Literally: He's designed a two-euro coin that just went into circulation this week. (You can kind of see it here.) It's part of his new gig as artistic director for France's six-month EU presidency, for which he's also designed pens, notebooks, and a goody bag sent to all EU officials. Apparently that last bit pissed off some of the female ministers, who took umbrage at the bags' inclusion of that most masculine of accessories, a necktie.

But wait, there's more: Starck has also just unveiled his Democratic Ecology wind turbine (pictured). Made for home use, it supposedly provides 20 to 60 percent of the energy needed to power a typical house. Look for it this September for about 600 bucks (or roughly 200 of his newly minted coins). Good to see Starck working on something that doesn't make him feel "ashamed."

[Luxist; Inhabitat]