Do you feel guilty about all your old magazines, even if you are recycling them? New York designer Stephen Burks certainly must have given it some thought which explains his line of eco-conscious tables for Italian manufacturer Cappellini called Cappellini Love. The small tables are made from recycled paper and shredded magazines. The tables have a paper structure stuffed with paper and then a paper maché like design of magazine strips on top which is treated with adhesive and hardener. Burks designs made a big impression at the Milan furniture show earlier this year where he was interviewed by Cool Hunting about his process about the production of the tables. It almost seems like a project I might be tempted to attempt to try to recreate at home if I weren't certain it would end in gluey disaster.

In Los Angeles, Derringer Cycles are the new Bentley. Whether you want to go green or just look good doing it, these moto-hybrids are a trend to hop onto. You can reach speeds of 40mph, pedaling not required. (Hence the hybrid in moto-hybrid: you can pedal as if on a traditional bike, use the engine for assistance pedaling, or rely completely on your bike's 4-stroke engine, traveling near and far without ever breaking a sweat.) Depending on how often you choose to pedal, your moto-hybrid can get up to 180 miles per gallon.

The Derringer cycle was conceived by famed industrial designer Adrian Van Anz (Brad Pitt is a fan) to "take the compromise out of environmentalism," riffing on parts Ducati and parts Schwinn. You can order up your hand-built cycle in splashy colors ranging from Fresco Blue to Bad Girl Pink (there's Good Girl Pink, too), or custom paint jobs like 22-carat engine-turned gold. Check out the gallery for all the cool options.

Derringer has a retail store at 7954.5 West 3rd St., L.A. and can talk bikes with you over the phone at 323-944-0091. Cycles sell for $3,500.

Perhaps a true sign of luxury living is buying land that will be protected instead of developed. You'll soon have your chance to bid on such a parcel as The Adirondack Chapter of the The Nature Conservancy has announced the listing of 90,500 acres of pristine forestland for sale in upstate New York. The timberland previously belonged to paper company Finch, Pruyn and Co. and, according to listing broker LandVest, "represents the first time in more than a century that these lands have become available on the open market."

The parcels will be available by sealed bidding in 5 sale blocks in acreage ranging from 1,691 acres to almost 60,000 acres. All are subject to a strict conservation easement, though eventually some of the land will be open for hiking, hunting, fishing and other outdoor adventures. See more images that will make you want to flee your desk upon viewing at LandVest's listing page.

Robert Wells, heir to the Fiesta Dinnerware collection (so embedded in the American consciousness it even became the topic of a recently produced off-Broadway play), has bequeathed $9 million to The Nature Conservancy. His attorney cited Wells's respect for the Conservancy's "wide footprint" after traveling to places like the Chilean coasts, New Zealand and Alaska.

Twenty percent of the gift is earmarked for local conservation efforts in Wells's home state of West Virgina, specifically in the Central Appalachian Mountains. The bulk of the bequest will go towards global programs on behalf of the nature-loving recreational fisherman. The first date he took his wife on in the early 1950s? A 4:30 am catfishing expedition. Carolyn Wells also left a significant gift to the Conservancy following her death in 2005.

I never had a tree house as a kid and although I can't say I ever really felt deprived I wouldn't mind using that fact as an excuse to indulge myself in adulthood! These tree houses by Baumraum out of Germany are absolutely gorgeous, not to mention much larger and more luxurious than what the average 10 year old gets. They build custom tree houses all over the world, although mostly in Europe, and the designs vary from houses built up just a few feet off the ground to designs like this one way up in the tree tops (wonderful to look at but is it really secure balancing up there like that???).

Via Wists

The Ray from Quicksilver: it looks tough and it means business when it comes to being earth-friendly. Designed for and made of eco-conscious materials and concepts, THE RAY features ebony wood from sustainable forests, 100% recycled steel and aluminum, 100% solvent-free links, and it needs no batteries thanks to automatic movement (which has an awesome lifespan of up to 10 years).

The watch is 86% recyclable and there's a special program in place for getting the watch back once it's long little life is over. Only 1,000 of them will be made and available starting this November for about $500 each, and you can see a cool video of how they're put together here.

We get them whenever we travel but hardly give a second thought to all those plastic keycards from hotels. Sustainable Cards has created wood hotel key cards and they will get their big debut at the Democratic National Convention. Around 70,000 biodegradable key cards will be used in Denver hotels.. The Sustainable Cards will be emblazoned with the Denver 2008 Host Committee logo and made from sustainably harvested wood. Wooden key cards have been used in Europe for years. While it wouldn't seem like such a small item would make a big difference, switching from plastic cards to biodegradable wood can reduce plastic waste equal to the volume of seven 777 airplanes in one year. The company also plans to offer wood gift cards in the future.

Prince Charles has long been known for his eco-efforts including driving a wine powered car. But Queen Elizabeth is green-minded too. The Daily Telegraph reports that Queen Elizabeth who has also set up an energy-saving committee at Buckingham Palace, is turning Balmoral, her Scottish estate, into a property that is completely energy self-sufficient. A small hydro-electric plant has been installed at at Balmoral and it sells electricity to the national grid. The plant was developed on the Gelder Burn, a stream in the estate forest and generates enough power for Balmoral and for 1,000 private homes in the area. A water-driven turbine was originally installed in the 1920s to provide electricity, in the 1950s it was used to power the estate sawmill, and now since the mill is no longer in use a generator was installed which allows the turbine to be connected to the National Grid and offer power to the surrounding homes.

The Balmoral woodlands are registered with the Forestry Stewardship Council which supports sustainable forestry worldwide and all farming practices are registered with the Soil Association, which promotes organic food and farming. The estate is also a big recycler turning tons of organic waste into compost each year. Even the royal protection officers pedal around the estate on bicycles and use their vehicles less. It's all part of the Queen's commitment to climate change initiatives, a stance which she has urged other nations to adopt.

The folks at the beloved Bruichladdich Scotch distillery on Islay just powered a racecar from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds on a tank full of of its X4 Scotch, billed as the most alcoholic single malt ever made. The car, a British-made Radical SR4 (above), was driven by Top Gear's James May and wine expert Oz Clarke for a segment on their upcoming BBC series Oz and James' Great British Adventure. The clear 180-proof quadruple-distilled spirit, which required no engine modification, produced 200 bhp, only 5 less than ordinary gasoline - but at about $200 a gallon it's a pretty pricey biofuel. A lower proof version of the X4 will go on sale (for drinking, not driving) in the fall. You can see a video of the run here.

[via Men.Style]

It's not quite Brad Pitt body wash but the architecture-loving dad has teamed up with Kiehl's on their new new Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser. The product is the popular skincare brand's first item that is completely eco-friendly right down to the packaging and is certified by Cradle to Cradle. Pitt won't be appearing on the bottle or in the advertising but he did pen a hand-written note that will be on the bottle. All the profits benefit JPF Eco Systems, a charitable foundation created by Kiehl's and Brad to support global environmental initiatives. The project hopes to raise $1 million for charity with the first funds raised earmarked for Pitt's Make It Right foundation, which builds eco-friendly housing for those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Here's a bumper bed for your special family member that you can feel good about, ecologically-speaking. Covered in organic cotton twill, free from pesticides and chemical fertilizers, it's filled with a comfy, cozy stuffing and is made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, which diverts more than 25 tons of plastic bottles from landfills every year. The bed features a center, removable pillow that can also be used separately inside crates or the car. It's a great option for allergic, sensitive, or orthopedic pets. Made in the U.S.A., machine washable. A portion of sale proceeds are donated. Sizes S - XL; $76.95 - $178.95.

A new Facebook application has been launched to help winelovers go green. Four Napa and Sonoma County vineyards: Girard Winery, Iron Horse Vineyards, Windsor Sonoma Vineyards, and Windsor Vineyards, are behind Green My Vino. The application lets Facebook users to give each other free online gifts worth an one, five or ten minutes of renewable energy. For each of these gifts Village Green Energy will purchase the equivalent amount of renewable energy on the user's behalf. Each winery has a set minutes goals and once the goals has been met at one, the focus moves to the next winery. First up, Iron Horse Vineyards which has has agreed to power their entire operation with renewable energy when Facebook friends have gifted each other with 10,000 minutes of solar and wind power. Girard Winery has a goal of 17,000 minutes, Windsor Vineyards has a gold of 30,000, and Windsor Sonoma's goal is 45,000 minutes.

Village Green estimates that if the app is successful the wineries will purchase over 1.2 million kWh of renewable power to power the four initial wineries entirely with green energy for a year based on their past electricity use. They will purchase the renewable energy certificates from Mountain View II Wind Facility in Palm Springs and several solar arrays in Los Angeles.

[via Wine Business]

Going green is all the rage and it's seeping into everything -- even into the casino gaming industry! EGM Green is now offering what they tout as the first ever 100% eco-friendly line of casino gaming products. The main attraction is their line of gaming tables (like the poker table shown above) plus they also make seating for tables and slot machines and luxury lounge furniture. Everything for indulging your hobby and getting the complete casino experience, whether in your home or business.

Speaking of that, does anybody know of any eco-friendly/LEED certified casinos?

So you do yoga, and love it. But your mat is, well, a big bore. And sharing mats at the gym ... um, no thanks. Go upscale and green with a Mindful Mat from Plank Designs ($85). These cool-looking mats feature high-quality photos in four themes, Cobra (main photo; get it? snake in the grass?), Pill, Plank and Shag (gallery), and are made with eco-conscious materials. They're constructed of EcoLite, an eco-composite synthetic rubber, and EcoCell, a recycled polyurethane foam, and are biodegradable and recyclable. They do not contain rubber, later or PVC and don't use a lot of energy to produce. You'll have a clear conscience, to go along with your clear head, when you leave class.

P.S. Also offered are three text design mats ($65, gallery), "Bling," "Me," and "Chocolate," though I'm not sure whether these meet the eco-standards of the photo mats.

Ugh, isn't Dubai full up of celebrity hotels, resorts, and developments already? Apparently not, as the latest celebrity to join the fray of "I have a hotel in Dubai" is Pamela Anderson.

Her hotel will apparently be environmentally friendly, although how exactly we're not sure -- except that she was quoted as saying "It's built with no fossil fuel at all... in Abu Dhabi - where they have all that oil."

Pamela was first inspired for the project after traveling to the area this past June with the Make a Wish Foundation. No word on what her hotel will be called, or when it will open for business.