Colette Brooks, owner of LA-based biodiesel conversion company Biobling, is the new face of Keen’s recycled line of bags, dubbed the Harvest Collection. For her day job, Colette resurrects old hoopdies and pimps them out with biodiesel-ready fuel systems and funky fresh interiors. This season, Keen Footwear resurrects the rice sack and creates an eclectic line of totes and backpacks for the eco-conscious suburban set. Colette and Keen make a great match, as both reimagine materials to put a little funk in the trunk of folks with a Keen sense of style.

Technically Terra Plana means flat land, but you’ll be hardpressed to find much flatness with this shoe manufacturing anomaly. Inspired by a deep desire for longterm ecological survival, Terra Plana publishes the life cycle assessment for every pair of shoes they produce. They design their shoes with reparability, lightness (to reduce shipping impact), anatomic design, and durability in mind. According to Terra Plana, they “minimize waste and toxin use and maximize product use and love.” They produce their line using chrome-free and vegetable tanned leathers, recycled materials of all sorts (from rubber to old quilts and parachutes), and pure latex soling materials. Not to mention, they merchandise their products with an arresting, out-there aesthetic (check out the product shots above).

Terra Plana has also debuted a more eco-conscious leather product called E-leather. It’s a ‘re-woven’ blend of leather and textile fibers practically indistinguishable from good quality leather. E-Leather is produced with closed loop water usage and best practice pollution prevention methods. These people clearly care about crafting beautiful fashion statements using only the most modern and sustainable methods possible.

And how do they look? So, so hot! Whether you’re in Milano, Madrid, or the Mid-West, these unique sneaks and heels will be turning heads. Priced from $50-300, a pair of Terra Plana’s is a worthwhile investment in a company that’s setting the bar for eco-conscious manufacturing, as well as your wardrobe.

If you want to check out a sneak peak of Terra Plana 2008, go to smartplanet.com for a look at the super-sexy strappy heels for Spring.

The person who picks up the recycling after a long weekend must think I drink a lot…hopefully he assumes the truth, which is that I had a rather large dinner party at my house! What better way to justify all those bottles of wine than to hang them from the ceiling! Well I won’t actually be doing the stringing and reworking myself but re:modern could!

How fun are these “lighting sculptures”? The artist Jeff Kott’s fixtures are exactly the bit of whimsy I am constantly looking for!

First off, I absolutely love that they are recycled wine bottles and are so appropriate to use in the kitchen, possibly above a sideboard in the dining room, or multiples hung up high down a long entry hallway (the possibilities are endless). Secondly, it seems we are all looking to be more eco-friendly and design savvy at the same time, what a combination here. It’s as if they are art. Two versions are available, the “2 Stripe” or the “3 Stripe”. The 3 Stripe colored option seems to be a bit warmer to me. My favorite is the soothing glow of the burnt orange, yellow and green, I imagine the light dancing off warm honey or caramel colored walls in such an interesting way.

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