Who's Who: The Eco-Guide

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BIG BREAK After studying product design in Cape Town and in Zwolle, the Netherlands, and working at Dutch design studio DenHartogMusch and at Alsop Architects, Frank settled in London, where he sells his "free-range" products made of urban detritus (think brick accessory bowl). Soon he plans to relocate to Catalonia, Spain, for the warmer clime. He hopes to teach his sustainable-design techniques to poor South Africans and help them organize a free-trade work group.

DESIGN TOUCHSTONE "For me, products don't have to be shiny and new," says Frank. "They can be worn and rusted, and that adds character." His latest creation: Inkuku, a chair made entirely from plastic shopping bags, following a traditional African practice of using everyday discarded plastics to make objects for the home.

The Green Groomer Joshua Onysko 28, Boulder, Colo.

CLAIM TO FAME "In the organic market, in personal care at least, most of what's available is in hippie packaging," says Onysko, founder and CEO of Pangea Organics Ecocentric Bodycare. Onysko can spot a hippie from a hundred paces, considering that his life as a junior high dropout and global drifter has put him in contact with more than a few of them.

BIG BREAK Onysko's interest in the business started as a "fun project" to do with his mom. The two bought some supplies at a natural-foods store and made a small batch of soap. It wasn't until he used a spare bar from his backpack to take a memorable outdoor shower in Goa, India, that the inspiration for Pangea struck. Back in the U.S., he started a business that has expanded to a 10,000-sq.-ft. factory and sales at Whole Foods Markets across the country. Onysko is passionate about the impact of grooming habits on the environment (the average shower gel takes 200 to 300 years to biodegrade once it's rinsed down the drain).

DESIGN TOUCHSTONE "Ultimately, you can't really convert people unless they like the way the products look," he says. So Onysko worked with Ideo, a design firm based in Palo Alto, Calif., to give mass appeal to the organic lifestyle. Result: a great-looking soap box made of 100% postconsumer materials. "You can throw it in your yard, and it will just melt away," says Onysko.

The Earthy Fashionista Linda Loudermilk 41, Los Angeles

CLAIM TO FAME Don't let her environmental intentions fool you. The designer is known for her tailored clothing made from sustainable fabrics, like soy- and corn-based fibers, but her "Luxury eco" collection is all about style. "I want to make it easy for a high-end client to walk in and know what lifestyle this is," says Loudermilk. "It's very outside of hippie and hemp." Her creations including organic silk--charmeuse gowns, men's bamboo suits and women's separates made from an antibacterial Japanese fabric called sasawashi are sold around the world at stores like Atrium in New York City and Villa Moda Lifestyle in Kuwait.

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