Tord Boontje Charming

Tord Boontje's new Charming Jewelry Collection is perfect for the times. 18K gold-plated or silver charms are so beautiful and contemporary, yet still priced super affordably at $22-$40 for a set of three.

I especially like how they are meant to be mixed and matched so you can be flexible as to dressing them up or down depending on how the charms are clustered together. The nature-inspired motifs would be perfect for a garden party or outdoor wedding.

Available at re:modern

A farm in your backyard.

MyFarm takes community supported agriculture one step further by planting a farm in your backyard. It's an absolutely brilliant concept and here's how it works. Let's say you have an unkempt backyard. Rather than hiring a gardener, you can hire MyFarm to come in and install a vegetable garden suitable for your local climate. Then they'll send a 'farmer' out weekly to maintain the garden, do weeding, and even harvest your crops. Any extra harvest can go towards other neighbors who are part of the CSA and reduce your cost. MyFarm is only in the San Francisco bay area at the moment, but we hope this idea catches on. Brilliant!

Hosting and attending holiday parties

As the season of holiday parties and potlucks are underway, pretty and eco tabletop presentation is on my mind. I love these bamboo bowls that come in a rainbow of colors. They're low enough to stack as buffet plates for a big party and good looking enough to stand on their own as serving bowls. I also like the idea of filling a plate up with some homebaked cookies to give as a special hostess gift. In the past, I would do this with Veneerware trays and plates, which I like to keep on hand for potlucks and occasions where you just don't want to worry about doing dishes.

el Furniture Sale

el stands for Environmental Language, a line of heirloom-quality furniture made from environmentally friendly materials. Founded by Jill Salisbury, the company makes gorgeously high end, stylish furnishings. If you've been eyeing their beautifully sustainable pieces like I have, this sample sale may be the closest chance to afford one of their exquisite pieces.

CityArt Graphics

Buildings, the city, and graphics converge in this series of limited edition art by San Francisco-based Publique Living. What could be better!

Digging Deeper for Sustainable Design

For those of you in the bay area, San Francisco's IDSA brings you Digging Deeper: Unearthing the Building Blocks for Sustainable Design.

This participant-driven panel discussion will dig deep into the eco-issues
designers face everyday to reveal the building blocks for sustainable
design. Digging Deeper seeks to equip designers with the context, questions, methods and, actionable tools for designing green. Digging Deeper's panel of leading experts will introduce and discuss a series of sustainable design methods. They will then examine the steps required to successfully apply, measure and position the resulting sustainable solutions in both your workplace and the market.

July 22nd at Temple, 540 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105.

Reception begins at 5:30pm. Keynote begins at 7pm. Priority attendance given to IDSA Members.

More info at www.idsa-sf.org

West Coast Green in Silicon Valley

West Coast Green announced today that Nobel Laureate, and former U.S. Vice-President, Al Gore will give the keynote address at this year’s conference, to be held September 25-27th, 2008, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, CA. Gore joins a prestigious lineup of keynote speakers that includes best-selling authors Sarah Susanka and David Suzuki, http://www.hunterlovins.com/ as well as leading scientists, economists, architects, builders, venture capitalists, strategists, chief executive officers and government officials. As the leading hub for innovation in building, design and technology.

Building materials and processes account for roughly a third of carbon emissions, while the electricity-use and industry taking place in buildings account for another third. With built space in the US projected to double over the next 40 years, and buildings lasting an average of 75 years, reforming the built environment is one of the central challenges of our time. West Coast Green will bring together 14,000 individuals to educate, network and inspire the actions that will shape our collective future. For more information, visit West Coast Green's website.

Micro-entrepreneurs

Websites like etsy are great for showcasing handmade products from emerging designers. However sometimes you just want to see and touch items in person before making the decision to buy. Endossa, an innovative retail collaborative in Sao Paulo, Brazil tried to bridge the gap by providing a physical store where many mini-entrepreneurs can rent boxes to display their wares in. Endossa's model makes it one step easier for the general public to access new, limited edition designs. Read more about it in this story via Cool Hunting.

AMD Open Architecture Challenge

The winners are in for the AMD Open Architecture Challenge, the latest global competition from Architecture for Humanity. The competition invited the global community to provide solutions to address the digital divide. (Did you know less than 20% of the world's 6 billion people even have access to the educational, social, and economic opportunities we're so used to from the internet?) Challenge sites included Africa, Asia, and South America. Shown here are winning entries by IN & Nis for the Kallari Associates client (South America) and The Global Studio's solution for the SIDAREC client (Kenya).

To see all winning entries, visit Architecture for Humanity's Open Architecture Challenge site.

Do Not Touch

TOUCH is a network of collaboration amongst emerging designers who are creating handmade products as an alternative to the mass produced. These artisans have a lofty goal, too. Their goal is to make products that are not only beautiful, but also go for the environment and those who make them. Shown here are kraft paper vases using natural pigments by Brazilian designer Domingos Totora. If you're going to be in New York during ICFF and New York Design Week, be sure to check out TOUCH's showcase of sustainable products and installations from May 18-20th only, at 148 11th Ave in Manhattan. For more information, visit do-not-touch.com

Affordable Green Home Products

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, be sure to tune in to the ABC show View From the Bay on Monday March 17th for a special segment on affordable green home items. Design expert Lisa Quinn and guest Susan Kim from Coastal Living Magazine will be covering some great eco-friendly home accessories, like these Transglass vessels made from recycled glass bottles. The show airs at 3pm PST.

REGREEN Guidelines for Green Home Remodeling

This just in from the U.S. Green Building Council...

Another green home resource that will become available on March 14 is REGREEN- the nation’s first set of resources and tools specifically for green home remodeling projects. USGBC will be launching REGREEN at ASID’s “Conference on Design.” The free guidelines cover all aspects of renovations, from installing a new dishwasher, remodeling your master bathroom, to refurbishing an entire home interior. REGREEN, like LEED, addresses the major elements of any green renovation project, including building site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, and indoor environmental quality.