Want to green your ride, but can’t afford a Tesla? That’s okay… there are plenty of cool (if not quite so flashy) new transportation options coming down the pike that will cost you less than $100,000. Some of ‘em you can even build yourself.

Seriously Strange Fossil Fuelings:

Who needs hydrogen? Some energy alternatives have been around for years, and are making a comeback.

1. Wood

It’s not talked about as much as the Manhattan Project, but there was a big energy crisis during WWII, when the military sucked up a huge portion of the world’s petroleum output. Individual car-owners across Europe converted their cars and trucks to run on… wood.

Wood?

Wood. Engines don’t run on liquid gasoline - they literally run on fumes. Same goes for the fire in your fireplace – when you see flames rising, that’s the fumes of volatiles coming off the logs and igniting. You can do the same thing in your car.

Some folks are working on making this high-tech, with scrubbers and sealed, carefully controlled burners. Renewable Energy Systems are currently running a demonstration coast-to-coast tour with a couple of modded 1991 Dodge Dakota V8 pickups.

But for now you can go very low-tech – plonk a stove on the back of your pickup and run a vacuum hose to the carburetor; after that your spark plugs ignite the fumes as per usual. You can get information on the web to rig your vehicle with a hundred or so dollars in parts: Jim Mason offers workshops and info, or order a how-to guide from Mother Earth News.

But either way, your fuel can be wood if you want – or any scrap biomass.

2. Steam

The British Steam Car looks like the Batmobile and runs like an iron horse. It is not quite road-ready just yet, though, as it guzzles 1,000 litres (one ton!) of water per 25 minutes of travel time. So for now it is recommended only for shorter commutes (or perhaps not at all).

3. People Power

HumanCar is driven by people - even the steering is human powered, like on a bicycle or motorcycle.

How does it work? They’re being very, very cagey – there’s lot of talk on their website about patents and proprietary trade secrets, not too much on how it will run.

But for sure, this won’t be a Flintstones-style feet-through-the-floor operation.

Already on the Market:

4. ZAP Xebra

Perfect for in-city commuting or shopping, this little car only has a 25-mile range. Still, it brags that even after counting emissions from generating the electricity it uses, it produces 98% less pollution than a gas vehicle. And it’s available now. Next up: A ZAP trucklet with a solar panel to fuel itself.

5. Smart Fortwo

This may look like a toy, but it pumps out 110 horsepower (between a 4-cylinder gas engine and a 50-kilowatt electric motor) And it is kind of cute. This vehicle seats two comfortably (depending on the individual, of course); at a stretch you can cram in thirteen contortionists.

Future Green Transport:

6. Zoop

This little electric flitter can travel at up to 120 mph (although that prospect raises the specter of “Unsafe at Any Speed”). The Zoop is more about being seen – hence the clear canopy and the flashy design by EV-proponents André and Coqueline Courrèges of Paris-based fashion house Maison de Courrèges.

7. Ecooter

It is hard to say whether this Chinese offering is even a car, and even the name implies it is some sort of scooter…

Still, it has four wheels (in a diamond layout, rather than the standard “four corners” formation) and there is a roof over your head to keep out the wind and rain, so perhaps it qualifies.

The way it parks is particularly interesting - thanks to the diamond wheelbase, you can do some remarkably tight turning with this little thing:

7. Loremo

The name stands for “Low Resistance Mobile” This just goes to show that you don’t need to wait for next decade’s technology to accomplish amazing things with milage: The Loremo combines a highly-efficient German-engineered diesel engine with extremely low-drag design to achieve 150 miles per gallon. Coming next year to Europe, with US launch to follow.

8. Helios

Want to really get off the grid? Helios has the answer: a solar-powered buggy with a saurian solar sail that spreads out to soak up the sun and recharge, photovoltaicly. This concept car won the Best Use of Technology at the Interior Motives Design Awards 2008. Note to racers: do NOT attempt to deploy the sail as a drag chute…

9. The Air Car

Coming as early as spring 2009 from MDI and Zero Pollution Motors, it runs on compressed air. Developed by Formula One engineer Guy Nègre, the Air Car is expected to make big inroads in India, where it will be sold as the Tata Nano for $2500.

10. VW 1-Liter

A few of the mainline automakers are trying to break out of the gas-guzzler mode (although not GM, who have announced they won’t be bringing their min-cars to the US market, further demonstrating their brilliant business acumen and why the government should give them a big bailout.) VW wanted a car that would go 100 miles on one liter of gas, but it’s taken them more than six years to perfect the high-tech low-weight materials like carbon fiber and titanium. Along with a super-sleek aerodynamic shell, this diesel-powered commuter car is scheduled to get a spectacular 235 mpg when it hits the roads (in a limited edition test release) in 2010.

Can’t wait - or really want to do something now? Don’t despair - you can upgrade your current rustbucket to at least make it a little more fuel-efficient.

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So you are going green on a budget, or just want a bag that makes more of a statement than the branded shopping bag from your local store? Reusable shopping bags are an eco-friendly solution to a growing waste problem. Each year, 38 billion plastic bags are thrown away in the US alone. Only a tiny percentage of these bags are recycled - the rest:

• Make their way to the ocean and kill thousands of marine creatures each year.
• Some float through the air, endangering birds and littering the streets.
• Others sit in landfills and decompose, contaminating the water, soil, and food supply with harmful micro-toxins.

Plastic bags also increase our dependency on nonrenewable oil - the material polyethylene is derived from oil and is used to manufacture bags. Some grocery chains are doing their part by offering a green alternative to disposable shopping bags at checkout lines while others have decided to add a fee for the use of bags to encourage shoppers to bring their own tote. A number of areas are banning plastic shopping bags completely.

How to Make Your Own Reusable Shopping Bag

Handmade eco-friendly bags make wonderful shopping companions and are just as much fun to make! Some are extremely simple - perfect kid-friendly crafts - while other shopping bag patterns are more time-consuming and require a little skill. From recycling harmful plastic bags to reusing old clothing, these do-it-yourself ideas are as eco friendly as they are creative.

Green shopping bags are stronger and roomier than their harmful disposable counterparts, not to mention much better looking. Be sure to make a few for friends and family too - consuming fewer bags saves oil, saves animals, and improves the landscape as well.

Make a Tee-Bag

This reusable shopping bag pattern is so easy a child could make it - in fact, the 10 year old behind Tee Bags contributed the simple steps needed to make your own eco friendly bag from a t-shirt!

A Rogan Gregory Exclusive

A fashionable crocheted tunic can create a one of a kind reusable shopping bag that looks chic and sophisticated, even when its brimming with your favorite fruits and veggies. While this pattern is a bit more involved than the tee-bag above, its stylishness makes the extra effort worthwhile. Visit TeenVougue to learn how to make your own Rogan Gregory eco tote

Reuse Colorful Sheets to Make a Unique Shopping Bag

Morsbags have taken homemade reusable shopping bags to a whole new level. Not only are these eco friendly bags easy to make, they cost next to nothing! Best of all, Morsbags encourages us to spread the environmental love by forming a pod and donating bags throughout the community.

Another Way to Reuse Your Favorite Tee

Another way to reuse your old t-shirts, this green shopping bag pattern includes pocket designs to make your tote more functional. Durable straps and a fold-over flap add to the appeal; rescuing old t-shirts from the garbage makes it even better!

Reusable Totes Made From Recycled Bags

Crocheted shopping bags typically expand easier than cloth totes. This pattern offers even more elasticity and is stronger than 50 plastic shopping bags. Turning plastic bags into recycled yarn is a tedious process, but the eco friendly shopping bags they create are stylish and extremely durable.

There are hundreds of reusable shopping bag patterns available online - these are just 5 of our faves. Feel free to share your own resources and thoughts on eco friendly shopping bags in the comments!

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Last week saw the launch of the very first green fashion magazine called boho. It is printed on 100% recyclable paper with soy-based inks, and unlike other magazines that have a green theme, this one is devoted entirely to fashion. Real fashion–not just hemp and Earth Shoes. We’re talking haute couture here.

For those of us who have an interest in both fashion and ethics, this marks a great milestone in our efforts to green up a notoriously un-conscious industry.

But boho isn’t the only source for green fashion news and information. A handful of dedicated bloggers have made it their mission to publicize the independent, sustainable designers and manufacturers that are making the world a beautiful place, in more ways than one. 

Here are the best of the best in the world of Green Fashion Blogging:  The Top Ten Green Fashion Blogs!

1.  Victoria Everman

Victoria Everman is a “creatively versatile eco-powerhouse.”  She’s a freelance writer, fashion model, on-camera personality, public speaker,  and official U.S. spokesperson for Twice Shy Clothing.  She’s got an industry insider’s view of sustainable fashion and beauty!

2.  Eco-Chick

Starre Vartan has been writing Eco-Chick since 2005.  This month sees the release of her new book, The Eco Chick Guide to Life:  How to Be Fabulously Green.  She and her team of editors cover the green movement from the female perspective, focusing on young, urban, and hip women with a passion for green.

3.  Green Girls Global / Green Guys Global

A blog based in the UK and contributed to by style-loving ladies around the globe (hence the name), this blog has one of the most extensive ranges of topics I’ve seen.  It’s is always fresh, with plenty of up-to-the-minute news about the world of green fashion.

4.  Green Cotton

Written by Shana Yansen, the founder of Jute & Jackfruit, a new sustainable clothing company.  Yansen not only writes about fashion, but has great insights on the manufacturing process for organic clothing.

5.  DC Goodwill Fashion Blog

Vintage, recycled and second-hand clothing are a huge part of the sustainable style movement.  DCGFB documents the pursuit of high fashion that has been derived from the mother of all second hand stores:  The Goodwill!

6.  Fashion, evolved.

“A style blog for the eco snob,” brings fashion and sustainability together through interviews with designers and retailers, coverage of current events, and plenty of humor.

7.  Righteous (re)Style

Focuses on recycled, reused, second-hand, vintage, and re-purposed fashion.  The author also writes about general ‘green’ topics and her pursuit of an organic lifestyle.

8.  Organic Clothing Blog

This site focuses mainly on the manufacturing and processing of organic fabrics, and it is a veritable goldmine of information for anyone who is really interested in educating themselves about the industry.

9.  The Greenloop

A huge collection of features about and interviews with sustainable designers; along with  coverage of green fashion news, current events, and shopping!

10. Eco Fabulous

A comprehensive look at the world of eco style, including regular posts on women’s fashion, shoes, accessories and handbags.

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