With technology accompanying us wherever we go, more and more companies are realizing that we need stylish protection for them.

Matt & Nat, known by many in the sustainable community for their vegan handbags and accessories, has collaborated with Apple to give us the techy style we so crave.

The inspiration behind the Apple collection is “hinged by both clean architecture and functionality,” says their site.

With four “design-centric shapes,” the collection is made from vegan leather and the lining is 100 percent recycled suede. Bags to suit your ever-connected lifestyle include laptop and netbook sleeves as well as shoulder and messenger bags to hold all your gadgets.

The bags also have custom pockets for Apple accessories, including MacBooks, iPods, iPhones, and in the larger bags, iPads. The bags are available in four different colors, including black, teal, red, and gunmetal.

You can purchase these items from Matt & Nat and from the Apple store.

The post Matt & Nat Take a Bite of the Apple appeared first on EcoSalon.

Tech fashion is a hot topic lately because we have so much of it, and storing our gadget goodies in a weakly padded and smelly, toxic case just doesn’t fit in with an eco lifestyle.

Thankfully, the founders of GreenSmart found a way to solve all our problems with their full line of bags, accessories and laptop and netbook cases (also made from a water based material called Neogreene (cute right?) Neogreene remarkably compares to the feel of neoprene but with 25 percent less petroleum used, 25 percent less energy and the elimination of common toxic solvent adhesives found in neoprene. The company says that on the corner of each of their new Bottles 2 Bags backpacks and messenger bags, there’s a badge stitched in, indicating the number of (16 ounce) recycled plastic bottles that went into making it.

Not only are the cases strong and durable, but they come waterproof and thermally resistant to the little heater your laptop or Netbook can become.

Founders Tom Larsen and Debbie Williams are passionate about their products as much as their employees, and have implemented ethical social practices for GreenSmart including their product materials as well as manufacturing practices.

“As the specifiers of everything that goes into every product we made, we chose to hold ourselves accountable for the actions of our suppliers working on our behalf and for the consumers who did not know any better when they purchased our products. That was 2006. From that period forward we began the transformational process of replacing product materials with eco-conscious materials, teaching our retail customers about the materials, phasing out existing products and materials. What we did was nothing short of a do-over. Within 30 months, we had converted our supply chain to greener processes, greener materials and greener thinking.”

We at EcoSalon are especially impressed by the fabrics used for the GreenSmart “Bottles 2 Bags” which are derived from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, and the fact that they “bumped up the aesthetics,” to match their environmental commitment, which includes donating 10 percent of their profits to the World Wildlife Fund and other groups – not to mention naming all their gear after endangered animals.

This case above is the Akepa, named after the rare Maui Akepa, a small yellow bird that was once abundant in many Hawaiian islands.

Do you like it? Do you want to be like the Akepa bird hiding in the branches illustrated on this case?

Then you should leave a comment below and try your luck at winning. And if you do win, you get to choose between a laptop or Netbook case in any color. Sound fair?

Then get to it!

(Legalese: contest rules and FTC compliance.)

The post GreenSmart’s Laptop/Netbook Case Giveaway appeared first on EcoSalon.