Arctic Circle is a daily cartoon strip by Alex Hallet about three penguins, Oscar, Ed and Gordo, who have emigrated from Antarctica to the Arctic. The comic has an underlying environmental theme and regularly sees the humour in trying to live a more eco-friendly life in a 21st century world.

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the prototype of a battery-powered van based on the Mercedes-Benz Vito at a recent EU Competitiveness Council meeting held in Spain. Assembly of the electric-powered Vito is being integrated directly into standard production and marks the start of a new era in local, zero emission mobility in the van sector. KelownaCapitalNews.com

Chinese inspectors randomly sampling department stores and boutiques in the southeast China province of Zhejiang found that a dizzying 60 percent of garments made outside of China suffered from poor colorfastness, high levels of acid or even contained formaldehyde. Inhabitat.com

GGRP’s brilliant album packaging transforms into a cardboard record player. The 45 rpm album sleeve unfolds into a miniature record player, and with the help a pencil you can become a DIY zero-energy DJ. Inhabitat.com

Designed by home furniture company Ayodhyatra, the Secret Garden Table is a mosaic of various greens and textures that recall landscapes ranging from Tuscany’s rolling hills to the exotic Amazon rainforests. We dare you to pull your gaze away from these enchanting micro-landscapes. Inhabitat.com

Frito-Lay has been working for a year now on developing and testing a biodegradable bag that will completely break down in an ordinary compost pile. The corn-based polymer chip bags are set to hit store shelves soon and can be expected to biodegrade in a backyard compost pile within 14 weeks. Inhabitat.com

AT&T has just announced a USB-based telephone charger that does not pull electricity from the wall when it's not charging a phone. It's a standardized USB charger and it will charge a variety of devices, even non-AT&T devices. EcoGeek.org

With her book Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth through Simple, Everyday Choices, Mindy Pennybacker manages to cover a broad range of everyday questions. She divides them neatly into four sections/chapters: Food and Drink, A Green and Healthy Home, Personal Care and Apparel, and Transportation. The guide is ideal for those who are looking for easy and achievable ideas for their daily lives. YahooGreen.com

Decades ago, when chemists were churning out new discoveries and industry was making "better living through chemistry," the belief was widely held that chemicals do not cross the placenta. We now know that mother's chemical exposure can affect her baby's chances for a normal, healthy life, especially in early pregnancy when a fetus' growth is being carefully regulated by a host of natural chemical messengers in the womb. TreeHugger.com

BMW and Siemens unveiled a system of networked traffic lights that can communicate with nearby cars to warn them about road conditions, help them better use anti-idling features, but that can also learn about traffic patterns from those cars and adjust cycling times to optimize traffic flow, saving time and fuel. TreeHugger.com

Cardboard is popping up everywhere. A strong and durable material, it is made from recycled paperboard and is itself recyclable when you get bored. It is long lasting, can be assembled easily, comes in a flat-pack and some say is softer and friendlier than wood or plastic. It certainly is cheaper.... TreeHugger.com