Is there an elephant in the room? Not really. But it’s sometimes hard to tell at the 13 room Earth Lodge. Located on the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, the luxurious resort blends itself into the environment so seamlessly that, at times, it seems like you are really in the thick of things—with the added amenities of a full bar, spa, meditation retreat, library, and, you know, requisite art gallery. The dining area overlooking a watering hole is the most striking—allowing you to watch rhinos drink while you eat. Guides take you into the wilderness on environmental awareness tours and workshops held at the Education Centre teach about water conversation and the relationship between ecotourism and the community. The lodge also makes conservation efforts to ensure the lions, rhinos, buffalo, elephants, cheetahs, and some 200 other indigenous species are happy and roaming free in the area. After all, angry elephant in the room? Awkward. For rates and availability, go to sabisabi.com.

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Unless you buy vintage, it’s tricky pinning down the exact source (and ethical baggage) of a given diamond. To guarantee that your new stone wasn’t cause for crossfire and exploitation, head to San Francisco-based Brilliant Earth. Dedicated to environmentally and socially responsible business, all of its diamonds and sapphires come directly from conflict-free mines in Canada, Australia, and Malawi. The company also uses reclaimed gold and platinum, carefully re-refined to be as shimmery as ever. Another plus: They donate 5 percent of all profits to global communities ravaged by the jewelry trade. Available online at brilliantearth.com.

Every week, OZOlife.com contributes a post to VF Daily that showcases desirable sustainable items. Visit OZOlife.com for profiles of influential tastemakers, practical consumer reports, links to green news, and more.

In high school, some of us had to carry around and "nurse" strange things like eggs and sacks of flour for days. The idea: to remember that parenting was hard. We think Valerie Auberger and her partner kind of channeled our health teachers when they created Pinky Tree. Their goal: to provide a living reminder for people to improve their carbon footprints. These keychain/cellphone charms are two-inch capsules that house a variety of baby cacti selected for durability and cuteness. You can keep them in the "incubator" for up to a year before they need replanting and only need to water them once or twice a month. Part of every sale goes toward American Forests reforestation. And for every four Pinky Trees sold, one tree can be planted. Do your health teachers proud and get one at pinkytree.com.

Every week, OZOlife.com contributes a post to VF Daily that showcases desirable sustainable items. Visit OZOlife.com for profiles of influential tastemakers, practical consumer reports, links to green news, and more.

Wishing they were on your kitchen chopping block (and off the one shared by many businesses these days) are 200 foods on Slow Food Nation’s US Ark of Taste list. These dietary staples are literally on the verge of extinction due to industrial standardization, limitations on large scale-distribution, and environmental damage. On the list: wild rice, yellow-meated watermelon, a selection of plums, apples, and tomatoes, and many more. So how can you save the persimmon and its imperiled friends? Simple: Buy them and eat them. By voting with your dollar, you'll encourage growers to keep them coming (regardless of hanging chads). See the list at slowfoodsusa.org.

Every week, OZOlife.com contributes a post to VF Daily that showcases desirable sustainable items. Visit OZOlife.com for profiles of influential tastemakers, practical consumer reports, links to green news, and more.

When marketing guru John Grant told us about morning walks with his five-year-old son, we were charmed by the simple, sustainable routine. And equally so by the Walking School Bus, a national program aiming to curb gas costs and help improve kids' health (while simultaneously fueling a sense of community). How to get involved? Start a W.S.B. in your neighborhood by rallying interested families and setting a carpool-esque schedule. Adults take turns as chaperones, picking up a gaggle of backpack-clad kids along the way. (Those who live far from school can walk to a meeting point where the bus will then cart kids the rest of the way.) For more information, go to walkingschoolbus.org.

Every week, OZOlife.com contributes a post to VF Daily that showcases desirable sustainable items. Visit OZOlife.com for profiles of influential tastemakers, practical consumer reports, links to green news, and more.

As everyone and their mother seems to be clamoring for a piece of the green pie, we increasingly appreciate stalwarts who have been quietly going about their eco-business for years. Los Angeles-based interior designer Kelly LaPlante has over a decade of sustainability-focused work under her effortlessly stylish belt, and lays her philosophy bare in her classy newish book, Ecologique: The Style of Sustainable Design. From actor Michael Rappaport’s Barton Find-inspired bachelor pad to the Venice Beach Eco Cottages, it’s filled with lush images of responsible design ideas that think outside the typical modernist box. Further evidence that LaPlante walks the walk: 100 percent of all proceeds benefit Global Green and the Blank Theater Company.

Available online at organicinteriordesign.com.

Every week, OZOlife.com contributes a post to VF Daily that showcases desirable sustainable items. Visit OZOlife.com for profiles of influential tastemakers, practical consumer reports, links to green news, and more.

Al Gore got us talking about climate change; Sideways pointed out the pleasures of Pinot Noir. But credit Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski's Carbon Neutral Challenge Initiative for Oregon Wineries for connecting the two. Since global warming could significantly impact a winery's ability to grow grapes and produce quality wines, the initiative helps local vineyards become carbon neutral as soon as 2009. Thus far, 30 wineries have taken the pledge and first steps (from assessing their energy use to turning to solar energy sources), including two of our all-time favorite Pinot providers, Anne Amie and Willamette Valley Vineyards.

To order Oregon wines, go to Avalonwine.com.

Every week, OZOlife.com contributes a post to VF Daily that showcases desirable sustainable items. Visit OZOlife.com for profiles of influential tastemakers, practical consumer reports, links to green news, and more.

We’re eco-conscious fashion fans, but we’re also realistic: dressing head to hemp (or organic cotton or bamboo) doesn’t always cut it. Which is why we’re so impressed with Philanthropist, a San Francisco boutique that puts a new spin on conscious consumption. Run by best friends (and former Gap execs), the week-old shop donates 100 percent (yes, really) of its profits to local charities, which revolve seasonally. Right now, snap up Zac Posen, Gary Graham, Rag & Bone, and Rebecca Minkoff with the knowledge that you’re supporting Raphael House, a shelter for at-risk kids and their families. (Shipping is available via phone order.) Guilt-free shopping? Depends on your bank account, but it’s a start.

Philanthropist, 3571 Sacramento Street, 415-441-1750.

Every week, OZOlife.com contributes a post to VF Daily that showcases desirable sustainable items. Visit OZOlife.com for profiles of influential tastemakers, practical consumer reports, links to green news, and more.

When we think of children’s birthday parties, visions of piles of presents and Steve Martin in Parenthood (dressed cowboy-style in bath mats) dance in our heads. To its credit, Canadian company Echoage wants to tweak tradition by ushering in a new era of scaled back, environmentally-conscious celebrations. The process is simple: Sign up for the Evite-esque service, let your child choose from a list of charities, then invite guests to contribute funds—which go towards donations and one special gift for the birthday kid. The goal: encouraging social consciousness and an appreciation for scaled back consumption. Clowns and organic cupcakes, unfortunately, are still up to you.

Every week, OZOlife.com contributes a post to VF Daily that showcases desirable sustainable items. Visit OZOlife.com for profiles of influential tastemakers, practical consumer reports, links to green news, and more.

Coit Tower? Old news. The trolley? Too touristy. And anyway, this weekend’s opening of the new California Academy of Sciences blows other San Francisco attractions out of the water. The breathtaking Renzo Piano-designed building is the greenest museum ever built—and has architecture critics in a frenzy of anticipation. Witness the 2.5-acre rolling green roof (which will absorb almost 2 million gallons of rainwater per year), the 60,000 solar panels, the four-story glass domed living Rainforest, and one of the world’s largest aquariums. And for the ultimate San Francisco treat? Digest it all along with famed Slanted Door chef Charles Phan’s food at the in-museum cafe and restaurant, which source from the roof’s 1.7 million plants.

For more information, go to calacademy.org.

Every week, OZOlife.com contributes a post to VF Daily that showcases desirable sustainable items. Visit OZOlife.com for profiles of influential tastemakers, practical consumer reports, links to green news, and more.