Not too long ago, "eco" conjured images of patchouli-drenched Berkeley grads living macrobiotically in adobe domes, taking breaks periodically to work out their anger in drum circles. But with Al and Leo on the case, the green movement is thriving, and the buzz words associated with it have become marketing gold. Luxury manufacturers are flooding the zone with environmentally friendly products. And now, in certain rarefied circles, it's not just how much you spend on your handbag but the size of its carbon footprint. The recycle symbol may soon trump Chanel and Gucci for its ability to inspire label envy. From sex toys to nightlife, fur to caviar, Radar chronicles the latest must-haves in the growing guilt-free feeding frenzy that is eco-hedonism. So put on your smug grin and hop in our outrageously overpriced hybrid sedan, we're going for $800 green martinis!
POSSUM IS THE NEW MINK
Apart from perhaps Iggy Pop, it's hard to imagine anyone, let alone international fashionistas, sporting pest pelt. Yet imported "eco-fur" from New Zealand is becoming standard issue for left-leaning fur fetishists everywhere.
The brush-tailed possum is a nuisance in the land of the Kiwis, where the silky little varmits outnumber humans by 64 million. Imported from Australia in 1837, possum compete with native birds for food and habitat and have been known to destroy entire tree species. The country's green-luxury innovators came up with a solution: kill them, sew them together, then charge a premium to strap them to your face or back. And so it was that a new apparel industry was born.
With luck, you'll have just enough time to inform the wild-eyed PETA enthusiast on the street that your full-length fur is actually saving wildlife in New Zealand before she covers you in Benjamin Moore. Possum can also be worked into more casual ensembles (Tiger Woods wears possum gloves on the links) and accessories—everything from handbags to hats to G-strings to nipple warmers. They're like natural Gore-Tex without the breathing!
Photos, in order of appearance: Evan Agostini/Getty Images; NZ Possum Products; furisdead.com
PAPER, PLASTIC, OR HERMÈS?
Bagging groceries has never been chic, but the checkout girls will be floored when you get in line at Super Stop & Shop with your re-usable designer grocery sack, courtesy of high-end labels like Hermès and Stella McCartney. The latter's organic canvas shopping bag goes for a modest $495. The Silky Pop Hermès tote is made of hand-wrought silk and folds down into a petite pouch that fits in a wallet. It sells for a trifling $960, so unless you have a sizeable dry-cleaning budget, shopping for eggs may be out of the question. But if you can afford a thousand dollar grocery bag, are you really shopping for your own eggs?

SUNNY DELIGHT
Is that a vibrator in your pocket or are you just saving the environment? The answer is both! A company called California Exotic claims to have created the first ever solar-powered vibrator, appropriately named Solar Sensations. Disguised as a cell-phone, the device fits anywhere (ahem), and once charged offers up to two and a half hours of guilt-free pleasure.
Photos, in order of appearance: Hermès, Stella McCartney; California Exotic
ENERGY RAVES
In 2005, Worm, a combination night club and art space, opened in Rotterdam, Holland. Its walls were made of recycled boards, its toilets of oil drums and door handles of bicycle handlebars. Hard to top. But just a few months ago, another local nightlife project called the Sustainable Dance Club took Worm to town. Surely the result of an Ecstasy epiphany, the idea behind the venue is that its 20-by-20 foot dance floor converts energy generated from body movement into electricity that powers the lighting. And when you tire of eco-dancing, you can polish off some organic cocktails, then relieve yourself in one of the club's rainwater toilets. Oh, Holland.
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEAN-UP
Eco-hedonists are cleaning up the planet, one room at a time, thanks to environmentally friendly maid services. But they're too busy saving the world to pick up their trash, so agencies like Earth Maids and Ms. Green Clean have filled the gap. No, it's not radioactive waste disposal, but don't tell them that—they take their jobs very seriously. Through her own natural recipes, Ms. Green Clean brews up non-toxic healthy alternative cleaning fluids. Linens and furniture are sprayed with lightly scented waters, which we assume is patchouli-based. Healthy handmade "treats" are left behind on each visit. Who needs gold-wrapped Godiva on a pillow when there's carob and barley, n'est-ce pas?
Photo, top: Döll, Atelier Voor Bouwkunst


EGO FRIENDLY The Tesla (top) and Lexus LS hybrid will set you back around $100,000 each, so you might want to pass on the recycled cardboard rims
PASSING GAS
Progressive wheels have gotten a lot less heinous since the original Prius, a car designed specifically for the abstinence-only set. The Lexus LS luxury sedan hybrid costs $104,000, making it the priciest hybrid on the market. And it will only take you 367 years to make that investment back in energy savings.
The Tesla Roadster is a relative bargain at $98,000. The ultimate ecomotive specimen is 100 percent electric and chargeable in a standard wall socket. Google co-moguls Larry Page and Sergey Brin are backing the two-seater, which gets approximately 135 mpg and goes from zero to 60 in four seconds, which probably keeps Richard Branson up at night.
When the showing off is over, the eco-hedonist will naturally want to exercise his fahrfugnugen in a manner befitting his stature—in the back seat of a chauffeur-driven limousine. You may have heard whisperings about them around Academy Awards time—tinted window luxury versions of the Toyota Prius. Well dream no more. Companies like Ecolimo are offering chauffeur-driven Prius and bio-diesel Mercedes for those special nights out on the town.
SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED ... BY THE BAR TAB
Abode, a fashionable restaurant on Santa Monica pier, has embraced several eco-friendly, practices like obtaining produce from local sustainable farms, ranches, and fisheries, but their headline attraction is the Heal the Bay Black Pearl Martini. For a glacial $300, patrons get a drink consisting of Ultra-Premium Coconut Pearl Vodka, a splash of Blue Curacao and the pièce de r´sistance, a AAA 12mm Tahitian Black Pearl garnish, appraised at $800. The catch is that all the proceeds for the costly cocktail go to the local non-profit environmental organization Heal the Bay. The perfect drink to wash down your $1000 pizza.
Photos, in order of appearance: Tesla Motors; Toyota Corp.; Abode Restaurant
STRIKING A POSE
Just a few years ago, Donatella Versace was featured on PETA campaign posters alongside the slogan, "Fur is Worn by Beautiful Animals and Ugly People."
MANUAL LABOR
Hong Kong's California Fitness is one of the first gyms to use human energy—in the form of aerobic exercise—to power its electrical devices. Members can do their part by hopping on any of the 13 different machines, including ellipticals, StairMasters, and treadmills. And once they've worked their bodies into an aesthetically attractive sweat, the excess energy they generate powers three 19-inch television sets, five 60-watt light bulbs, or 300 video iPods. Goes well with gym classics like "I've got the Power."
Photos, in order of appearance: Barneys.com; California Fitness
Posted by: David Jacobs on September 14, 2007 6:27 PM
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