Who: Grain Surfboards – York, ME

What: Grain Surfboard Kits

Where: Grain Surfboards – $520-$820, 9 models available in DIY kits

Why We Love ‘Em: Hurricane Earl is on his way, and you know what that means? Surf is up! Great time to get out there (okay, not if you are directly in the eye of the storm and you know how to circumvent a rip tide – just take a breath relax and swim parallel to shore…) and hit the waves. The waves up in York have been awesome and what better way to catch some waves than with a more eco-friendly surfboard. Click to continue »

Who: PUMA & Biomega

What: Nevis Commuter Bike

Where: PUMA – $649; See also the Pico

Why We Love ‘Em: Fall is our favorite season for biking and as always nice to have a little extra storage along in case you happen upon an apple orchard, fresh baked goods or a flea market gem. And now you can do it in complete ‘hipster’ style with this uber hip bike from PUMA, the result of a power collaboration between PUMA and legendary Denmark bike innovators, Biomega.

The PUMA Bike line is designed for urban mobility, durability, drivability and visibility. Where typical front loading carriers throw off the balance of the frame the lightweight integrated front carrier maintains maneuverability thanks to premium design and a lightweight aluminum frame. It is designed so that you can ride in a laid-back style with a reclined seat and cruiser style handling.

And it’s got the looks too. Splashed with bright hyacinth, violet and wild lime as an ode to the vibrant culture of Modern day Africa.

Stay tuned for spring 2011 when PUMA & Biomega releases their latest collaboration – the Mopion Commuter Bike with an extended frame for a super-sized front load cargo hold for serious grocery carting with out the drag. Available in in white, black and a color combination of magenta/blue/lime.

Who: Vanmoof – Amsterdam, The Netherlands

What: Vanmoof No. 3

Where: econscious market – $600 with $24 donated to the charity of your choice.

Why We Love It: This slick bike by Areaware & Vammoof would be the answer to one of our biggest frustrastions – losing our bike lights (literally just replaced my front light for the second time and the rear light for the third, and thinking I’ll give up on it all together before I buy a fourth!) some to the universe and others, unfortunately, to ‘sticky fingers’…. The Vanmoof Bike has a solar powered LED light system built right into the frame which can be charged by sunlight or for cloudier climes, with a micro USB cable used with phone. How cool is that??? Click to continue »

Who: Kaiku – Palo Alto, CA

What: Zen Wagon

Where: Kaiku – $319 w/free shipping

Why We Love It: The little red wagon gets a modern update with this hip design by husband and wife designers Scot and Amy Herbst. The updated design features ergonomically designed seats with a dip in the base for feet making rides to the market and to the playground more enjoyable and making the wagon a viable alternative to a stroller. Just chuck kids and gear in the wagon and you are ready to go. Ideal for beach trips! Click to continue »

Who: Specialty Bottle – Seattle, WA

What: Clear Top Tin Containers

Where: Specialty Bottle -  Round Tins, Square Tins & Rectangular Tins – $0.63 – $1.25/each! (Bulk discounts available too!)

Why We Love It: Ever since reading Time Magazines “The  Perils of Plastics“, and learning more and more about the dangers of the unregulated chemicals and toxins found in plastics – seriously, it’s frightening – we’ve been on a mission to cut down on the amount of plastic in our lives, particularly in the kitchen. We’ve weaned ourselves off of plastic water bottles, plastic baggies, ziplok bags, but the last thing to go has been our plastic tupperware containers. We’ve been using empty salsa and pasta sauce jars for leftover soups, but we just haven’t found a viable or affordable alternative for the rest of  our leftovers. We’ve found a majority of the glass or stainless steel containers run around $10 each, so we’d easily be spending $100 and still not have enough containers to get us through the week… Click to continue »

Who: Monkey Bed – Newton, MA

What: Urban Blanket Bags

Where: Monkey Bed – The Esplanade $135 (see also the smaller Seaside $79) (These bags just went public today, so there may be a few kinks to work out with the online store)

Why We Love It: As fellow Bostonians, we know that when you catch a glimpse of sunshine, you’ve got to get out and take advantage of it. Optimizing that precious park time generally involves cramming water bottles, snacks, frisbees, books, electronics and a bulky blanket into a cumbersome bag so, that by the time you get out the front door, that is if the sun is still out, you look like you are going on a camping trip instead of a casual jaunt to the park… Click to continue »

Who: Zigo – South Orange, NJ

What: Zigo Leader X2

Where: Zigo.com – $1,399.00 & 10% off with coupon code ILUVZIGO1

Why: The Zigo stroller system is just that – a completely versatile system that makes commuting with kids without a car a whole lot easier.  It functions as a stroller, a jogger, a stand alone bike, a bike trailer, a baby carrier, a kid carrier, a stroller…. Ride alone, or with your kids in the front or back. Switching from one use to the next is relatively easy once you get the hang of it. So instead of having a garage full of strollers and bikes, you can get away with this versatile all-in-one.

The added benefit of having the stroller located in the front, instead of a trailer behind your bike, allows you to keep an eye on your kids for a safer ride.  The Child pod is available in green or orange. The X2 pod can carry 1-2 children and the X1 version is made for one.

Here’s what founder Michael Ehrenreich has to say about the history of the Zigo invention:

I was sitting on my front porch with my wife and then six-month old son one beautiful summer evening. My wife complained that her feet hurt after jogging with a jogging stroller. I said, “you need to cross-train.” She said, “I want a foot massage.” The rest is history. Over a period of more than three years and several designs, the Zigo LEADER took form. A fearless group of engineers, industrial designers, and now manufacturing and sales and marketing specialists were added to the growing Zigo family. We hope that you enjoy using your Zigo LEADER as much as we enjoyed building it.

WIN IT!!!!! Click to continue »

Who: Walnut Studiolo – Portland, OR

What: Leather Bike U-lock Holster

Where: etsy.com – $49

Why: We thought we were the only ones completely frustrated by the dysfunctional mounting brackets for bike u-locks.  Our lock barely fits within the frame of our bike and we’ve wasted far too much time fumbling with it that we begrudgingly hang the lock off the bike handle or let it rattle around in our bike basket – not ideal…

That is until we came across this oh-so-dapper solution from Geoffrey Franklin, a bike enthusiast and founder of Walnut Studiolo. Click to continue »

Who: EnergyHub – New York, NY

What: The Smart Thermostat

Where: EnergyHub – coming soon!

Why We Love ‘Em: Not sure if any of you have ridden in a Prius, but we got to take a tour of Oregon in a Prius through wine country to the coastal sand dunes and along the Columbia River.  Along the way, it was hard not to get caught up in the game of how high the miles per/gallon was particularly the amount of energy we were gaining on the downhill from Mount Hood. Felt like we were able to get better mileage because we were more aware of the amount of energy we were using at any point in time. So imagine if you could monitor your household energy consumption in the same way… Click to continue »

Who: Po Campo, Chicago, IL

What: Bike Rack Bag

Where: Supermarket – $160 for the Rack Bag & $90 for the Handlebar Bag

Why We Love ‘Em: Finally the solution of the age old dilemma of how to look cute on your bike without succumbing to the cumbersome messenger bag or the dreaded backpack. Now, thanks to the ladies at Po Campo, you can ride in style with your cute little Rack Bag strapped neatly to the back. Once you arrive at your destination simply unclip the straps and you are off with your stylish tote in tow. They also have a handlebar bag if you prefer to keep your valuables in front.

Click to continue »