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  • Wall*E and Kleenex

    The film Wall*E had a strong environmental theme. Now Kleenex tissues are featuring Wall*E on their packaging. Odd. As Greenpeace says: If you look on the bottom of these boxes, you’ll see a little recycled symbol that says: “This box is made from 100% recycled paper.” What you won’t see on the bottom of that […]

  • A guide for greener back-to-school shopping

    Back-to-school shopping doesn’t have to be an exercise in conspicuously ungreen consumption. Eco-friendly school supplies made of recycled and organic materials are easier than ever to find. One great place to start shopping is TheGreenOffice.com. And the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice has a handy back-to-school shopping guide that helps you avoid products containing […]

  • When the tomato harvest gets out of hand, the tough get canning

    Too much of a good thing? Photos: Kurt Michael Friese For a tomato-loving gardener, what’s the only thing more frightening than a failed crop? Try an overabundant one. You become terrified that any of these jewels will go to waste. The specter of fruit flies congregating on the compost heap brings regret of over-ambitious spring […]

  • How to start composting

    Dig in to get the dirt on composting. Composting is a lot like sex. It’s a healthy, natural process involving fertility, tumbling around, and — when it’s going right — steaminess. On top of that, some people call it dirty. It’s not our fault we’re squeamish. Most Americans are praised from an early age for […]

  • California won’t ban BPA in baby bottles, sippy cups

    With 22 legislators abstaining, the California Assembly voted 31-27 Monday not to ban chemical bisphenol A in baby products. BPA is one of those things you’d like to keep out of your kid; the bill would have banned it from bottles, sippy cups, and other containers for tots. Legislators also voted 36-33 (with 11 abstentions) […]

  • A video for World Water Week

    It’s World Water Week, so I have an almost-legit excuse for posting this quirky, quotable video. It’s part of the Look Around You series, a British spoof of ’70s and ’80s educational videos that takes on other scientific topics like Maths and Ghosts. Make sure you have your copybook at hand:

  • Common chemical in food containers not a health threat, says FDA

    Food containers made with common chemical bisphenol A pose no health threat, according to a draft assessment by the Food and Drug Administration. More than 100 government- and university-funded studies have linked BPA to cancer, diabetes, behavioral disorders, and reproductive problems, and an April report from the National Toxicology Program declared there was “some concern” […]

  • Fleet of hydrogen concept vehicles crosses U.S. as part of Hydrogen Road Tour

    The BMW Hydrogen 7 “stores its hydrogen as a super-cold liquid and burns it in a V-12 piston engine; BMW claims that the exhaust from the Hydrogen 7 is actually cleaner than the ambient air,” says The New York Times’ Wheels blog. Dan Riehl. A parade of hydrogen concept vehicles is undertaking a two-week sweep […]

  • From Goode to Bad-ass

    Goode humor, man Meet the Goode Family: an animated caricature of every Whole-Foods-shopping, hybrid-driving, African-orphan-adopting, vegan-dog-having do-gooder you’ve ever met. Wait, what are you looking at us for? Our dog’s pescatarian. Fleece is the word Sheepish about buying wool? Check out baacode, a fleecy-fashion supply-chain tracker that allows ewe to take a virtual tour of […]

  • Demand destruction is driving prices down, but is that a good thing?

    As Joe says, Americans are driving less: "Americans drove 53.2 billion fewer miles November through June than they did over the same eight-month period a year ago…" Consequently, demand for oil is down to a five-year low, according to the American Petroleum Institute. Not hard to figure out what’s going on here — as Matt […]