The Coral Pendant designed by David Trubridge, is made out of FSC Certified hoop-pine-plywood, available at Design Within Reach.

Ooohhh, this is an inspiring story, indeed. Check this out. I came across these eco-chic lighting pendants in this month’s issue of Domino Magazine and fell in love. After a bit more research, I learned about the passionate green man who is behind the design–David Trubridge–eco-explorer extraordinaire. Read on….

David Trubridge, designer of the coral pendant line.

In 2007, this amazing designer was honored with the Green Leaf Award for artistic excellence, presented by the Natural World Museum and the United Nations Environment Program. According to DWR, “These awards celebrate an artist’s ability to inspire and engage the public in environmental awareness and action.”

What an accomplishment…

DWR offers the Coral Pendant for $450.

Here’s David’s story as told by DWR:

David Trubridge is a trained naval architect and self-taught woodworker is passionate about the environment. And this passion isn’t expressed from sitting behind a desk, rather it’s from being out in the world and living in extreme situations. In 1982, Trubridge and his family moved aboard their 45-foot cutter “Hornpipe” and spent the next four years exploring the Caribbean and Tahiti. Along the way, Trubridge designed and built entire houses of furniture for clients living on the islands. “Facilities and supplies were very limited and I had to design around what was available and what I could do there,” says Trubridge. “It was a very valuable lesson in economy and creative design. Mostly I worked in a tiny shed with about one machine, and if I had to, I bought time on larger machines nearby. In Tahiti I worked out of the clients’ garages and they could wander out and watch their furniture being made. Electricity came from generators that did not run all the time so I had to work around that too.”

David’s design influence here? Repeating patterns of ice crystals he saw in Antarctica and the similar patterns he saw in underwater coral.

For more info, click here.

As I’m sitting here writing this, I’m imagining how cute and adorable these eco-lanterns are going to look in my backyard this summer at all my parties.

I caught wind of these eco-babies at Green By Design. These Japanese-inspired solar-powered lanterns can be hung from a trellis, tree or anywhere really, to provide outdoor mood lighting. “What a romantic setting! is on my mind.

Yellow LED lights are encased in paper-like, weatherproofed nylon and automatically switch on at night. Love it!

Available in two sizes $69 and $24 at Gaiam.

Greenlight Concepts is totally eco-chic with lighting made out of discarded traffic lights! Um, we love that!

8″red ruby pendant light retails for $240. Click here for more info.

Hats off to you, Greenlight Concepts! Thank-you for using your creative energy for such eco-friendly lighting….Ok, let me back up a minute….

I happened to be glancing through the Nov./Dec. issue of Natural Home Magazine and came across these eco-fabulous light fixtures that are made out of recycled traffic lights that I absolutely had to share with you!

How unique and eco-fabulous do these look in this kitchen? Yeah, baby, I think so…

Greenlight Concepts is the company behind these eco-chic creatures and this is how they explain it:

“…We create retro-modern lighting fixtures using glass lenses recycled from discarded traffic lights. Across the United States, giant truckloads of red, yellow and green lenses are tossed into land-fills as cities upgrade to more efficient lighting technology. We’re reclaiming these glass artifacts to create “Stoplights,” our new line of lighting fixtures.”–taken from greenlightconcepts.com

We give you eco-rock star bonus points for keeping these out of the land-fills!

Another funky, eco-chic lighting choice:

8″ clear pendant $299. Click here for more info.

We love you Greenlight Concepts. Keep going green….You’re awesome.

Dr. Kristin Sulis, and her gorgeous pineapple chandelier (she hasn’t been named yet, but she’s definitely a girl) is going to be hung in the lounge/waiting area of her new animal medical care facility, Mt. Tabor Vet Care right here in very eco-conscious Portland, Oregon. This is the first time I’ve seen a veterinarian care this much about the space where she will care for her patients.

You might be like me; very picky about who takes care of your pets. Dr. Sulis is the most competent and caring animal medical doctor that I have ever experienced. My cats are getting to be seniors now and when I moved to Portland (4 years ago) I did a lot of research and she is the very best.

As I mentioned, Dr. Sulis is opening her very own private practice right here in Portland–Mt. Tabor Vet Care and the facility is unique in that it is designed with the client’s experience in mind.

Here’s what makes this doctor’s practice unique:

First of all, she’s hanging that adorable pineapple chandelier (which she salvaged at Hippo Hardware–another cool shopping spot on Portland’s eco-friendly circuit) in her lounge/waiting area.

Hippo Hardware logo (on right). Isn’t he adorable. Hippo focus’s on lighting, hardware and architecture from the 1850’s to 1960’s!

Bacl to Dr. Kristin Sulis.

So imagine this. You take your beloved pet into Mt. Tabor Vet Care, you walk into a space that is totally eco-chic (everything has been built and/or purchased with love and attention to sustainability issues). You feel totally at ease here. The people who greet you are loving and kind and actually care about you and your pet’s experience.

Your shoulders immediately relax as you make your way into the lounge/waiting area with its’ comfortable couches and chairs. Your pet gets to sit on a comfy bed and/or soft carpet tiles while you both wait. Your eyes scan the luscious colors on the walls and there is great reading material (not just Cat and Dog Fancy).

Throw in fabulous lighting (well you’ve seen the chandelier) but they will also be hanging eco-chic lights from Schoolhouse Electric, and you’ll have the option of having tea, coffee or maybe you’ll choose to have a cup of Kristin’s homemade soup while you wait…and we can’t forget the yummy dog and cat treats that will be available to your precious loved ones.

To top it off, you know you are getting the best animal medical care. Mt. Tabor Vet Care will have the newest and most advanced technology! Dr. Sulis is at the top of her game. And as far as I’m concerned, Mt. Tabor Vet Care is seriously a pet owner’s dream!

MTVC will open it’s doors at the end of January 2008.

Be sure to check out Dr. Sulis’s blog for more fun photos and updates.

Can one be in love with a chandelier? She’s a Goddess, she’s mine and yes I am.

Right now I am sitting here at home just staring at my newest purchase: a triple tiered crystal chandelier which I ordered from Portland’s EWF Modern. Watch for more on EWF Modern in one of my PinknGreen Vlog episodes later….

I just can’t seem to peel my eyes away from this beautiful Creature. Love, lust, passion? All of the above maybe. Is it possible to covet a “thing?” It feels very much alive to me….So yes, I really think so…Read on.

The crystals feel like long hair or a water feature. Divine.

I am in the process of redesigning my dining room area. Last month it suddenly hit me–I needed a new dining room table. Why? Well, the one I had was beautiful, no doubt–a teak table that had been with me for about 6 years and through a relationship that I had moved on from. But I happened to notice that I wasn’t using the table at all–hence that area entered into the “dead zone” territory–places that aren’t used and don’t have much life force. That’s really not good… And something else very interesting—I also noticed I needed to improve my eating habits and take better care of myself. Hmmm….a bright light went on in my head.

First thing I did was to take a series of deep breaths, begin to set my new intention, visualize the feeling I wanted to create and how I wanted to use the space. Easy enough. I wanted a rectangular table (my previous one was oval) since we humans tend to sit longer at square and rectangular tables. I wanted more meal gatherings in my home to include loved ones, friends and family. Of course it also had to be beautiful, sexy.

In Feng Shui my dining room falls into the Center of the Bagua Map which is all about mental, emotional, physical and Spiritual health and well being. Perfect! I was about to embark on a new journey with many wonderful changes to come.

When I filmed 10,000 Villages about 3 weeks ago for Planet Pink n’ Green, I saw the perfect table! The wood slab of the table (shown above) was entombed, underground in a cave for I don’t know how many years in India. When I ran my hands across this beautiful piece, I felt the minerals and the energy to be just delicious. I knew it had to be mine. By the way, the store Ten Thousand Villages has some of the most wonderful items for the home and they are all fairly traded, changing lives all across the globe in the most wonderful ways.

Now as I gaze at the table and the chandelier, it feels like the union of male and female in the most balanced and delightful way. Here’s what I mean. The female is the crystal chandelier with hair like water hanging down over the solid, earth body of the table which is her masculine counterpart. Food is also of the earth element and eating food on this table will reinforce that energy. It’s also a solid, grounding and secure feeling. That combined with the love of people and community makes for a wonderful and sacred space.

Notice the red bowl in the middle of the table with a candle lit inside of it. This represents the fire element and ignites the two energies, bringing them together in perfect union. Is that the sexiest thing you’ve ever heard or what?

Ok it gets even better. The next stage is a custom designed couch and upholstered chairs with lush, gorgeous fabric from Pleats Home….Stay tuned for my next blog entry on the fabulous Victoria Mees of Pleats Home. I am also very lucky to have the incredibly talented Arlene Lord of Mosaik Design in on this project. She is helping me to design the space and choose the fabric. She is Creative genius and a design Goddess. More photos later as that vision becomes a physical reality.

Just from what I have done so far, I can tell you, my life has shifted. The way I take care of myself around food is significantly improving. My dear friend Jennifer Rabin came into my life and is teaching me about Ayurvedic cooking which I love! I now enjoy cooking for myself. It’s lovely. I am sitting at my new table everyday not only eating but reading and writing as well. This all in the past month.

Excuse me now while I just sit here and stare at the Goddess…