It’s not always easy being green, but you can look chic doing it. With companies like Ikea and Whole Foods Market going plastic bag-free, it pays to invest in a reusable shopping tote. Uncommon Goods offers two unique options: The Recycled Newspaper market bag ($52) is made from recycled sections of The New York Times. Each bag is handmade and coated in water-resistant laminate. The Waste Not Want Not tote ($24) is made from 80 percent post-industrial recycled cotton and 20 percent post-consumer recycled plastic and features an original illustration by designer R. Nichols. Fredflare.com’s Go Green totes are made of natural canvas and printed with water-based inks, and a portion of the sales goes to the World Wildlife Fund. Delight.com’s Think Green organic Kermit tote ($38.95) is made of organic cotton and comes with three detachable green-themed buttons. Buy a tote emblazoned with “My Bag Cares” and be in your face with your environmental consciousness. For each $20 bag purchased, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant a tree in your name in the U.S. Fashionistas can trot out a Marc by Marc Jacobs canvas tote with logo lettering on the front ($148) or Juicy Couture’s Go Green tote featuring a heart-shaped recycling graphic ($75). Shoe company Nine West has partnered with Project Green to create reusable canvas bags ($20) featuring the slogans “Green Girls Are Sexy” and “Fashion Cares, Green Is Chic.” Seeking a one-stop-shop for reusable bags? Try ReusableBags.com, a comprehensive site showcasing all sizes and shapes of shopping bags, reusable bottles and lunch bags.

I can think of a few reasons why buying a pre-selected set of 1,500 tools is a sketchy idea: It costs a fortune; it likely includes quite a few items you’ll never use; and, like those mega-DVD collections often trotted out during the holidays, chances are good that someone interested in getting such a set has already bought many of the included items individually. Still, my salivary glands are fired up by this collection of Craftsman tools recently offered by Sears. The 1,470-piece set is actually a grouping of smaller collections that are available separately — a good thing, since (a) it’s doubtful many individuals really need items from all the categories here, and (b) at $8,600, the whole shebang costs more than everything in my current workshop put together, plus my car. When it comes down to it, the only reason I’m even lingering at this page of the Sears Web site is the photography: With each set of items fanned out by increments in size, curves of sockets weaving around rainbows of screwdrivers, I can’t help fantasizing about having all that gear readily available. Whoever took those photos — I suspect it wasn’t the same person in charge of pix like this from the catalog’s clothing section — deserves a big bonus.

The idea that good things are worth waiting for is disappearing in our faster-equals-better culture. Convenience and instant gratification are what we desire, and when it comes to cold wine, we can have it even if we forgot to put the bottle in the fridge. The Ravi instant wine chiller ($50; pictured) transforms room temperature chardonnay, pinot grigio, even vodka as you pour, provided you keep this amazing device in the freezer when not in use. When needed, just insert it into your wine bottle and pour. The wine passes through a frozen steel chamber on its way to your glass, arriving delectably chilled. Of course, there isn’t a whole lot of romance or visual flair with Ravi. While you’re sipping that first delicious glass or two with a friend who just happened by, let them know not everything has to be spur of the moment. Place the rest of the bottle in an illuminated ambiance chilller ($180) or a Nice Ice wine chiller mold ($25). These are perfect for parties. The illuminated chiller uses a rechargeable eight-hour battery or can be plugged in for nonstop action. As your bottle soaks in the bucket of plain old ice — it still works like a charm to make things cold — the bucket glows and slowly changes color from yellow to green to blue to violet to pink to red. The Nice Ice mold will wow your guests and give you a chance to be creative. Just fill it with water and fruit (or other freezables), freeze and voilà: you’ve got a decorative cooler for the next few hours (until the mold melts into the attached base). True, these are really more holder than fast chiller. If you want something worthy of a professional, Sharper Image has the Waring pro double-bottle wine chiller ($150). It accommodates two bottles, each with its own temperature control and features a library of 33 presets for various types of wine. Need a gift for someone who’s serious about wine? Look no further than this baby.

You don’t have to be whip smart to know that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is going to lasso its way to the top of the box office when it hits theaters on May 22. So get in on the movie madness now by searching for gear and memorabilia –– no globe-trotting or archeology degree required. Nothing says Indiana Jones quite like the infamous fedora that Harrison Ford dons in each film (pictured). At 80sTees.com an “authentic, handmade” Indiana Jones fedora of 100 percent fur felt, retails for $100. A slightly less expensive version made of wool felt with bow trim can be found at Cabela’s and comes complete with an Indiana Jones pin ($40). If you’re on a quest for the “official” wool felt fedora hat ($42), go straight to the Indiana Jones Shop. David Morgan supplied a 450 series eight-foot bullwhip to LucasFilm for Kingdom. You can have your own for $735 or pick up a five-foot Jones-style whip in natural, medium brown, dark brown, black or two-tone at Western Stage Props ($500). A Jones-inspired leather jacket will set you back $469 at US Wings. Not a diehard fan, but looking to get into the swing of things? Do-it-yourself site CafePress features a variety of custom Jones-inspired designs. Slogans include: “Checklist 5/22/08: leather jacket, bullwhip, fedora, fear of snakes,” “Don’t make me use my bullwhip” and “Real heroes wear fedoras.”

Argan oil is the latest “miracle” ingredient in the beauty industry. The oil comes from the nuts of the argan tree, which grows in Morocco and is known there as “liquid gold” — Moroccans slather it on their faces, hands and even their children’s skin. Many Moroccan women have jobs pressing the argan nuts for oil, which allows them to support themselves and their families in a way that would be impossible without the existence of this product. This New York Times article gives a lot of useful information about argan oil, which is extremely high in vitamin E and contains three times the fatty acids found in olive oil. Fans say it helps keep your skin looking young, and works as a treatment for wrinkles, dry skin, acne and eczema. Argan Body sells a variety of products with oil that comes from a women’s cooperative in Morocco. A small bottle of organic argan oil runs $50. Two items are on sale: the night cream with argan oil ($17.50) and the Argan body mud face mask ($30). The site has a useful FAQs for those who have never tried an argan oil product before. Josie Maran Cosmetics recommends the oil ($8; pictured) not only for the face but also for hands, nails and hair, claiming it can treat torn cuticles and split ends. Among the argan oil cosmetics from Josie Maran are mascara ($22) and a cream bronzer ($30). Kiehl’s Superbly Restorative Body Lotion contains argan oil as its key ingredient ($35).

With names like “Fixx,” “Cocaine,” “Bong Water” and “Xtreme Shock,” is the ever-growing appeal of energy drinks any surprise? According to a 2007 report by market research firm Mintel, approximately 65 percent of those who consume these drinks are male and under 35 years of age. Packaged in cans, like soda, the strongest of the drinks contain high levels of caffeine, which make them attractive study aids, work-out enhancers, even cocktail mixers. (Watch an amusing commercial for one such drink at YouTube.) Predictions are that the market for these drinks will hit $6 billion or more annually by 2010 as groups such as young professional women are targeted with gentler-named products. But do they work and are they safe? At Energy Drink Ratings and Taurine Rules, blogs dedicated to reviewing the hundreds of drinks on the market, you can learn which drinks are strongest, best tasting, most popular, least fattening, cheapest, etc. We like the “Best Energy Drink” page at Energy Drink Ratings. It’s over a year old but lists the top five strongest drinks — Wired X505, 5-Hour Energy, Fixx, Redline and Cocaine — from the 250-plus beverages the author has reviewed, with links to the original review and where to purchase the drink online. For example, Redline Energy Drink made the top five strongest drinks, so we linked to the review and learned that the active ingredients are caffeine, Evoburn, hydroxy, yerba mate and green tea and that it isn’t a conventional energy beverage, but rather “falls more into the category of fat burners or thermogenics … you cannot get these things at gas stations or grocery stores. You have to get it online or at a vitamin store like GNC.” The author goes on to a “final judgment” of Redline that reads, “It tastes like crap, it costs too much but the kick you get from this freakin’ thing is amazing.” There are concerns about the dangers of energy drinks. Please read up on them and, if you choose to consume these beverages, do so responsibly.