Object of My Affection: Rising Tide Fair Trade Weekender Bag

Happy Friday! In the spirit of Summer weekend trips to places near and far, I give you: The perfect Weekender bag. There are so many fab options, I had trouble picking just 3 to feature here. At $220, it's not the least expensive bag you'll ever own (or maybe it is - aren't you fancy!), but it might just be the most useful bag you'll ever own. Go ahead and try to pick your fave bag from the countless featured on the website - pack a snack, you'll be there for hours. Here's what Rising Tide Fair Trade has to say about their bags:
Our bags are created from repurposed vintage quilts and cruelty free leather (from naturally deceased animals) and canvas. Rather than using a system of mass production, our bags are produced in a women's cooperative, which has a lower impact on the environment. Our bags are made one at a time by individuals paid a fair wage and treated with dignity and respect.

Take Me Away To: Club Surya London

By George, the blokes across the pond have really done it! The just-opened Club Surya in London has a dance floor (pictured above) that harnesses the movements of club-goers to generate energy to power the club! Plus, if you arrive by foot, bike, or public transpo, you get in for free...and they serve organic drinks in biodegradable cups (why not reusable cups, I wonder? Too much crazy dancing makes them wary of glass?).
Anyhoo, this gets me thinking... I totally want a motion-harnessing floor in my dream house. How cool would that be? You could power the stairwell light just be walking up the stairs! Power your fridge just by walking up to it, opening the door, and tapping your feet while scarfing down some hummus! Let's dream big, peeps! And dance as often as possible.
(via ecofabulous)

And the Hipsters Said, "Let There Be an Eco-Lounge."

TreeHugger recently posted an interview with Evangeline Dennie, the designer of Oulu, a new lounge in Brooklyn made with truckloads of eco-sensitive materials. The lounge's live facade blows me away, but rather than blither on about how close I am to hopping on a plane and descending upon Brooklyn in time for happy hour, I'll let the designer tell you about the lounge in her own words.
Evangeline Dennie (excerpted from TreeHugger): The design reconceptualizes space using forms inspired by the natural landscape of Oulu's namesake in Finland. The finished woodwork of the walls and seating took its cues from the patterns that emerge from the bark of a birch tree with thin panels of wood that peel away from the wall.
Evangeline Dennie (continued): The wood was harvested from forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Almost all of the construction materials had high recycled content. Almost all the construction waste was recycled. The interior finishes had low-VOC [paint], including the silver milk-paint in the ceiling. The green wall was nearly everyone's favorite due to its aesthetic value. In my humble opinion, the green wall was a brilliant response to the industrial landscape of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was clear that this would become a welcome addition to the neighborhood. And judging by the double-take from nearly every hipster that walks by, it is a success. The green wall helps combat global warming and filter air by absorbing and converting carbon dioxide to produce oxygen. Just 1.5 square meters of the grass-like vegetation produces enough oxygen in a year to supply one person's yearly oxygen intake needs. When translating that info to this project, Oulu's green wall will conceivably produce enough oxygen for 46 people a year!
(Oulu is located at 170 N. 4th Street in Brooklyn. Go check it out and let me know what you think!)

Stella McCartney's Eco-Luxe Luggage!

Stella McCartney has teamed up with LeSportsac to make a line of 100% recycled eco polyester luggage and handbags for stylin' globetrotters! Whuddya think?