed for his architectural projects. Instead, his artistic re-use of found objects and repurposing of Craigslist furniture and even the hated plastic bag were featured in the article.
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