It might not always seem true, but most of us [1] do care about the environment and want more sustainable choices as consumers. At the same time, we've become more design-obsessed, with Michael Graves and Todd Oldham making sleek toasters [2] and chairs [3] for the big-box retailers, while style-purveyors like IKEA [4] and West Elm [5] continue to proliferate. It's only natural that as interest in and access to contemporary design increases, earth-conscious consumers now demand modern style as well. The "crunchy" aesthetic, once the standard among green shoppers, no longer suits us all.

The time seems ripe for a sustainable design renaissance, and the newly revised edition of ecoDesign: The Sourcebook [6], by U.K. green design [6] professor Alastair Fuad-Luke, arrives right on time to help it flourish. The eco-style bible exhaustively proves how attractive and functional responsibly designed products can be. It catalogs over 700 innovative "Objects for Living," "Objects for Working," and "Materials," both products and prototypes, that showcase the latest technological advances in sustainable and environmentally aware product design. (A fourth section called "Resources" lists designers, manufacturers, and other practical information.)

Flipping open to nearly any of ecoDesign's 352 pages, I found items so elegant and covetable that the eco-factor almost feels incidental. It most emphatically isn't, of course, and the accompanying descriptions make this clear by listing which of the more than 130 "eco-strategies" are pertinent to the given object. Such strategies include "biodegradable," "zero waste production," "water conservation," and "reduction of materials used." Products unconcerned with style-say, Packaging and Shipping-still fascinate. Who knew someone designed an eco-keg?

Happily, the "Seating" section takes up over ten percent of the book. Chairs are, after all, the designer's design object, the true test of their mettle. I was inspired by the Sushi Sofa and Chair [7], made from multi-colored offcuts of carpet, felt, rubber, cotton, and plastic, from the Brazilian team of Fernando and Humberto Campana, and the fanciful Garden Bench [8], formed by high-pressure extrusion of compostable plant waste and resin, by Droog Design. As for the other make-or-break design object-shoes-Arvind Gupta's high-tech Modular Hinge Sandal [9], which snaps together and comes apart for easy recycling, and the Emilianas slippers [10], created from a single piece of felt, fascinate in uniquely different ways. On other pages, I found Benza, Inc.'s Pin Up clock, a timekeeper with a pliable face of wool fleece; the Muscle Power toothbrush, which the user winds up instead of using batteries; and the biodegradable Earthsleeper^TM coffin, formed mostly of recycled newsprint boards. If I owned a house with a yard, I would definitely consider the automatic Solar Mower [11]. It's sort of like an outdoor Roomba [12] for your lawn.

ecoDesign makes the possibilities seem endless and fascinating. Design professionals, amateur junkies, and average consumers will be equally impressed and inspired to seek out products that can be held to a higher standard. Given the abundance of choices, they might also question how far they can go. As for me, would I really feel comfortable using the Naturum, a composting toilet from Finland? If a low-cost, hydrogen fuel cell-powered scooter hit the market, could I improve my morning commute? Is a compostable keyboard, formed of fibrous carrot, spinach, and celery pulp bound together by cornstarch, the answer to so-called e-waste? Reading ecoDesign was actually a bit dizzying, but it felt more like a high, not unlike the one some people get when they shop. In the future, when I want to feel inspired by the idealism, potential, and breadth of available green products, I'll pick up this book.

ecoDesign: The Sourcebook, revised edition by Alastair Fuad-Luke [13]

Cost: $35

Where to Buy: LIME Shop [14]