Another product to earn kudos for what it’s not (i.e. fattening or habit forming), Clear Magazine has become “100% tree-free” and is now being printed with YUPO synthetic paper. The Michigan-based design and fashion publication released its “fame underground” issue, including features on designer Arne Quinze and artist Kenji Yanobe, at Art Basel Miami Beach last month. A recently posted video with Clear’s creative director Emin Kad explains that the paper is tear-proof and waterproof. Once purchased at “fine newsstands worldwide,” the issues can be put in recycling bins with other plastic.

I’m pretty enamored of my housemates–they seem to perpetually finding intriguing things to do in SF. Among them is 18 Reasons, a community space that looks to bring people together under the guise of food, art, and a Mission storefront. The non-profit recently enrolled its 100th member for classes, wine tastings, art showings, lectures, and the like. The $40 member cards also provide discounts at Bi-Rite Market and Creamery and Tartine, fabled to be the New York Times’ highest rated bakery in America. The intimate space is fantastic for getting to know your neighbors (but becomes a bit tight if you happen to, eh, drop hummus on someone’s suede shoes. Not that that I would have made that mistake.)

At Rickshaw Bagworks’ factory opening party recently, I was impressed to see the ways that the new company has optimized their production process to reduce wasted fabric. The ZERO shoulder bag is available in four sizes, each constructed from a single piece of material patterned in rectangles. The Timbuk2 alums who founded the company say that eliminating scraps brings the cost of their made-to-order bags down. At $40 to $70 for the different ZERO sizes, I agree that what’s good for the environment is also easier on the pocketbook.

Since opening their factory in SF’s Dogpatch they’ve created messenger bags for attendees at this year’s TED and Social Capital Markets conferences. If minimizing a manufacturing supply chain footprint doesn’t sound very visual, that’s only because you haven’t checked out the eye candy on their Flickr stream.

More images are available on JoshSpear.

I had the chance recently to sit down with Tara Hunt, the co-founder of customer-centric shop Citizen Agency for Women 2.0’s In Conversation video series with entrepeneurs. Miss Rouge blogs at HorsePigCow when she’s not tweeting up a storm.

We had a most wonderful time at yesterday’s Mission-based route of Santacon–gingerbread brigade, Hot Cookie red briefs and all. The @sfsanta Twitter feed, SMS updates and an informative site were helpful, especially for those things you’ve always wanted to ask, including:

“Q: What should I wear to Santacon? A: Santa looks like Santa. HOLIDAY APPAREL IS MANDATORY. A Santa hat is NOT ENOUGH. Get a Santa suit. Buy a Santa suit. Make a Santa suit. Steal a Santa suit.”

Providing something good looking and paying homage to good doers were the dual goals of Joe Kdla and Chad Alasantro when they launched their T-shirt line Vuori last year. Lucky for us: the duo’s certified organic cotton designs are brightly colored with mythical illustrations, and each design is made to honor an unsung environmental leader. Andrew Sharpless of Oceana and Natalie Fobes of the photography-based educational organization Blue Earth Alliance are among the individuals being honored with the current shirt collection. Good to keep in mind should you be seeking a new T to pair with leggings from a different well-known sweatshop-free retailer.

With T minus two weeks until Christmas, I’m excited to see another SF neighborhood pull out the stops for local shoppers after the Hayes Valley street fest last Friday. Tomorrow night’s Mission Holiday Block Party (with oddities vendor Payton Gate, womens clothier Sunhee Moon, and the previously featured Curiosity Shoppe participating) will benefit Tipping Point Community, a non-profit that supports economic self-sufficiency for Bay Area residents. (Although I’m not sure that local stores offering people 15% off fancy wares for bringing in their unemployment stubs will be enough stimulation. Guess that where the cocktail deals kick in.)

If online notecard co. Someecards and CNN’s T-shirt worthy headlines met, their love child might come in the form of gift tags that read “I can’t believe you asked for this” and a white doily card with “Hot Mess” printed in fancy script. Enter Pretty Bitter. Their line of “stationary that pushes the envelope” includes self-adhesive opportunities for snarky messages. Depending on your giftee’s appreciation of “I’ll be brief” notecards that feature an illustration of men’s underwear, they could make a nice stocking stuffer (and one that’s available in Hanukkah blue).

There’s no better reason to head to the Dogpatch on Thursday than the opportunity to drop a hint to someone special about a treat from Rickshaw Bagworks that might be nice under the tree. (So, yeah, you know where I’ll be on the 11th.)

The local bag company is officially opening their factory store on 22nd and Minnesota, which is also home to the sustainable lifestyle company Ecofabulous. Bike enthusiasts won’t be the only ones to enjoy the messenger bags that were launched at this year’s TED conference. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition stands to benefit, and with free New Belgium, you do too.

Can’t volunteer for hours a week? Don’t have a big chunk of change to give away to worthy causes? These limitations may have kept you from making the world a better place 10 years ago, but Care2 founder Randy Paynter and team are looking to limit barriers to involvement through their online community’s upcoming cause-related campaigns.

I had the pleasure of talking with Randy and Care2’s product gurus yesterday about the tools they’re adding. In upcoming weeks the site will offer community news, group discussions, online petitions, and–-not to fear–-volunteer opportunities around women’s rights, animal welfare, the environment, and other topics that are front-of-mind. It’s all part of Paynter’s goal to empower everyday folks to get involved in progressive and consciousness-raising causes that are good on both the “me” and “we” front. The site, which has never advertised but has grown to nine million members through word of mouth among people interested in human rights and social welfare, will later be inviting individuals to create their own cause pages around personal passion points.