George A. Polisner. What work do you do? I'm the founder and president/CEO of alonovo.com. What does your organization do? We are working to empower people by fully informing their market decisions. We are infusing the online shopping experience with a simple ratings system based upon trusted research data on social responsibility. People can choose from a vast catalog of competitively priced mainstream products and help us drive a new, fair, growing, and sustainable economy. What do you really do, on a day-to-day basis? On any particular day, I may be evangelizing the alonovo.com concept with traditional media and blogs, …

Dear Umbra, But the question was paper or plastic. We are asked every time we go shopping. What if we're doing all those things you suggested, and we still want to know if we should use paper or plastic? I think your answer was haughty and irresponsible. CurtNewton, N.J. Dearest Curt, So many annoyed readers wrote to chide me on avoiding the paper-or-plastic question. Sorry. I try to entice us all toward bigger themes, with mixed success. Here is an old exploration of the bag issue. The correct answer to the grocery bagger's question is, "Neither, thank you, I brought …

Spiking utility costs may hit laundromat customers in the pocketbook Better start hoarding those quarters: Soaring energy rates are driving up the price of washing your stinky drawers. The Coin Laundry Association, a trade group representing about 5,000 "retail self-service laundries" nationwide, says its members are looking for ways to rein in skyrocketing utility bills. Laundro-operators are cutting the amount of drying time a quarter buys and looking at more energy-efficient washers and dryers that operate cooler -- but longer -- as well as other possibilities. Thomas Rhodes, owner of a Florida laundromat chain, says he's considering taking advantage of …

Buenos Diaz celebrates with Trippin' producer Elizabeth Rogers. © Alex Berliner, Berliner Studio/BEImages. Six months ago, I traded the comfy coffee hangouts of Seattle for the vermilion sunsets of L.A. I wanted to expand my universe, to write for movies and television, to not have so many Birkenstocks in my direct line of sight. So naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to cover the Environmental Media Awards for Grist. I dressed carefully in my kicky Audrey Hepburn-inspired black dress and John Fluevog flat Twiggy boots. I had my nails done specially, then promptly ruined the manicure digging for my keys. …

"Hot blogger" no longer oxymoron If actress/model/mega-fox Amber Valletta tells us to raise the alarm about mercury in seafood, we'll raise the alarm. Of course, if Amber Valletta told us to hop on one foot and bark like a poodle, we'd do that too. That's the kind of dignity we have here at Grist List. Photo: Oceana. Take a powder Speaking of beauty: don't let it kill you. And we're not just talking Botox. A database run by the Environmental Working Group contains disturbing information on the toxic juju found in a whole wide range of your favorite cosmetics. Ew. …

Teensy fuel cells offer greener power sources for small gadgets Yes, yes, your new iPod nano is very cool. But wouldn't it be just that much cooler if you could recharge it with a small bottle of clear liquid? It might happen: Toshiba and other Japanese electronics firms are developing itty-bitty fuel cells to juice up portable gadgets. Unlike batteries, fuel cells contain few hazardous chemicals and metals and generate rather than just store electricity. Toshiba says its fuel cells for cell phones will run about twice as long as the average lithium-ion battery and recharge on the run with …

Dear Umbra, I am a student at Hartwick College running the Grassroots Environmental Club. The college's major cafeteria is run by a large food company that also serves prisons. In a meeting with the director, I was told they have the power to get any food. When I asked if we can get local, organic food, they responded that it would cost too much and be a hassle. How can I convince them that the quality of the food is way better, that plenty of local vendors would love the business, and that, since the college has fewer than 1,500 …

Dear Umbra, I am lucky enough to live across the street from a farmers' market, and I shop there all summer. But when summer's done, the market closes and I am left to buy produce from California. Would it be better for me to buy a small freezer and freeze farmers' market veggies for winter, or to forgo the freezer and buy from the grocery store? Which is worse: long-distance transportation or the juice used by a freezer? Anne McKibbinChicago, Ill. Dearest Anne, Don't be so sure your produce comes from California. It could come from South America. One of …

Gloom and doom with a sense of ... hey, wait a minute Some Grumpy Grumpersteins out there think environmentalism is never funny. TBS aims to prove 'em wrong with Earth to America! -- an exclamation-pointed, star-studded night of comedy about the planet's plight. That bit on new-source review is gonna kill. Turning Japanese, we really think so The upcoming Tokyo Motor Show is going to be wicked awesome, and not just for lovers of auto-gadget porn. No fewer than three hydrogen fuel-cell concept cars -- from Toyota, Honda, and Mercedes -- will debut to the oohs and ahs of bright …

Poll says most Americans back ultra-strength environmental protections Nearly half of all U.S. adults think the government's doing too little to protect the environment. Almost three-quarters say that eco-protections are important, and that standards cannot be too high. No, you're not dreaming -- it's a fresh new Harris Interactive poll on attitudes of Americans toward environmental protection. The survey of a nationwide cross section of 1,217 adults indicated that 71 percent think large corporations are doing less than their share to help reduce environmental problems. Fifty-three percent say President Bush isn't stepping up to the plate, 57 percent think Congress …