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div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=Green Box height=234 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_news/daily_green_news-434788886-1241630296.jpg?ymYp1NBD74Ak0_9W width=300//divpThink melted mozzarella, tasty toppings, and crust with just the rightbr /amount of crisp. There’s no denying that the delivery or take-home pizza isbr /a crowd pleaser in most homes and businesses, whether you break bread withbr /carnivores, vegetarians or vegans, or crave extra sauce or a simple whitebr /pie. /ppUnfortunately, dealing with used cardboard pizza boxes isn’t much fun. They don’t fit easily in trash and recycle bins, and many recyclers
don’t accept them because of the food residue or awkward size. Cardboard pizza boxes
aren’t necessarily easy to break down, and they can leak grease onto
your floors or on your clothes. /ppAs every college student knows, used pizza boxes can quickly pile up. In fact, if you stacked up the three billion pizza boxes used in the U.S. each
year, you’d reach the moon within two years, according to the green design firm — a href=http://www.ecoincorporated.com/ecoincorporated.com/Home.htmlEnvironmentally Conscious Organization, Inc./a (eco for short) — that came up with a so-simple-it’s-genius solution. The Green Box looks like a standard cardboard pizza box that comes pre-perforated./pbr /br /img alt=image name height=234 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_news/daily_green_news-435811939-1241630363.jpg?ymbq1NBDYxAD6gyl width=300/br /br /pWhen your pizza arrives, you can easily tear the top of the box into fourbr /makeshift disposable plates. The bottom of the box is also perforated on thebr /edges and down the middle, so you can easily fold that part into a smallbr /container that fits a few slices — giving you a convenient place to storebr /leftovers in your fridge, without having to juggle around everything else.br /In fact, the leftover box is a pinch less than half the size of a full pizzabr /box. /pbr /br /img alt=image name height=234 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_news/daily_green_news-161855564-1241630443.jpg?ymrr1NBD4_lq.rDI width=300/br /br /pAnd, perhaps the best part of this patented invention is the fact thatbr /the Green Box is made from 100% a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/upcycled-cardboard-ar%20t-47032004?link=embdom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgrecycled cardboard/a. There is also the option for a vegetable-based coating. /ppOur goal is to increase the functionality of packaging and to eliminatebr /or reduce follow-on waste [additional materials like tin foil, plastic bagsbr /or plastic wrap], eco inc.’s Jennifer Wright recently explained about thebr /Green Box, her company’s first product. Since consumers have a built-inbr /storage device for any leftovers, they won’t need to fool with extrabr /materials. And since the box can become handy serving plates, that will cutbr /down on water and energy needed for dish washing. /ppWright — one of three partners at eco inc. — explains that since thebr /Green Box is made out of standard pizza box material, there is no need forbr /retooling factories or changing the way pizza shops do business. In fact,br /she says that the boxes can be purchased for the same price as — orbr /possibly less than — conventional boxes, since according to Wright thebr /recycled fiber needed to make them costs less. /ppThe Green Box can also be used as marketing for pizza shops, who can toutbr /the greener footprint, as well as innovative packaging and (at least for abr /while) novelty. /ppAccording to Wright the Green Box is getting a wide roll out acrossbr /America over the next few weeks. There’s been interest from all over, andbr /it’s really exciting, Wright told a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com?link=embdom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe Daily Green/a. She said consumersbr /should look for them in their local pizza shops over the coming months, andbr /to ask businesses to consider carrying them if they don’t./pembed allownetworking=internal allowscriptaccess=never type=application/x-shockwave-flash src=http://www.youtube.com/v/gQBjJjpkjl0color1=0xb1b1b1color2=0xcfcfcfhl=enfeature=player_embeddedfs=1 allowfullscreen=true width=425 height=344/embedembed allownetworking=internal allowscriptaccess=never type=application/x-shockwave-flash src=http://www.youtube.com/v/OMDmp-cR4I0color1=0xb1b1b1color2=0xcfcfcfhl=enfeature=player_embeddedfs=1 allowfullscreen=true width=425 height=344/embedbr /br /strongMore from The Daily Green/strongbr /a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/upcycled-cardboard-ar%20t-47032004?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgbr /Amazing Things Made from Recycled Cardboard/abr /br /a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/vodka-uses-460424?link=reld%20om=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 Surprising Uses for Vodka/abr /br /a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-4%2060321?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgWhat Do Recycling Symbols Really Mean?/abr /a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/save-money-megaflip?link=rel%20dom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgbr /30+ Simple Ways to Save Money/abr /br /a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/super-foods-44030408?li%20nk=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe 7 Super Foods You Should Be Eating/abr /

As yet another destructive wildfire sweeps down the California coast, it’s time to revisit the global scientific link between global warming and wildfires.pAt least 20 homes — described by Reuters as a href=http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE54602P20090507 target=_blankmultimillion dollar mansions/a — have burned as the out-of-control wildfire burns toward Santa Barbara./ppThis fire was caused — as all fire are — by local weather conditions coinciding with a spark. In this case, it was a string of hot days when temperature reached over 100 degrees and gusty hot winds of up to 50 mph, along with suspected arson./ppThe first thing any responsible report about global warming and the weather should say is: There is no way for anyone to say that a single event was caused by global warming. What we emcan/em say is that scientists have not only predicted that global warming will increase fire risk, particularly in the Western U.S., but that it has emalready/em produced more fires. In fact, increased wildfire risk is among the predictions scientists are most confident in making, when it comes to global warming effects. Even California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has warned that global warming has effectively eliminated the concept of a fire season, since weather conditions now result in a year-round risk./ppHow does global warming increase wildfire risk? By creating conditions on the ground that increase the chances of a new fire forming: Global warming results in more hot, dry days ripe for a fire, dries out vegetation to make it combustible and can even provide the spark. Here’s how:/pdiv style=float:right;img alt=predicted water runoff map border=0 class=img height=540 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_daily_news/runoff-change.jpg width=400//divpstrong1. More heat equals earlier snow melt./strongbr /
A buffer to the Western fire season is high mountain snow and ice that accumulates through the winter and melts through the spring, running off and irrigating the valleys below. Global warming is creating conditions that lead to less snow and, more consistently, more evaporation and a faster, earlier runoff. That leaves the valleys below more prone to drought earlier in the year, and more prone to extreme drought throughout the year. Drought dries out trees, shrubs and grasses, making them combustible./ppemThe figure at right shows projected future changes in the timing of runoff in snow-dominated areas of the western United States. The timing of runoff shifts earlier in almost all areas as greenhouse gas concentrations increase. These snow-dominated areas currently act as natural reservoirs, with melting in the spring and summer providing critical fresh water throughout the western United States/em.br /strongCredit:/strong Purdue University/Diffenbaugh Laboratory/ppstrong2. More heat equals more evaporation./strongbr /
Similarly, whatever moisture does flow into the valleys is more likely to evaporate before it sinks in and nourishes plants, leading to drier vegetation./ppstrong3. More heat equals new tree pests./strongbr /
As the West has warmed, pine bark beetles have spread throughout a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/science/18trees.html target=_blankmillions of square miles of forest/a from New Mexico up into Canada. As the bugs do their work, trees are weakened or killed, creating yet more wild firewood./ppstrong4. More heat equals stronger storms./strongbr /
Scientists have predicted — and observed — the formation of more frequent, intense storms as a result of a warmer climate. That means two things: One, more frequent thunderstorms and lightning strikes that can naturally ignite wildfires; and two, flashier rainstorms that result in bursts of rain running off in streams, rather than soaking into the ground and substantially irrigating the landscape./ppstrongThe caveat:/strong A new study predicts that changes in the distribution of vegetation under a changing climate will have a href=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421111701.htm target=_newmore to do with fire risk/a than the changing climate itself: So if the right plants colonize the West (eventually), they could offset the increased fire risk created by global warming./ppMore from The Daily Green/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/green-new-years-resolutions-10109?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg15 Things You Can Do To Help the Environment/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/organic-food-tips-47-040801?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe Global Warming Diet: 18 Tips/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/water-conservation-tips-5-savers?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg5 Perfectly Painless Ways to Save Water/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/bird-gardens-47022602?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHow to Garden for Wildlife/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/how-green-are-you?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgQuiz Yourself: How Green Are You?/a/pReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Incp /p

Last week I wrote about the new line of green cleaning products launched by Chlorox on January 14th. As per usual, I took a pretty happy-go-lucky approach with the post, pleading ignorance when it came to comparing the eco-friendliness of Green Works with some of the other established green cleaning products out there.
Thankfully, Siel [...]

pYou want to give to charity, but you’re not sure your money will be spent wisely./ppYou want to give back to your community, but want to make sure your hours of volunteer time really help./ppAs the recession continues, more and more Americans are out of work, and may need the help of charities. Many struggling to find work may now find themselves with a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/shapley/unemployment-benefits-47021004time aplenty to volunteer/a. Meanwhile, the economic downturn has taken the steam out of the donations, government and foundation grants, and endowments that typically keep many nonprofits afloat. Factoring in underemployment as well as employment, a href=http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-04-26-economy-survey_N.htm target=_blank84.4% of Americans remain fully employed/a. If you’re among them, and you want to make a donation, then using these three sites can help you make your donation count. If you’re out of work and want to volunteer, use these sites to help define which charity works best for you./ppa href=http://www.greatnonprofits.org/green target=_new1. GreatNonprofits.com/a, a relatively young site (founded in 2007), aims to do for nonprofits what a href=http://www.yelp.com/ target=_newYelp/a has done for restaurants: magnify word-of-mouth experience with the power of the Internet./ppWhy nonprofits? Mostly, according to the site — itself a nonprofit — because smaller community nonprofits do good work that too often goes unrecognized and unsupported. If a local charity makes big news, it’s often because of an accounting scandal or some other miscue, rather than the day-to-day work that charities perform. By promoting those charities that real people have had good (and bad) experiences with, organizers hope to empower more charitable donating and volunteering./ppIn April, the site promoted green nonprofits, and found that its users had a lot to say about small organizations that are, for the most part, totally unknown outside of their local communities. With just a target=_blank835 reviews of green charities/a, you won’t find a comprehensive report on the charity of choice, but you may find some useful information to guide your decision-making, when it comes time to volunteer or donate. What you will find is just about every legal nonprofit in the U.S., because GreatNonprofits partners with …/ppa href=http://www2.guidestar.org/ target=_blank2. Guidestar.org/a is a very useful site that compiles tax filings of more than 1.8 million U.S. nonprofits, so everyone can see how nonprofit organizations compensate staff and otherwise spend their money. It’s long been a resource for reporters trying to understand the inner workings of organizations, but it can be a useful for any citizen looking for information about an organization before making a donation./ppBut a tax form only tells you so much, and it isn’t written in a user-friendly format, which brings us to …/ppa href=http://www.charitynavigator.org/ target=_blank3. CharityNavigator.org/a, a site that evaluates 5,400 of the most prominent nonprofits based on how they spend their money. If an organization spends 80% of its budget and staff time raising money, it’s not delivering on its mission. If an organization spends 90% of its money on programs that support its mission consistently over time, that’s a different story, and worthy of the hard-earned dollar in your donation. Charity Navigator aims to break down the effectiveness and fiscal health of an organization into a simple four-star rating so potential donors can make sure their dollars are being spent well./ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/cheap-vacations-50030509?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg5 Free (Or Almost Free) Vacations/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/eco-travel-volunteer-vacations-50022309?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 Eco-Friendly Volunteer Vacations/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/heart-of-green-awards-2009?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHeart of Green Awards: Real People Making a Difference/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/best-green-gifts?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg2325+ Ways to Give Without Giving Stuff/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/citizen-science-47121401?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgFamily-Friendly Citizen Science Projects That Give Back/a/pbr /Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Incp /p

pYou want to give to charity, but you’re not sure your money will be spent wisely./ppYou want to give back to your community, but want to make sure your hours of volunteer time really help./ppAs the recession continues, more and more Americans are out of work, and may need the help of charities. Many struggling to find work may now find themselves with a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/shapley/unemployment-benefits-47021004time aplenty to volunteer/a. Meanwhile, the economic downturn has taken the steam out of the donations, government and foundation grants, and endowments that typically keep many nonprofits afloat. Factoring in underemployment as well as employment, a href=http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-04-26-economy-survey_N.htm target=_blank84.4% of Americans remain fully employed/a. If you’re among them, and you want to make a donation, then using these three sites can help you make your donation count. If you’re out of work and want to volunteer, use these sites to help define which charity works best for you./ppa href=http://www.greatnonprofits.org/green target=_new1. GreatNonprofits.com/a, a relatively young site (founded in 2007), aims to do for nonprofits what a href=http://www.yelp.com/ target=_newYelp/a has done for restaurants: magnify word-of-mouth experience with the power of the Internet./ppWhy nonprofits? Mostly, according to the site — itself a nonprofit — because smaller community nonprofits do good work that too often goes unrecognized and unsupported. If a local charity makes big news, it’s often because of an accounting scandal or some other miscue, rather than the day-to-day work that charities perform. By promoting those charities that real people have had good (and bad) experiences with, organizers hope to empower more charitable donating and volunteering./ppIn April, the site promoted green nonprofits, and found that its users had a lot to say about small organizations that are, for the most part, totally unknown outside of their local communities. With just a target=_blank835 reviews of green charities/a, you won’t find a comprehensive report on the charity of choice, but you may find some useful information to guide your decision-making, when it comes time to volunteer or donate. What you will find is just about every legal nonprofit in the U.S., because GreatNonprofits partners with …/ppa href=http://www2.guidestar.org/ target=_blank2. Guidestar.org/a is a very useful site that compiles tax filings of more than 1.8 million U.S. nonprofits, so everyone can see how nonprofit organizations compensate staff and otherwise spend their money. It’s long been a resource for reporters trying to understand the inner workings of organizations, but it can be a useful for any citizen looking for information about an organization before making a donation./ppBut a tax form only tells you so much, and it isn’t written in a user-friendly format, which brings us to …/ppa href=http://www.charitynavigator.org/ target=_blank3. CharityNavigator.org/a, a site that evaluates 5,400 of the most prominent nonprofits based on how they spend their money. If an organization spends 80% of its budget and staff time raising money, it’s not delivering on its mission. If an organization spends 90% of its money on programs that support its mission consistently over time, that’s a different story, and worthy of the hard-earned dollar in your donation. Charity Navigator aims to break down the effectiveness and fiscal health of an organization into a simple four-star rating so potential donors can make sure their dollars are being spent well./ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/cheap-vacations-50030509?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg5 Free (Or Almost Free) Vacations/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/eco-travel-volunteer-vacations-50022309?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 Eco-Friendly Volunteer Vacations/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/heart-of-green-awards-2009?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHeart of Green Awards: Real People Making a Difference/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/best-green-gifts?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg2325+ Ways to Give Without Giving Stuff/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/citizen-science-47121401?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgFamily-Friendly Citizen Science Projects That Give Back/a/pbr /Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Incp /p

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=Taxed cows height=230 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_news/daily_green_news-965307545-1241623694.jpg?ymPC0NBDEHQ6bsiQ width=300/br /em(Photo: Gloria Dawson)/embr /br //divp /ppa href=http://www.factcheck.org/announcements/were_voted_best_political_site_again.html target=_blankFactcheck.org/a has won a 2009 Webby People’s Voice award, and The Daily Green thinks it is well deserved./ppDesigned to check the facts spouted by politicians and those seeking to influence politics and policy debates, the nonprofit Factcheck.org is an indispensable nonpartisan resource. (The Daily Green republishes the fact-checks related to energy and the environment, and nominated the site for one of its a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/heart-of-green-media-470318012009 Heart of Green Awards/a.)/ppIn celebration of the site’s Webby, here’s a look at six of its greatest recent hits:/ppstrong1. There’s enough wind power in the Atlantic to offset all the electricity we now get from coal./strongbr /
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar made waves when he said the U.S. East Coast was so rich in wind that offshore wind farms could produce as much electricity as every U.S. coal-fired power plant. It sounds great. Coal, which produces roughly half our electricity, is a major source of pollution that causes smog, acid rain, mercury contamination and global warming; wind power causes none of these. Unfortunately, it’s just a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/offshore-wind-power-44041401not true/a, according to Factcheck.org. We calculate that converting wind to enough electricity to replace all U.S. coal-fired plants would require building 3,540 offshore wind farms as big as the world’s largest, which is off the coast of Denmark, Factcheck.org reported. So far the U.S. has built exactly zero offshore wind farms./ppstrong2. Congress is outlawing your backyard organic garden./strongbr /
A vast campaign, spread via email, Facebook and elsewhere, has tried to convince people that a food safety bill being considered in Congress will wipe out organic farming as we know it, and even possibly make it illegal to have a garden in your backyard. According to Factcheck.org, though, there’s a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/organic-gardening-44040203hardly/a anything to worry about. We suppose in the grand realm of all that’s possible, or more likely a futuristic B movie, federal bureaucrats could decide that public safety calls for inspections of every backyard garden in the nation, leading everyday citizens to surreptitiously cultivate tomato plants in a closet with a sunlamp, lest they get busted by the cops, Factcheck.org concluded. But we kinda doubt it./ppstrong3. Clean coal is a reality, or at least a possibility./strongbr //ppDuring the presidential campaign and beyond, as the coal industry and the Waterkeeper Alliance (a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/heart-of-green-awards-47042302yay Gloria Reuben!/a) and other environmental groups have engaged in an a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/clean-coal-88120501epic advertising battle/a, Factcheck.org has been tamping down enthusiasm for clean coal, which is an expensive emconcept/em for removing carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants, a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/clean-coal-55012801not a reality/a. There are no commercial ‘clean coal’ plants operating currently in the U.S., Factcheck.org reported. The larger question posed by these dueling ad campaigns is implied rather than stated outright. Can coal can be ‘clean’ in the future? Is ‘clean coal’ a laudable, achievable goal as Obama and the coal miners and electric utilities would have us believe? Or is it a ridiculous oxymoron on par with ‘controlled chaos,’ as Gore and other environmental groups suggest?/ppstrong4. Congress outlawed second-hand clothing./strongbr /
In the wake of toy safety scares (remember all those lead toy recalls? a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/lead-toy-recall-47103102There are more nearly every week/a) Congress moved to get the lead (and the a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/phthalates-47020418phthalates/a) out of toys, including those sold at second-hand shops. While the law doesn’t explicitly ban the sale of second-hand clothing, selling children’s clothing that contains lead or phthalates (think about colorful embossed designs) could result in a hefty fine, making this myth a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/second-hand-clothing-55020401partially true/a. A recently passed law won’t ban resale, but it will hold resellers responsible for selling items with lead content that exceeds new limits, Factcheck.org reported. Some resellers are fearful this will force them out of business./ppstrong5. The EPA wants to tax cows./strongbr /
As the Environmental Protection Agency addresses global warming, it will crack down on agriculture, which — through land use and the belching of cattle — contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. (The EPA’s recent finding that global warming endangers public health and the environment is most likely to affect power plants and a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/obama-greenhouse-gases-47012603vehicles/a first.) a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/epa-cow-tax-55010502Not possible/a, according to Factcheck.org: EPA issued a statement saying it isn’t proposing a tax and doesn’t have legal authority to impose one anyway./ppstrong6. The U.S. is ignoring the world’s largest oil reserve in the Western U.S./strongbr /
According to an email chain that vastly exaggerates its size, the Bakken formation in the Western U.S. is a ripe and ready oil source that the U.S. won’t tap because of those darn treehuggers. (Sounds like the penultimate moment, before the laugh-line, in a Scooby Doo cartoon: And I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those meddling kids!) Well, not quite. a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/bakken-oil-drilling-55031701Not by a long shot/a, according to Factcheck.org. Unfortunately, it is false. It combines and twists several different news stories and studies into a longer tale of sound and fury that ultimately signifies nothing (factually anyway)./ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/pa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods to Eat
Organic/apa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/vodka-uses-460424?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 Weirdest Uses for Vodka/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/top-sources-vitamin-C-44102808?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgTop Vitamin C Sources (It’s Not Organges)/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/vertical-gardens-50040609?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgGrowing Food On the Side of a Building? Believe It./a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/shipping-container-homes-460309?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgAmazing Homes Built from Shipping Containers/a/pp /pReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Incp /p

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=Taxed cows height=230 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_news/daily_green_news-965307545-1241623694.jpg?ymPC0NBDEHQ6bsiQ width=300/br /em(Photo: Gloria Dawson)/embr /br //divp /ppa href=http://www.factcheck.org/announcements/were_voted_best_political_site_again.html target=_blankFactcheck.org/a has won a 2009 Webby People’s Voice award, and The Daily Green thinks it is well deserved./ppDesigned to check the facts spouted by politicians and those seeking to influence politics and policy debates, the nonprofit Factcheck.org is an indispensable nonpartisan resource. (The Daily Green republishes the fact-checks related to energy and the environment, and nominated the site for one of its a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/heart-of-green-media-470318012009 Heart of Green Awards/a.)/ppIn celebration of the site’s Webby, here’s a look at six of its greatest recent hits:/ppstrong1. There’s enough wind power in the Atlantic to offset all the electricity we now get from coal./strongbr /
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar made waves when he said the U.S. East Coast was so rich in wind that offshore wind farms could produce as much electricity as every U.S. coal-fired power plant. It sounds great. Coal, which produces roughly half our electricity, is a major source of pollution that causes smog, acid rain, mercury contamination and global warming; wind power causes none of these. Unfortunately, it’s just a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/offshore-wind-power-44041401not true/a, according to Factcheck.org. We calculate that converting wind to enough electricity to replace all U.S. coal-fired plants would require building 3,540 offshore wind farms as big as the world’s largest, which is off the coast of Denmark, Factcheck.org reported. So far the U.S. has built exactly zero offshore wind farms./ppstrong2. Congress is outlawing your backyard organic garden./strongbr /
A vast campaign, spread via email, Facebook and elsewhere, has tried to convince people that a food safety bill being considered in Congress will wipe out organic farming as we know it, and even possibly make it illegal to have a garden in your backyard. According to Factcheck.org, though, there’s a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/organic-gardening-44040203hardly/a anything to worry about. We suppose in the grand realm of all that’s possible, or more likely a futuristic B movie, federal bureaucrats could decide that public safety calls for inspections of every backyard garden in the nation, leading everyday citizens to surreptitiously cultivate tomato plants in a closet with a sunlamp, lest they get busted by the cops, Factcheck.org concluded. But we kinda doubt it./ppstrong3. Clean coal is a reality, or at least a possibility./strongbr //ppDuring the presidential campaign and beyond, as the coal industry and the Waterkeeper Alliance (a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/heart-of-green-awards-47042302yay Gloria Reuben!/a) and other environmental groups have engaged in an a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/clean-coal-88120501epic advertising battle/a, Factcheck.org has been tamping down enthusiasm for clean coal, which is an expensive emconcept/em for removing carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants, a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/clean-coal-55012801not a reality/a. There are no commercial ‘clean coal’ plants operating currently in the U.S., Factcheck.org reported. The larger question posed by these dueling ad campaigns is implied rather than stated outright. Can coal can be ‘clean’ in the future? Is ‘clean coal’ a laudable, achievable goal as Obama and the coal miners and electric utilities would have us believe? Or is it a ridiculous oxymoron on par with ‘controlled chaos,’ as Gore and other environmental groups suggest?/ppstrong4. Congress outlawed second-hand clothing./strongbr /
In the wake of toy safety scares (remember all those lead toy recalls? a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/lead-toy-recall-47103102There are more nearly every week/a) Congress moved to get the lead (and the a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/phthalates-47020418phthalates/a) out of toys, including those sold at second-hand shops. While the law doesn’t explicitly ban the sale of second-hand clothing, selling children’s clothing that contains lead or phthalates (think about colorful embossed designs) could result in a hefty fine, making this myth a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/second-hand-clothing-55020401partially true/a. A recently passed law won’t ban resale, but it will hold resellers responsible for selling items with lead content that exceeds new limits, Factcheck.org reported. Some resellers are fearful this will force them out of business./ppstrong5. The EPA wants to tax cows./strongbr /
As the Environmental Protection Agency addresses global warming, it will crack down on agriculture, which — through land use and the belching of cattle — contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. (The EPA’s recent finding that global warming endangers public health and the environment is most likely to affect power plants and a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/obama-greenhouse-gases-47012603vehicles/a first.) a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/epa-cow-tax-55010502Not possible/a, according to Factcheck.org: EPA issued a statement saying it isn’t proposing a tax and doesn’t have legal authority to impose one anyway./ppstrong6. The U.S. is ignoring the world’s largest oil reserve in the Western U.S./strongbr /
According to an email chain that vastly exaggerates its size, the Bakken formation in the Western U.S. is a ripe and ready oil source that the U.S. won’t tap because of those darn treehuggers. (Sounds like the penultimate moment, before the laugh-line, in a Scooby Doo cartoon: And I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those meddling kids!) Well, not quite. a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/community-news/bakken-oil-drilling-55031701Not by a long shot/a, according to Factcheck.org. Unfortunately, it is false. It combines and twists several different news stories and studies into a longer tale of sound and fury that ultimately signifies nothing (factually anyway)./ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/pa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods to Eat
Organic/apa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/vodka-uses-460424?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 Weirdest Uses for Vodka/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/top-sources-vitamin-C-44102808?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgTop Vitamin C Sources (It’s Not Organges)/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/vertical-gardens-50040609?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgGrowing Food On the Side of a Building? Believe It./a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/shipping-container-homes-460309?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgAmazing Homes Built from Shipping Containers/a/pp /pReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Incp /p

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=mother and daughters / iStockPhoto height=230 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/the_conscious_consumer/the_conscious_consumer-430376171-1241555518.jpg?ym.YjNBDorw5Ltug width=300//divpMother’s Day is the perfect time to reflect on all the valuable lessons we learned from mom (and grandma). /ppIn fact, many of the smart things mom has always done to save money and time are especially relevant today.  /ppHere is some of her most practical advice: /pp /ppstrongEat your veggies./strong Sure, she may have overcooked them, but mom was right about the fact that they’re good for you. Eating more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains (and less meat) is also good for the planet. Why? Raising livestock requires vast amounts of resources and is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/greenpicks/240/go-meatless-just-one-day-a-week.htmlCutting back on meat/a is also a great way to save money since it can be one of the priciest items in your shopping cart.strong/strong/ppstrongUse a a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_cheapskate/2/my-crock-pot-mean-green-30-recession-fighting-machine.htmlCrock-Pot/a./strong It may seem old-fashioned, but slow cookers are making a comeback because they allow time-pressed consumers to easily prepare healthy and economical meals. Some other benefits: Crock-pots use very little energy and can turn simple (and inexpensive) ingredients into delicious food. stronga href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/54/raid-your-pantry-for-nontoxic-cleaners.html/a/strong/ppstronga href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/54/raid-your-pantry-for-nontoxic-cleaners.htmlRaid your pantry/a for non-toxic cleaning products. /strongCleaning with baking soda, vinegar, and other pantry staples is cost effective, works well, and is healthier than using conventional cleaning products. Use baking soda to absorb odors (keep an open box in your fridge) or as a scouring powder (sprinkle some on a wet sponge and scrub sinks, bathtubs, and more). Mix distilled white vinegar with water to clean windows and floors.  strong/strong/ppstrongVisit the library regularly./strong Why pay money for books and movies that you’ll only read or watch once? You’ll also reduce clutter in your home and put less strain on the planet. Nowadays, the Internet makes book, DVD, and CD swapping easy. Some sites worth checking out: a href=http://www.swaptree.com/Swap Tree/a, a href=http://www.titletrader.com/Title Trader/a, and a href=http://www.swapsimple.com/Swap Simple/a.strong/strong/ppstrongTurn out the lights when you leave a room./strong There has been much debate as to whether switching lights on and off uses more energy than leaving them on while you’re gone.  Mom was right, though. If you want to save energy and money, a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/61/when-to-switch-off-your-lights.htmlswitch them off/a.  /ppAnd one bonus tip from mom: Only buy (take) what you need. Ultimately, consuming less is the best way to save money and protect the planet.  /pp /pbr /pemEnvironmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a a href=http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/green/forms/consciousconsumerblog.htmlquestion or suggestion/a for potential use in a future column. Her book,/em Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life emis available on a href=http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Green%2C%20Greener%2C%20Greenest%3A%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Making%20Eco-Smart%20Choices%20a%20Part%20of%20Your%20Life:3005209514;_ylt=AsLkIJyzfMD4G3Gl2OYYt_gbFt0A?clink=dmps/lori_bongiorno/ctx=mid:1,pid:3005209514,pdid:1,pos:1,spc:14489115,date:20081009,srch:kw,x:Yahoo! Shopping/a and a href=http://www.amazon.com/Green-Greener-Greenest-Practical-Eco-Smart/dp/0399534032/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8s=booksqid=1228865081sr=8-1Amazon.com/a./em/p

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=mother and daughters / iStockPhoto height=230 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/the_conscious_consumer/the_conscious_consumer-430376171-1241555518.jpg?ym.YjNBDorw5Ltug width=300//divpMother’s Day is the perfect time to reflect on all the valuable lessons we learned from mom (and grandma). /ppIn fact, many of the smart things mom has always done to save money and time are especially relevant today.  /ppHere is some of her most practical advice: /pp /ppstrongEat your veggies./strong Sure, she may have overcooked them, but mom was right about the fact that they’re good for you. Eating more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains (and less meat) is also good for the planet. Why? Raising livestock requires vast amounts of resources and is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/greenpicks/240/go-meatless-just-one-day-a-week.htmlCutting back on meat/a is also a great way to save money since it can be one of the priciest items in your shopping cart.strong/strong/ppstrongUse a a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_cheapskate/2/my-crock-pot-mean-green-30-recession-fighting-machine.htmlCrock-Pot/a./strong It may seem old-fashioned, but slow cookers are making a comeback because they allow time-pressed consumers to easily prepare healthy and economical meals. Some other benefits: Crock-pots use very little energy and can turn simple (and inexpensive) ingredients into delicious food. stronga href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/54/raid-your-pantry-for-nontoxic-cleaners.html/a/strong/ppstronga href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/54/raid-your-pantry-for-nontoxic-cleaners.htmlRaid your pantry/a for non-toxic cleaning products. /strongCleaning with baking soda, vinegar, and other pantry staples is cost effective, works well, and is healthier than using conventional cleaning products. Use baking soda to absorb odors (keep an open box in your fridge) or as a scouring powder (sprinkle some on a wet sponge and scrub sinks, bathtubs, and more). Mix distilled white vinegar with water to clean windows and floors.  strong/strong/ppstrongVisit the library regularly./strong Why pay money for books and movies that you’ll only read or watch once? You’ll also reduce clutter in your home and put less strain on the planet. Nowadays, the Internet makes book, DVD, and CD swapping easy. Some sites worth checking out: a href=http://www.swaptree.com/Swap Tree/a, a href=http://www.titletrader.com/Title Trader/a, and a href=http://www.swapsimple.com/Swap Simple/a.strong/strong/ppstrongTurn out the lights when you leave a room./strong There has been much debate as to whether switching lights on and off uses more energy than leaving them on while you’re gone.  Mom was right, though. If you want to save energy and money, a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/61/when-to-switch-off-your-lights.htmlswitch them off/a.  /ppAnd one bonus tip from mom: Only buy (take) what you need. Ultimately, consuming less is the best way to save money and protect the planet.  /pp /pbr /pemEnvironmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a a href=http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/green/forms/consciousconsumerblog.htmlquestion or suggestion/a for potential use in a future column. Her book,/em Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life emis available on a href=http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Green%2C%20Greener%2C%20Greenest%3A%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Making%20Eco-Smart%20Choices%20a%20Part%20of%20Your%20Life:3005209514;_ylt=AsLkIJyzfMD4G3Gl2OYYt_gbFt0A?clink=dmps/lori_bongiorno/ctx=mid:1,pid:3005209514,pdid:1,pos:1,spc:14489115,date:20081009,srch:kw,x:Yahoo! Shopping/a and a href=http://www.amazon.com/Green-Greener-Greenest-Practical-Eco-Smart/dp/0399534032/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8s=booksqid=1228865081sr=8-1Amazon.com/a./em/p

I’ve written about algae biofuel a number of times before (see links at the end) and it is definitely a topic that really interests me. I’ll be honest, the idea of growing crops – that could be used for something else – on prime agricultural land for the purpose of making fuel just seems a [...]