New hybrids are more powerful and sexy, if less efficient The next crop of hybrid vehicles is eagerly anticipated not only by energy-conscious geeks and early-adopter hipsters, but by regular ol' Americans who like to have their apple pie and eat it too. Auto-industry flacks are predicting buyer excitement over soon-to-debut vehicles like the hybrid Honda Accord and Lexus RX SUV -- long on horsepower and sex appeal, short on gas consumption (though slightly less short than their predecessors). "It will be like enjoying a hot-fudge sundae, without the calories or the guilt," says Toyota's Don Esmond of his company's …

Yowza. A few weeks back, in response to a question from a reader named Cassandra about the relative merits of soy milk, I asked your opinion on the dividing line between health and environmental concerns. Cassandra wanted to know if she could continue eating soy, which she considered an environmentally sound choice, without increasing her risk of breast cancer. The health/environment line is always fuzzy to me, but entering the nutrition and cancer debates seemed like a reach. That letter made me wonder: What, exactly, are the boundaries of my columnal mandate? And so I asked you, dear readers, for …

Whole Foods ponders move into organic clothing Have you ever felt chafed by the inconvenience of having to go one place for your bulk bulgur wheat and another for your Guatemalan organic cotton poncho? Well we've got good news: From here on in you can point your Lexus SUV in one direction only, to organic grocer Whole Foods. The retailer is contemplating selling organic clothing and linens in its new flagship store in Austin, Texas, and possibly other stores if the move is successful. Whole Foods is nothing if not healthy (ha ha): Its fourth-quarter profits were up 27 percent. …

Indian farmers use Coca-Cola as a pesticide Urban legend has it that Coca-Cola works well to remove rust spots, clean corroded batteries, polish toilets, and -- we can confirm this one -- dissolve baby teeth that have fallen out of an innocent 5-year-old's mouth, thus yielding a lifelong terror of soft drinks. But Indian farmers have added another unexpected use to that list: They are spraying their crops with Coke in lieu of pricey pesticides. A liter of most popular pesticides in India costs about $220; 1.5 liters of locally produced Coke costs about 66 cents. One theory is that …

Building recycling on the rise The demolition of buildings in the U.S. produces about 124 million tons of debris a year, most of which is carted off to landfills. But that is starting to change: Instead of indiscriminately bashing buildings with wrecking balls, companies are taking a more deliberate approach, dismantling structures and recycling the materials. For instance, PNC Financial Services plans to recycle more than 70 percent of the 11,000 tons of waste generated by the deconstruction of downtown Pittsburgh's former Public Safety Building. Concrete will refill the site, steel will be made into new rebar, aluminum will be …

Starbucks chief pushes for fair-trade, eco-friendly coffee Starbucks has served as a convenient target for the anti-globalization crowd, especially given that you can't throw a brick in some neighborhoods without breaking a Starbucks window. But CEO Orin Smith is fighting back against the company's bad reputation. He recently announced that, by 2007, Starbucks would attempt to procure 60 percent of its coffee from farmers following a strict set of environmental and labor rules under the Coffee and Farmer Equity (CAFE) Practices Program. Smith also announced that when he retires next March, he will head a $1 billion fundraising effort for …

American homes are growing and consuming more electricity American homes are sucking more and more energy, contributing to a cycle of rising prices that is putting a financial crunch on poor and fixed-income families. In 1970, the average new home was 1,500 square feet; in 2003, it was 2,230 square feet. Even that startling statistic obscures the fact that for America's rich and upper-middle class, huge suburban McMansions in the 5,000- to 8,000-square-foot range are now the norm. Despite the Energy Star appliances and improved insulation, these homes are using vast amounts of energy. It's not unusual for such homes …

Dear Chip, You may remember me; we met most recently at Jenny's parents' house for dinner when you all were here in New Jersey. Anyway, the reason I'm writing you is because I'm looking for some advice. Do you have any recommendations on environmentally conscious ways to protect household decks? Lori and I just bought a house and we need to finish the deck, but we are hesitant to use a bunch of chemicals that will just seep into the ground and ocean over time. Being the president of an environmentally focused publication, I thought you might have some answers, …

Recycled plastic railroad ties making inroads There are nearly a billion wooden railroad ties holding together the railroads and subways of the U.S. That's a lot of wood, and thus a lot of trees. It's also a lot of creosote, a preservative chemical used on wood and deemed by the U.S. EPA "probably a human carcinogen." The cost of wood coupled with insurance against creosote-related litigation is inspiring some rail operators to switch to ties made from recycled plastics and rubber -- milk jugs, plastic bags, Styrofoam cups, and so forth. Manufacturers claim that plastic ties are environmentally friendly, and …