Since we didn’t have a Friday 5 last week, here’s a 2-week bumper edition!

Thanks to the advent of the DVD & Blu-ray, the world is littered with slithery piles of obsolete CDs. What to do? Artist Sean Avery takes, them, smashes them up – and makes them come alive.

Staying with animals, our relationship with marine critters is clearly broken – and here’s an exhibit that hammers it home.

Off on a classic American road trip? Here are 50 ways to break it.

It’s no great secret that some Republicans have a twisted view of the world when it comes to women’s rights – so how about an art movement that celebrates That Word That Nobody Should Say In Public?

Were you at our EcoSalon NYC Fashion Week launch party (which garnered a mention from CBS News)? If not, consider us broken up about it.

How do the two presidential candidates weigh up on the topic of energy? The devil is in the details.

Cinnamon makes bad coffee bearable and good coffee mindblowingly good. But as Aylin Erman shows, a closer look at this super-spice reveals a sweeping world of uses. (But really, the coffee thing? Do that first).

In the wake of New York Fashion Week, Amy DuFault stops to think about the troubling issue around the recent Pakistan garment factory fire, the biggest industrial accident in the country’s history.

Home improvement: here are some awesome women who truly know how to Do It Themselves.

And finally, if you’re used to budget hostel experiences in Europe where you try to avoid looking too closely at your surroundings… here are 7 accommodation options beautiful (and bizarre) enough to reward the most ardent scrutiny.

The post The Friday 10: The Broken / Fine-Detailed Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

A box full of films, books and snacks to keep you entertained all winter long.

Our exclusive EcoSalon shopping must-have, the curated product assortment known as The Box, is back. We’re offering $500 in eco-goodies for the New Year for just $99 and these won’t last. That’s a guarantee.

Since we’re in the middle of winter, we think the best way to embrace the season is to pack a box full of everything you’ll need for a night in. Warm up with a mug of organic hot chocolate and throw on a DVD; this box is all about keeping you entertained and cozy through the winter months.

(If you do miss out this time around, our friends at Ecorazzi are hosting a giveaway for the last remaining Entertainment Box standing. Head on over to their site and register to win!)

Just look at what we have in store for you this time around:

Vinylux coasters

Make sure to keep your coffee table clean and do it in style by putting your glass on a Vinylux LP coasters. Each coaster is created from an original record, which has been trimmed to frame the label with a thin ring of black vinyl. The coasters are double-sided (as were records) and laminated to protect the labels from moisture and to prevent scuffs on furniture.  Coaster sets are comprised of six assorted vintage record labels, so each set is totally unique.

(Retail value of $20)

23 Feet DVD

A film about a community of people who make the conscious choice to live simply and do what they love in the great outdoors, 23 Feet by Red Reel Video follows the story of three women who set out in their 23-foot, 1970 vintage Airstream and the stories they find along the way as they travel through the West. Bursting with wanderlust and inspiration, 23 Feet gives an intimate look at the ups and downs of dedicating your life to a passion.

(Retail value of $15)

i-Ecko eco-friendly speakers

Portable and convenient to store, these speakers not only fold flat, but they are also made from recycled materials. i-Ecko speakers are universally compatible with all MP3 players, iPods and iPhone 3G, meaning that you can blast your favorite beats no matter where you are.

(Retail value of $14.99)

Tweet This Book

What would Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill had said if they lived in the Twitter age? Full of some of great quotes from across, Tweet This Bookfrom Ulysses Press puts some of the best sayings from literary greats, politicians, musicians and celebrities all in one place, and easily translatable to the digital age.

(Retail value of $10)

Treeverse DVD

We’re big fans of video production company Uncage the Soul. They were the genius behind the stunning timelapse, Finding Oregon that we featured recently on EcoSalon. Treeverse is a complelling documentary that follows arborists Brian French and Will Koomijan as they attempt an unprecedented one kilometer canopy trek through old growth Oregon White Oak forest. The DVD but also features a collection of their other films, including “Finding Oregon,” all sure to get you motivated to get outside and explore the natural world.

(Retail value of $20)

Equal Exchange Hot chocolate

Warm up with a mug of hot cocoa from Equal Exchange. There are Plenty of reasons to love this stuff. The organic cocoa is sourced from small-scale farmers in the Dominican Republic, the organic sugar is fairly traded from farmer co-operatives in Paraguay, and the organic milk powder comes from U.S. dairy co-operatives, so you can fill good drinking a cup. Or two.

(Retail value of $7.75)

1 year Sierra magazine subscription

Why not add some regular compelling environmental and sustainability coverage to your reading list? With a tagline of “Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet,” Sierra is the official publication of the Sierra Club, and you’ll be getting an entire year’s subscription.

(Retail value of $15)

Gourmet Oren’s Kitchen Nuts

Committed to using seasonal and organic produce, Bay Area Oren’s Kitchen is committed to good food. Snack on a bag gourmet nuts, randomly selected bag from the following Oren’s Kitchen flavors: Wild Rosemary Almonds, Indian Ajwain Cashews, Smoked Paprika Pecans, Coconut Chili Macadamias.

(Retail value of $6.99)

Tipu’s Chai Now Tea

Tipu’s is the perfect quick fix of spiced goodness. All you have to do is add water, and you have a delicious mug of chai soy latte. Chai Now is made with organic spices and non-GMO soy milk.

(Retail value of $10.95)

Hug Me Pillow Cover

VivaTerra‘s Hug Me Pillow is the perfect item to snuggle up with on the couch, reminding you to take some time and relax. Please note that this is only the pillowcase – down pillow insert not included (we know you may prefer a vegan option). Only eco-friendly, humanely-sourced wool is used in the making of this cuddly soft pillow!

(Retail value of $39)

Funky Monkey Banana Snacks

In need of a quick snack for your movie night? Look no further than Bananamon by Funky Monkey. The freeze-dried organic banana and organic cinnamon is just as delicious for adults as it is for kids, so serve some up to the entire family.

(Retail value of $2.49)

Plantlife Lemongrass and Orange aromatherapy candle

Make your living room smell sweet with this Lemongrass and Orange aromatherapy from Plantlife. No matter which room you place it in, this candle will fill your space with its energizing, refreshing and subtly sweet aroma.

(Retail value of $9.90)

Albert Nobbs by George Moore

Curl up with this copy of Albert Nobbs, a novella-length story by George Moore that is the basis for the Oscar-nominated film, in which Glenn Close plays a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th-century Ireland. Some thirty years after donning men’s clothing, she finds herself trapped in a prison of her own making. Glenn has been nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Albert in this film, so get a chance to read the book before you watch the film.

(Retail value of $10)

Green Field Paper Hemp Heritage Journal Book

If you need a break from films and television, take some time to write or draw your thoughts. This journal from Green Field is perfect for just that, filled with blank pages to fuel your creativity. The paper is made with 25% hemp and 75% post consumer waste.

(Retail value of $11.95)

Ginger People 3 oz. bag of Gin Gin Hard Candy

For a boost of energy for the evening, pop one of these hard candies from Ginger People. They’re double strength, which means they’re just as an after dinner digestive as they are for a soothing throat lozenge. You can’t go wrong with candy that does double duty.

(Retail value of $2.79)

Pawling Print Studios 2012 Calendar

Keep your walls beautiful and your life organized with this distinct calendar from Pawling Print Studio. The hand draw illustrations are inspired by traditional textile patterns, and printed in quarterly series, you’ll have a new one to hang on your wall every 3 months.

(Retail value of $25)

Discovery Channel’s Oceanic DVD
The ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and contains 97 percent of the planet’s water, yet more than 95 percent of the underwater world remains unexplored. Discovery Channel’s “Oceanic” brings the ocean to life, following the team from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as they make history, sending their robotic craft Nereus into the darkest depths of the ocean, past 6,000 meters to be exact.

(Retail value of $14.98)

Two Moms in the Raw Vegan Truffles

Wheat and dairy free, these truffles from Two Moms in the Raw are the perfect healthy evening treat. Made with almond butter, it’s chocolate you can feel good about indulging in.

(Retail value of $5)

Orders are processed through Paypal. Simply click to buy!

The fine print: Please note there will be an additional $30 flat charge which covers all shipping, handling and sales tax fees. Packages are processed and shipped with love within 7 business days of ordering via UPS ground. We cannot ship internationally (we wish we could!). You’ll receive a confirmation email once your order has gone through. Due to the extremely limited nature of these special assortments, we regret that refunds are not possible if you change your mind. If any items you receive are damaged, the participating brands and EcoSalon are happy to replace them for you as soon as the item(s) is available. If the exact item is not available, one of similar value will be offered. Enjoy your assortment of green goodies!

We’re excited to send them your way.

The post January Entertainment Box: The ‘Keep Me Entertained’ Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

DVDs vaulted into existence in 1997, a box office year dominated by the likes of Titanic, Good Will Hunting and L.A. Confidential. Since then, more than 10 billion of the movie discs and their bulky plastic packages have shipped to North American retailers alone, according to sales data compiled by the Second Spin (which we wrote about in August of this year). While Netflix, iTunes and Hulu reduce consumer demand for piles of the silver plastic, as long as DVDs remain profitable, studios will continue to make and sell them.

Thankfully, one startup, Torch Films in New York, is lowering their waste output and raising the bar for the manufacture and distribution of new discs by using a lightweight format called Flex DVD. It’s manufactured by CD Digital Card, a subsidiary of Zoba International in Rancho Cucamonga, California.

The studio’s first feature, Marina of the Zabbaleen, a documentary by Engi Waseff, is now sold as a “Flex disc” following a Tribeca Film Festival debut in September 2009. Using 50% less polycarbonate material than other DVDs, the Marina”¦ DVD and sleeve package are 100% recyclable and are made of 95% recycled materials.

Chief executive Tim Hobbs and finance chief Ori Dov Gratch, who co-founded Torch Films and gave this new format a chance in the market, spoke to EcoSalon about what it takes to greenlight efficiency in an industry known for excess.

From the start was Torch Films intention to be a “green” studio?

Tim: I’m not going to lie about it. When we first started this business, our goal was just to support and release high quality, if low budget films from talented, responsible people who otherwise might not get a chance. We didn’t have a focus on green operations, a particular genre or anything besides bringing a systematic approach to our projects.

So what inspired your efforts to release a lower-impact DVD?

Tim: Marina of the Zabbaleen is what inspired us to take environmental initiative here. The film itself, as you may know, is a cinematic documentary about seven-year-old Marina, who lives in a garbage-recycling village outside of Cairo. It’s a portrait of her family and childhood, and about this community. They are entrepreneurial people, not activists but people who are recycling for survival. They have built a system we could learn from here in the U.S. At their peak levels, they recycle 90% of everything. They collect and manage Cairo’s garbage, and have one of the highest rates of recycling in the world. I have to credit the Zabbaleen and Engi Waseff, the director of this film, for giving us motivation.

Did it cost your business a great deal to produce more ecologically sensible DVDs vs. traditional?

Tim: The disc is not any more expensive to make than the older types of DVDs. The tough questions from a business perspective were about finding the more efficient technology, understanding if it worked, and how well it has been tested. There’s always a risk adopting the new. Other film studios might be wary to make a massive release on this 50% lower-impact, flexible new type of disc. [He holds a disc sample up and bends it.] But we liked the manufacturer’s reputation, and their comprehensive playability studies.

Ori: Let’s get nerdy for a minute. We had a feeling this was meant to be after we learned that Flex DVD in lab testing was compatible with 99% of players out there, including game-consoles that play DVDs. After we did our own share of bland research about things like disc drive technology, packaging, inks and how well different types of DVD cases sell at retail, and even tested the discs ourselves, we were ready to go. We kind of brag about this on our website and in our marketing materials. The 5% of material that is not from-recycled is a non-toxic, biodegradable clay coating that makes the disc and case printable. It’s a very, very thin layer of clay. All the ink we’ve used is soy-based, even on the DVD itself. We’re a first to use this format, and take it this far, and we love that.

Do you have hope Hollywood will catch onto this notion?

Ori: We’re not the first to control our waste output in general, though we are doing more than others have before. Disney released Wall-E in fairly green packaging. We view that as a leading step. We hope they and others keep shifting to more environmentally and socially responsible methods. But for large studios we realize it may take time. We’re a lean, new organization so we can do these things, and make it part of our company in the first place.

Tim: We’re not green experts, but we’re in touch with them. We have sent this DVD out to industry people for review. We just qualified for Academy consideration in 2010. So people have seen it. If they want to follow our example, great, but we’ll never tell other studios how to run their business.

Has there been resistance from anyone about your selling this film on a new format and in a non-standard case?

Ori: The film industry being full of characters, we’ve encountered some disbelief and resistance. But this DVD is about mankind leaving a smaller footprint. The more we tell people about what we want to do, the more people seem to want to help us.

Tim: Our package is not the smallest possible, to be fair. As a studio and distributor, we have an obligation to directors, and investors in our business to market our films, get them to audiences, and make money while inspiring people. The DVD we offer has to be able to stand in a wall slot at a store. In that way, we encounter resistance. Shoppers, when we tested out the notion of just using a small square package, thought the DVDs were promotional materials, and would just take them for free. Or they wouldn’t notice them at all. So, here we are, making something that holds its own at retail and begins to change expectations, with a 50% lower impact than any other DVD we’ve seen in a store.

What’s next for this film or for Torch Studios?

Tim: During the making of this film, the Zabbaleen community was hit hard by swine flu the H1N1 virus. The government in Cairo required them to slaughter their pigs, which had been instrumental in processing food-waste. We’re looking for ways to help the Zabbaleen become more profitable, and to make up for the loss of their resources. We donate 10% of retail sales of this film. But we’re looking to do more through our network, which includes a lot of social entrepreneurs. We’re also working on our next two releases, which aren’t documentaries or green. But their packaging will be.

Has greening your business changed your lives? How?

Ori: We have both become fanatical about recycling personally and at the office. I’m more aware when I’m looking at ingredients in grooming products what my own impact is, and slowly shifting my purchasing habits.

Tim: I’m semi-vegetarian, and as a New Yorker tend not to collect a lot of possessions or drive a car. So I feel like my footprint was already lower than your average American. But we found this out through research for the DVD-release – the U.S. Postal Service is greener than other shipping services – so I now go to the post office as my default. And switching to cups and bottles that are reusable, not disposable, was big for me.

Image: The Artifex

The post Q&A with Torch Films: Greenlighting New, Low Impact DVDs appeared first on EcoSalon.