Gardeners spend hundreds of dollars every spring on flowers, shrubs and trees in an effort to beautify their tract of the great outdoors, but many environmentalists say that they're unknowingly doing more harm than good.

Invasive plants and other plants with little or no wildlife quality can be found in just about any garden superstore, making it difficult for the everyday person to make informed decisions about planting the most environmentally friendly garden.

Luckily, native plant gardening is becoming increasingly popular as the going green theme becomes more and more of a household name.

What Is A Native Plant?
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Recreation, a native plant is one that occurred within the state before settlement by Europeans. They include ferns and clubmosses; grasses, sedges, rushes, and their kin; flowering perennials; annuals that only live one year; biennials, which have a two year life cycle; and, of course, the woody trees, shrubs, and vines which covered "Penns's Woods" when the first settlers arrived. There are over 2,100 native plant species known in Pennsylvania.

An introduced or non-native plant is one that has been brought into the state and become established. An invasive plant is a species that has become a weed pest, one DCNR describes as growing aggressively, spreading, and displacing other plants. Although some native plants are aggressive on disturbed areas, most invasive plants are introduced from other continents, leaving behind pests, diseases, predators, and other natural controls.

Native plants are aggressively being lost to habitat destruction, invasive plants and introduced pests and diseases. By 2000, 5 percent of Pennsylvania native plant species had been eliminated and another 25 percent were in danger of becoming so.

Environmental department urge gardeners to buy nursery-propagated native plants and remind people to never remove them from the wild. Environmentalists also urge gardeners to practice responsible landscaping techniques, which means avoiding fertilizer, chemicals and products like Miracle Grow as much as possible.

Delaware Riverkeeper's Top 10 Reasons To Go Native

Natives Are Tough: Native plants evolved in harmony with their ecosystems and as a result they require less care, need less water and have a higher survival rate than non-native plants. After establishment, just sit back and watch your garden grow.

Give Critters A Break: Native plants provide a refuge for wildlife, attracting and providing food for a variety of birds, small mammals, amphibians and pollinators throughout the year. As a result, native plants ensure that our local ecosystems are more stable and productive.

The Kids Will Love It: Have a high quality educational experience in your own yard and add hours of exploration for little ones and their neighborhood friends.

Pay Less For Your Apples: A 2006 study showed that pollinators (like honey bees) are declining in drastic numbers and scientists are not sure why. As a result, this season it is already projected that apples may be three to four times as expensive, since farmers have had to import honey bees for the first time since 1912.

A number of factors have cut pollinators' numbers in recent decades, but providing a chemical-free native plant garden of diverse plants that these pollinators can use can only help them. Animal pollinators fertilize more than 187,500 flowering plants worldwide.

Be Less Toxic: Because native plants evolved natural defenses against predators, you won't need to buy or use nasty chemicals to keep your garden beautiful.

Diversity Is Good For The Eye: Tired of seeing the same plants in your neighborhood and a boring landscape? Native plants are unique and usually rare in typical garden habitats. Your neighbors will be asking you all about your new garden plants. So when its time to divide those perennials, they'll be plenty of takers.

Help Decrease Flooding: By replacing part of your lawn with a native plant garden, you help rainwater soak into the ground and decrease the amount of stormwater runoff that flows quickly into our local streams and causes flooding.

Stop The Spread Of Invasive Exotic Species: Many of the garden plants that we can buy are exotic, and some of these exotics escape from our gardens and threaten natural areas. By planting only natives, you avoid the spread of exotic invasive plants.

Preserve Our Natural Heritage: A 2000 study showed that 5 percent of Pennsylvania native plant species have been eliminated and another 25 percent were in danger of becoming so.

An Argument Against A Manicured Lawn: People spend lots of time and money obsessing over perfectly manicured lawns, when if fact, they're often doing more harm than good.

Many environmentalists will suggest planting native shrubs, trees and plants instead of keeping a manicured lawn because its benefits to nature far outweigh that of planting grass.

The idea of a perfect lawn may have emerged during the post-WWII era, when more and more people were able to take pride in owning their own homes, complete with white picket fences. But keeping a lawn looking good often involves harmful chemicals.

Also, trimmed grass lawns with few shrubs or taller plants attract Canada geese because to them, it resembles the birds' native tundra terrain.

People plagued with geese loitering in their yards and littering it with waste can easily solve it by turning their yard into a native plant garden and cutting out larger tracts of plain, low-cut grass.

Leah Zerbe
WCAU NBC 10 Philadelphia
http://www.nbc10.com/goinggreen/

Quoting Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart, "Waste equals food," so shouldn't we stop treating it as garbage? Worm poop - may not sound so fabulous, but worms and plants have fed off one another in beautiful symbiotic harmony for billions of years - helping to create the majesty that surrounds us. When worms consume dead plant matter, they excrete castings, a natural fertilizer that helps new plants flourish. Terracycle has taken this biological process and set a precedent with the first and only product that is entirely waste - from the contents to the packaging. Terracycle's main product is an organic fertilizer that is made from feeding university dining hall table scraps to earthworms, who in turn create a potent fertilizer rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It's then packaged in soda bottles collected through their Bottle Brigade Program where Terracycle pays 6 cents per salvaged bottle. It's even sent in recycled misprinted boxes from other companies. For all you gardeners out there, nourishing your green thumb has never been more natural. Now that is pretty eco-flippin-fabulous if you ask me.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

A few weeks ago, I shared my general concepts of "Green Medicine" involving three components: the use of dietary, nutritional and natural substances (what I call our "personal green"), living in a clean home and office (our "local green") and working to keep the greater world in which we all must live clean for the health of us all (our "global green"). As Earth Day approaches, I thought I would take a look at asthma - a specific, epidemic and potentially dangerous problem, particularly as the disease occurs in children, the most vulnerable of us all, and walk though my "Green Medicine" approach to this disease.

Asthma 101
First, some basics. Asthma is a major health problem in the US, its incidence increasing yearly and with cases up a whooping 75% since 1980. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology reports the disease afflicts 20 million Americans, and is responsible for nearly one fourth of all emergency room visits. Some nine million children under age 18 suffer from asthma, with some four million of these victims of serious attacks last year. The costs, in terms of missed time from school, are staggering; in 2002 for example, the disease accounted for over 14 million lost school days.

To understand asthma, we need at least a basic primer in lung physiology. To live, we need to breathe, and with each inspiration, fresh air, and with it life sustaining oxygen, travels into the lungs within the bronchi and bronchioles, tube-like structures that reach into the furthest recesses of the lungs, the small alveoli. Here, our red blood cells absorb much needed oxygen and release carbon dioxide, good old CO2, a byproduct of normal metabolism, which we then breathe out of our lungs with expiration.

Now smooth muscle cells line all these air passages along what anatomists call the bronchial tree. These cells, when contracting, can actually reduce the diameter of the bronchi and bronchioles. Such activity can be of benefit, for example when we are exposed to severe pollution, or say smoke from a fire; with reduced air intake, we actually lessen our exposure to potentially dangerous materials.

We also lose considerable water through breathing; just think of a cold day, and the white vapor that follows each expiration. That white smoke is water vapor, exhaled with each breath day and night. If we're dehydrated - during a hike on a hot summer day, for example - we can lose a fair amount of water this way. So it makes sense that our lungs might slow down a bit to reduce the losses, and help keep our fluids in balance until we re-hydrate as needed.

Asthma occurs when our bronchi and bronchioles overreact to irritating exposures in the air, or dehydration, shutting down air flow to the point we find ourselves struggling and fighting for each breath, sometimes, ironically, fighting even for our lives. Scientists recognize a variety of substances that commonly provoke asthma in susceptible people, including pollens in spring and animal dander, as well as a myriad of pollutants. These irritants can lead to an inflammatory reaction in the immune cells lining the bronchi, which in response release histamine and leukotrienes. It's these molecules that then set off the smooth muscle contractions that can, if excessive, lead to asthma.

Asthma's Connection to the Environment
Scientists aren't sure why in so many people the bronchi over-react, but some suspect our constant exposure to increasing amounts of toxic materials in our air must be at least partially to blame. After all, our poor lungs must deal with a constant barrage of noxious materials in the air, literally thousands of different compounds, many of which are irritating to the lungs.

Infection, which creates inflammation, cold air, even exercise can provoke attacks in asthma prone children and adults. Since we tend to lose considerable water vapor via breathing both when it's cold outside, and when we're breathing heavily during exercise, I suspect these situations result when we're just not adequately hydrated, and our lungs desperately try to conserve water - perhaps too desperately.

Standard treatments for asthma include steroids, which reduce inflammation along the bronchi, and bronchodilators, which relax the smooth muscle. In our office, we have some simple approaches to the problem that often help enormously, though I must advise any patient with asthma to follow strictly their doctor's advice, and never change or stop medications without their doctor's approval.

Green Medicine Asthma Solutions
First, as a simple intervention, I always make sure any patient with asthma understands the need to drink plenty of fluids. Considerable debate rages about the amount of water humans need, and a recent study just last week said we should only drink when we feel thirsty. But with asthma, often our thirst centers in the brain seem a little slow to react, so patients end up chronically dehydrated, even though they don't feel thirsty. In my office, we advice anyone with asthma to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water daily.

I have also had a number of patients who improved substantially with the addition of simple apple cider vinegar, two tablespoons in a glass of water 2-3 times daily. Apple cider vinegar contains ample quantities of acetic acid, which we quickly absorb and which quickly acidifies the blood stream. We find that with the blood slightly on the acid side, the inflammatory responses tend to subside, and bronchoconstriction lessens. And though much nutrition advice these days promotes low fat diets, we find many of our asthma patients do better with a fairly regular intake of, yes, red meat. There's a reason, biochemically speaking, why red meat might help. Red meat contains nutrients called phosphates and sulfates that our bodies quickly convert to acid in the blood. Once again, a slightly more acidic blood seems to blunt the exaggerated inflammatory response so typical of asthma.

But, whatever diet an asthmatic chooses to follow, the cleaner the food the better, and that means organic. Fortunately, we live in a time when few doubt that organic food, be it plant or animal, not only provides more nutrients than conventional, but is cleaner. For an asthmatic, I believe organic is the only way to go.

In terms of our local environment, we always encourage our patients to think green. The fewer toxins in the environment, at home, in the office, and at school, the better an asthmatic patient will do. Use non-toxic cleaning agents, and if your house needs painting, use the gentler, greener low VOC paint readily available today. Patients often ask me to recommend air filters, but frankly, we find the best air filter to be plants - but of course, only those that won't lead to an allergic asthmatic response! Scientists now know that plants very efficiently remove pollutants, even the nastiest, from the air around us. One article on healthgoods.com reported that spider plants remove 96% of carbon monoxide, and 99% of nitric oxide, both noxious gases, after only 24 hours. Spider plants, philodendron, and aloe plants are among the most powerful pollution fights around. Plants also give off oxygen, as an added benefit for all of us. In my home and office, we have plants everywhere, and for good reason - not only do they bring a bit of nature to my city life, but they keep the air around me, my wife, and my patients clean.

The cleaner the world, the less pollution and the better it is for all of us, but particularly, the better for asthmatics. Get involved with friends and community groups; help organize a tree planting initiative in your neighborhood. Join national organizations that fight to keep the earth clean. Small efforts can add up, bit by bit, and ultimately have a powerful global effect.

Nicholas Gonzalez, MD
www.dr-gonzalez.com

Since April is "Earth Month" I find myself with lots of Green events on my calendar - so many in fact that it is hard to attend them all but as with my philosophy about living green, I simply do the best that I can. So yesterday morning I woke up with a little green dilemma... I wanted to attend the Bedford Spring Antiques Show sponsored by St. Matthew's Church in Westchester County. This year's theme: "Renew, Recycle, Redecorate" is part of their "Bedford twenty by 2020" pledge to help Bedford reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by the year 2020. Furthermore, I've been attending the annual event for years and was excited to see their collection of antiques and some old friends. But I had suffered a neck injury earlier in the week and was under doctor's orders to rest. My original plan to lug myself (and whatever I might purchase at the show) from NYC to Bedford and back via trains and taxis didn't seem very restful. And given my stiff neck and lingering pain, I couldn't rent a car and drive myself.

Then I thought... Ozocar to the rescue! I contacted this hybrid car service (Prius and Lexus hybrids) and felt relieved about being as green as can be. When a large black Lincoln town car arrived to take me to Bedford, I was surprised and disappointed. Seems that Ozocar had run out of hybrids, and they didn't think to tell me when they called to confirm. I guess to some folks, a car is still a car. So I reluctantly got in and reassured myself that I had at least tried to go green.

Every year for over 15 years now, I visit Josephine Thrasher's antique jewelry booth at the show. She is nearly 80 years old now and running her small business alone since her husband died suddenly over 2 years ago. The first year after he died, I helped her work her booth at the Bedford show. In the car, I sorted through my Envirosax bag full of goodies I was bringing to her to recycle. Over the years, I had unconsciously collected a very wide assortment of small jewelry store boxes and earring storage envelopes. Josephine likes to give her customers their antique jewelry purchases in pretty boxes so I knew these would go to good use.

When I got to the Bedford Spring Antiques Show, I immediately saw all the thoughtful ways they were going green. In the entrance lobby stood a recycled cardboard box calling for your recycled cell phones. Signs encouraging you to "Dare to Recycle" led you to the ticket table with a raffle for his-and-her premium bicycles and an electric children's dirt bike. Their show program was a simple and effective 8 pages on recycled paper with listings of the sponsors rather then the typical 50 page, glossy ad filled, printed book. Then a close friend of my parent's, greeted me warmly and handed me a list of the 20 steps for the "Bedford twenty by 2020" pledge and a brown eco-friendly, re-usable grocery bag.

With my own eco-bag of boxes to recycle in hand, I made a beeline for Josephine's booth. She greeted me as only old friends can, with a big hug and wet smiling eyes. She saw my 40+ jewelry boxes and announced that "it must be Christmas!" as it seems she had been running low on her own supply. Conscious of the car service waiting outside, I tried to take in the show as quickly as possible. And I did make one special purchase - an antique 18 carat floral-engraved 200 year old, gold wedding band. A unique, yet more everyday choice compared to my diamond wedding band. Since it was antique and by definition, recycled, it was a green solution too. "A true find" remarked Josephine. Another old Bedford friend arrived at the booth while I was trying it on and called it "my-running-to-the-A&P" wedding ring. I smiled and said "rather, my running-to-the-farmer's market!" ring and paid cash.

On the way home in the car, I thought back to how nice it was that an event I've always enjoyed was now made even more special by going green. I thought about how "green" seeing old friends was because you didn't have to exert as much energy as when meeting new people. And as I twirled my new ring in the sunlight, I saw the inside engraving for the first time. "To Mel love Sylvia 2-12-74". Gosh. While I enjoy going green as much as I can, it sure can be full of surprises.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

The average American consumes more than 100 pounds of sugar and sweeteners per year. A bit scary? The USDA recommends we get no more than 10 teaspoons per day, yet most of us eat about 30 teaspoons per day. That's three times the recommended daily value. This got me thinking about how much we, as humans, love sweet things. It makes perfect sense; our fist experience of taste comes from the sweetness of our mother's milk.

So, why do you hear from health experts that sugar is harmful for you?

When we play around with Mother Nature to create refined table sugar then it becomes a very different story. Refined sugar lacks vitamins, minerals, and fiber as well as requires extra effort from the body to digest. The body must deplete its own store of minerals and enzymes to absorb the sugar properly. That is when the body creates deficiency instead of providing nutrition to support optimal functioning to your organs.

But sugar isn't the problem. The problem is the vicious, addictive cycle we have created by eating processed sugar, feeling the rush, crashing, and then having to take more sugar to begin the vicious cycle again. If we are on a healthy, balanced diet, nourishing ourselves with milder forms of sweet vegetables, we don't need a big sugar hit from a candy bar or soda to boost our energy level.

As I work with clients that have underlining sugar and caffeine addicted diets, they gain tools that are individualized for their lifestyle to easily find ways to use alternatives to sugar. We begin adding foods such as grains, vegetables, beans and fruits. When unprocessed, sugar contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and proteins. When these foods are chewed and then enter the bloodstream, then they are burned smoothly and evenly, allowing your body to absorb all the good stuff.

Which sweetener should you choose? All common natural sweeteners are available on the shelves of most health-food stores and many supermarkets.

Agave Nectar is a natural liquid sweetener made from the juice of the agave cactus. It is sweeter than refined sugar, but does not create a sugar roller coaster, and has an easier effect on the body's blood sugar level.

Stevia is used in cooking, backing and beverages and does not affect blood sugar levels. Make sugar you get the green or brown form because the white and clear versions are highly refined.

Raw Honey is one of the oldest natural sweeteners. Raw honey contains small amounts of enzymes, minerals, and vitamins. Everyone seems to love honey. It is sweeter than sugar, with different flavors depending on the plant source.

100% Pure Maple Syrup adds a nice flavor to foods and is great for baking.

Brown Rice Syrup tastes like butterscotch and is delicious in recipes. It consists of brown rice that has been ground and cooked, converting the starches to maltose.

Organic Molasses is probably the most nutritious sweetener derived from sugar cane. Different types of molasses have different flavors, but most of them impart a very distinctive taste. Use less molasses than you would sugar.

Keep it simple: Enjoy sweeteners given to you from Mother Earth!

Nicole Ohebshalom, RN,CHHC, AADP
Radiant Living Wellness

In San Diego Going Green is not a new idea. For decades San Diegans have realized the importance to protect the earth and her resources. The communities of Southern California experience first hand how their daily actions affect the environment immediately and in the long term. Here in San Diego we know that dirty streets equal polluted water and closed beaches; thick smog can drown out a picture perfect sunset.

NBC 7/39 produces Going Green segments to educate the San Diego community about what they can do to go green. We talk to experts that tell us what we can do about climate change. We talk to businesses that are working hard on new technology and products that we can benefit from, and we also catch up with individuals that are doing their part in the community. At NBC 7/39 we understand that as a member of the San Diego Community we have a responsibility to report on the stories that impact our lives. That is why we produce Going Green to share the progress being made in the community to fight Climate Change and reduce our negative impact on the earth.

Protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility. Through the NBC 7-39 Going Green experience you will learn tips to help you go green everyday. You will also hear and see the work being done by schools, neighborhoods, offices, and about your neighbors that are Going Green.

Ruston Grau
NBC San Diego, Assignment Editor
http://nbcsandiego.com/goinggreen/

Recently, I was lucky enough to catch a screening of Gimme Green, a documentary about Americans' obsession with their lawns. The film takes a look at the impact excessive watering and toxic pesticides have on our environment -- and our wallets -- as people strive to grow the greenest lawn in the neighborhood.

Did you know that this country spends over 40 BILLION dollars on lawn care? Yup, and as directors Isaac Brown and Eric Flagg point out, that makes our nation's largest irrigated crop...the lawn. Yikes!

The film is funny and a little alarming - watch the trailer to see for yourself. I bet it gets you thinking about your own green spaces.

You can maintain a lush lawn without any of the guilt by going organic in your gardening, controlling weeds without pesticides and uncovering common misconceptions about lawn care.

After all, shouldn't we be as concerned with keeping ourselves and our planet as healthy as we're keeping our lawns?

Rachel Gray, Associate Producer
iVillage.com
http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/

Pandas cannot seem to get enough of this prolific grass. While I wouldn't recommend any of us start chomping on the stalks, bamboo has become a popular (and beautiful) sustainable (depending upon the adhesives and finishes) building resource. As one of the fastest growing plants on the planet, bamboo is a critical element in creating oxygen and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Some species can grow up to 4 feet in 24 hours! It seems hard to believe, but bamboo is also one of the world's strongest building materials with a tensile strength of 28,000 lbs. per square inch (vs. 23,000 for steel.) It can also withstand an incredible amount of compression, for example, a straight column of bamboo, with a top surface area of 10 sq. centimeters, can hold the weight of an 11,000 pound elephant! Cali-Bamboo has a vast range of fabulous products from roofs to fences to flooring. A balance of refined finish with a touch of 'rustic' around the edges, their products are not only organic, beautiful and versatile, but they're incredibly durable. The founders of Cali-Bamboo love outdoors and have committed themselves to doing whatever they can to protect it. They only sell sustainable products that do not negatively impact the environment and they give 1% of all annual revenues to environmental organizations world wide (kudos for that!) For once the grass really is greener.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

When I read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle book last summer, I yearned for the opportunity to be a locavore like her family was for a year in Virginia. The allure of the locavore, one who only eats locally grown and produced food, has become so popular that there are scores of books, websites and even diets like the "100-Mile Diet" professing that eating local can significantly protect against potentially disastrous climate change. Intuitively it makes sense - if your meat and produce doesn't travel great distances by land, sea or air, then your carbon footprint is smaller. It also makes sense if you care about the origin of the food that fuels your body. Eating local by shopping at farmer's markets, CSAs and raw dairy clubs enables you to get to know your local farmer, and you can look him in the eye and see that he treats his grass-fed life-stock humanely and would never use hormones on his cattle or pesticides on his land.

So when I saw that ICE, my favorite local NYC cooking school, was offering a Cooking Book Club class on Kingsolver's book, I immediately signed up and started re-reading my already dog-eared book. Here is an excerpt from the class description: The ever-growing return of interest for home cooking has created a market for an incredible amount of food writing that is both entertaining and informative. Here, join Melanie Underwood for this fun night inspired by Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. Kingsolver's family lived a solid year cooking only food that they or their immediate neighbors grew themselves. The book chronicles the eye opening year of abandoning industrial food with humor and honesty. And here is the class menu: Using local ingredients, you'll prepare a meal of Herb Flan; Goat Cheese and Asparagus Tart; Warm Spinach Dip; Seared Duck Breasts with a Red Wine Sauce; Whole Roasted Chicken; Potato and Caramelized Onion Gratin; Wilted Beet Greens with Pancetta and Parmesan; Individual Rhubarb Cakes with Lemon Thyme Ice Cream; and Roasted Apples. (These wonderful recipes can be downloaded here.)

Our chef instructor, Melanie Underwood, surely didn't disappoint... she grew up on a farm in Virginia with chickens, turkeys, geese, guineas, pigs, cows, peacocks and a HUGE vegetable garden, and she now lives as locavore a lifestyle as possible here in NYC. She explained how eating food from local farms is even healthier for us and the planet than simply buying organic. Some organic food is shipped from all over the world and therefore is harvested before it is ripe so it doesn't spoil en route. Melanie spoke about how as a result locally grown food tastes different and better, as food was meant to be. She talked about how she knows the small local farmers from whom she buys her food and many cannot afford to get organic accreditation so while their food isn't labeled organic, she knows that it is and that they would never use pesticides. I've heard farmers explain this to inquiring consumers at farmer's markets and watched folks walk away shaking their head saying "I'm sorry, I can only buy organic..." The farmers just smile like they have heard this before and persevere. Perhaps now that the masses are going green, we need to further educate them on the importance of digging a little deeper and going beyond the labels to understand the heart behind the local farming movement.

Melanie's cooking style and philosophy echoed my own: she understands that cooking with good fats (as Weston Price proved) increases both health and flavor; she encourages you to taste often and feel your way through the recipe rather than be a slave to the ingredients and measurements (unless you are baking). She taught us how to improvise with the ingredients at hand - an important lesson for those in a CSA as you need to get creative when that weekly box of ever multiplying mustard greens and swiss chard arrives on your doorstep!

In fact, the only disappointment was that I was the only one in the 10 person class who had actually finished the book. Many hadn't read it at all; several hadn't finished it. So Melanie and I spoke about our favorite parts of the book (the Turkey mating saga!), and I think everyone enjoyed the class so much that they will now give it a read. For those curious about the book, check out their fun website for book excerpts, recipes and local food news.

I'm lucky to live in New York, where schools like ICE and experts like Melanie make locally grown come alive. But wherever you live, think locally, support your regional farms, get to know the farmers who care about their land and the food they sell, encourage them, set up your own discussion clubs or book groups or cooking soirees, to bring like minded folk together. It's for our health and the health of the planet - plus, it all tastes mighty good.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

Over the centuries, vinegar has been used for countless purposes: making pickles, cleaning and polishing household equipment, dressing salads, and cleaning the dinner stains off your shirt. It's also an ancient folk remedy, understood to relieve just about any ailment you can think of, such as weight loss to lowering your cholesterol.

Recently, a client emailed inquiring about which Apple Cider Vinegar to purchase. My favorite brand is Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. Paul Bragg, said to be the pioneer of the entire health food industry, is the genius behind the raw vinegar. His daughter, Patricia, who is an inspirational health guru, travels the world continuing her father's legacy.

While many of the folk medicine uses of vinegar are unproven, a few do have a medical research backing them up. Below are a few researched effects. Take note: this is not a substitute for the care that you are receiving for your health. Please speak with a health care practitioner.

For thousands of years, vinegar has been used for weight loss. A study in 2005 found that individuals who ate a piece of bread along with small amounts of vinegar felt fuller and more satisfied than individuals who just ate the bread.

Scientists in a 2007 study found that individuals with type 2 diabetes taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed lowered glucose levels in the morning by 4%-6%. Several studies have found that vinegar may help lower glucose levels. The effect of vinegar on blood glucose levels is perhaps the best researched and the most promising of apple cider vinegar's possible health benefits.

A 2006 study showed evidence that vinegar could lower cholesterol. However, the study was done in rats, so it's too early to know how it might work in people.

Another study found that vinegar could lower high blood pressure. A large study also found that people who ate oil and vinegar dressing on salads five to six times a week had lower rates of heart disease than people who didn't. However, it's far from clear that the vinegar was the reason.

How can Raw Apple Cider Vinegar benefit your everyday life?

Internal Benefits Include:
- Rich in enzymes and potassium
- Helps control and normalize weight
- Improves digestion
- Fights E Coli & other bacteria
- Natural antibiotic and germ fighter
- Relieves dry sore throats
- Relieves arthritis stiffness
- Aids in cholesterol reduction
- Detoxes the body

External Benefits Include:
- Helps maintain healthy skin
- Helps promote youthful, healthy bodies
- Soothes sunburn
- Promotes healthy hair and scalp
- Soothes aching muscles and joints

Now your thinking how to take this stuff... right?

Since apple cider vinegar is an unproven treatment, there are no official recommendations on how to use it. Some people take two teaspoons a day (mixed in a cup of water or juice.) A tablet of 285 milligrams is another common dosage.

It is recommended that you take the Apple Cider Vinegar diluted with water or juice. Because Apple Cider Vinegar acts like a sponge, drawing toxins from the body tissues, it may cause you discomfort if you choose to digest the vinegar using spoonfuls only.

Nicole Ohebshalom, RN,CHHC, AADP
Radiant Living Wellness

On March 31 2007, the worlds first Earth Hour took place in the city of Sydney, Australia. Over 2.2 million residents and over 2,100 businesses turned off their lights for one hour in an effort to generate awareness about the greatest contributor to global warming - coal-fired electricity. This resulted in reduced energy consumption by 10.2% that day. The equivalent to taking 48,000 cars off the road.

Here at Green Is Universal, we believe that little things add up to make big change. And last year's Earth Hour is just the proof we like to see. What began as one city's symbolic event started a movement and this year, Earth Hour is going global! 24 cities around the world will "turn off" at 8pm on March 29.

Chicago will be the U.S. flagship city, with Atlanta, Phoenix and San Francisco acting as leading partner cities. Everyone throughout the U.S. and around the world is invited and encouraged to participate - whether at home or at work, with friends or family, in a big city or a small town. Find out how your city is participating at EarthHourUS.org.

What you do when the lights are off is your own business, but Earth Hour US has got lots of suggestions for you, including changing out your old energy-wasting light bulbs to new, inexpensive and efficient compact fluorescents. Let us know what you are planning to do for Earth Hour.

Nicole Walters
GreenIsUniversal.com

What exactly is Green Medicine? I like to think of it in terms of stimulating the body's own resources and extraordinary abilities to repair and rebuild itself, and help reverse even serious illness, using diet, nutrients, detoxification procedures and not usually drugs, to move our bodies in a healing direction. It also means living a clean life at home, avoiding exposures, as much as possible, to toxic synthetic chemicals, it also means working to keep the larger world around us cleaner, greener, as it was originally meant to be.

This approach differs considerably from the more conventional medicine we know so well, the slash and burn treatment of illness that uses drugs, invariably with long lists of toxic side effects, to blast away at the illness - be it bacterial or cancer. Of course no one denies the benefits of technological, pharmaceutical-based modern medicine but it has serious limitations, and often doesn't work very well - witness the recent reports revealing that antidepressants, long considered one of the great victories of modern medicine, may overall work no better than placebo.

But, nice as it may sound, gentle as it might seem in theory, can green medicine really work, say against a terrible disease like cancer? Well, my colleague Dr. Isaacs and I, certainly believe so, and our experience over the past 20 years in the trenches with at times the sickest of the sick has helped confirm that done properly and intensively, our brand of medicine can work.

We've received some significant recognition over the years, in the form of funding by major corporations such as Nestle and Procter & Gamble, even the US National Cancer Institute. We've published results confirming the benefit of the treatment against the worst of cancers, and continue working hard toward its wider acceptance.

Though those who know of our work see it as a medical treatment, in fact, it really is, at its core, "Green Medicine," an entire green lifestyle, that uses food and nutrients and enzymes to change our vital chemistry for the better, but that also requires patients lead a clean and green lifestyle. We think of our therapy at three levels, personal green, the basics of good, wholesome nutrition, local green, the environment in our homes and offices, and global green - protecting the soils, the forests, the air and the earth.

Personal Green

In terms of personal green, our therapy, in its essence, consists of three basic components, individualized diets, individualized supplement protocols, and detoxification routines, such as juice fasts and colon cleanses, but it most certainly is not "one size fits all." We don't prescribe just one magical diet, suitable for all sizes and shapes of humans, but a variety ranging from near pure near raw nuts and seeds to fatty red meat three times a day, akin to an Atkins' approach. Our supplement programs are equally as varied, involving precisely designed combinations of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, again depending on the patient's specific needs, and for our cancer patients, large doses of enzymes we believe fight the disease effectively. The detoxification routines we believe help patients mobilize and excrete the myriad of toxic chemicals we take in daily from our food, water and air, and that we synthesize daily during normal minute to minute life.

In addition to whatever specific diet, supplements or detox procedures I might prescribe, since I started in practice, we have insisted our patients eat primarily, if not exclusively, organically. We've long believed that organic food, whether of plant or animal in origin, not only lacks the many the toxic chemicals found in conventional selections, but provides more nutritional benefit. For example, organically raised carrots yield higher quantities of essential antioxidants such as beta carotene, and grass fed beef can contain ten times the amount of the essential omega-3 fatty acids than cattle raised on grain in the feedlot.

Easy Being Green

Twenty years ago, organic wasn't as easy to come by as it is today, now with every supermarket in the country providing naturally grown food. In the good old days, even into the 1990's, my patients often had to rely on limited selections of produce from small mom and pop health food stores, or turn to mail order suppliers that shipped overnight. Today, fortunately, organic is everywhere - when over Christmas my wife and I stayed on Sanibel Island in Florida, I was pleased to see even there, the local Island supermarket had an extensive section of organic produce, as well as grass fed meat. Organic is always best, but locally grown organic is the very best, since food, even if grown cleanly, loses some value in transport.

We believe that the cleaner the food, the better our patients do, but we believe everyone - or at least, everyone interested in optimal health - should eat organically, or at least as much as feasible, given the cost issue. I have eaten this way myself for the better part of 25 years, and my wife and I run an "organic kitchen." I've been eating cleanly for so long, that when I travel and must rely on non-organic restaurant food, I can feel the difference. I don't sleep as well. I'm just not as sharp mentally. Those chemicals do indeed make a difference.

Green Water

Of course, water is as important as food, lots of it, since, we're mostly made of H2O. But only clean water, the cleaner the better. Don't believe that tap water is ok, chlorine has been shown to be mutagenic, that is, it disrupts our very DNA, and the debate about the safety of fluoride continues unabated. As my wife Mary Beth wrote in her "Green" blog about water recently, evidence now shows millions of Americans ingest all manner of drugs that have contaminated our water supply. Who needs such stuff, even if the amounts are small. Clean water is key, always, and for our supply, we rely on reverse osmosis filtration. Put ten water experts in a room together and you will get 20 opinions about the best filtration system, and admittedly, no system is perfect, but until someone comes up with a better way, I believe reverse osmosis still the best.

Green Home and Office

We run an organic kitchen, but we also run a non toxic home. All our cleaning products are "green," from companies such as Seventh Generation and Shaklee, both with extensive selections of home products. When we had our apartment painted several years ago, we purchased non-toxic non-fuming paint that left no irritating, noxious odor. All our rugs consist of natural fibers, untainted by any number of chemical treatments commercial carpet manufacturers traditionally use, such as formaldehyde, even pesticides - that's right, some commercial carpets have traces of pesticides, so when your kids are crawling over them playfully, the stuff will rub onto their skin.

I also run a green office. When we had the place constructed 16 years ago, we insisted everything in the office - the wooden floors, walls, even the furniture, be constructed of non-toxic materials only, no toxic dyes, no formaldehyde, only natural woods, natural oils, and natural paints. A company with a factory in Vermont and a New York showroom, Pompanoosuc Mills, made all our office furniture out of natural, untainted woods and finishes, and 16 years later, all of it has held up to wear and tear beautifully, without exposing us to one milligram of synthetic toxic junk.

Global Green

Of course, when you live green personally, at home, and if possible, at the office, you are living green globally. When you choose organic, you support farms that don't apply the load of toxic chemicals that degrade soil, penetrate into water supplies, and eventually leech in our rivers and oceans, then into the fish who swim in these waters. When you choose local organic, you reduce the carbon footprint, the costs of transport, and reduce, as well nutrient loss. When each of us lives green in our home, we're keeping a host of toxic chemicals out of the greater environment at large.

I'm encouraged by the growing acceptance of adopting a green lifestyle, and the change in attitude toward concepts such as organic I've witness over the past 20 years. With the growing interest in all things green, I believe more and more of us will turn to greener medicine, the gentler, less toxic interventions that can work, again, if done properly.

Nicholas Gonzalez, MD
www.dr-gonzalez.com

Six years ago I began a lifestyle transition to living and eating from a "non-diet" diet. Counting calories and using a scale were not cutting it for me. I was looking to cultivate a balance in my body and in the way I live. I began to change my health through the enjoyment of life's pleasures.

The first task I took on was creating awareness around my food, from the environment that the food was grown to the atmosphere I create when eating my meal. It was revolutionary to me because I had the chance to see first hand the effect of the how these important roles have a nourishing effect on my body. By paying attention to a few simple principles, you can help your system absorb high levels of nourishment from everything you eat. I was and still am completely sold in that the secret of eating is in your awareness, pleasure and quality of the food.

I realize that eating a pleasurable well balanced diet isn't simple, easy or a quick fix. If we all had an iron will to live in this ideal manner then there will be no need for nutrition programs or books. Together, we will begin to take steps toward mastering the mental part of living and eating well.

Prioritizing your Priority
Your first high priority goal is actually not to lose weight or to drop a jean size. You're probably shocked! But wait... this is so good. It's first important to change the way you think about food and your lifestyle. Losing weight and fitting into smaller jeans are simply the perks. It may have taken you months, or in some cases years to be where you are, so don't expect to reverse unhealthy habits within a few weeks. Begin with your awareness and lifestyle.

Flavoring Your Life Through Your Palette
A healthy diet consists of experiencing all six tastes at every meal. Your taste buds don't enjoy being bored. By eating the same food in the same way, you'll need more food just to achieve the same pleasure. When my clients first come to me they usually have no variety so they eat in volume to seek satisfaction instead of the interaction of flavor, texture and nutrition that comes from a well thought out meal.

Turn a bit of food comfort into excitement! This is the perfect opportunity to try foods and flavors you have never tried before. Choose quality over quantity and pick things in season! Choosing high-quality organic foods are great for you and the environment!

When The Meal Experience Becomes A Sanctuary of Your Own
Get to know your neighborhood market, not the corner supermarket. The farmers markets have bright in-season vegetables and fruits packed with everything your body needs. As a bonus, you are giving the environment the same nutrition it needs! When you shop for food, buy only what you need for the next few days so the food in your fridge becomes a need-to-eat-basis. Begin to cook at home so you can see and learn what you are putting into your body. Reduce the unknowns of prepared foods, especially the processed kinds. It is equally important to transform your evening meal into a grand event for yourself.

A Special Moment Designed and Enjoyed For You
We have reviewed tips for food shopping and cooking. Now it's time for our grand meal! Create a ritual around your eating through making new habits. In a settled atmosphere, practice eating only at the table and when sitting down. Take a moment to turn off the television and put down the newspaper. This is a time for you, your loved ones, and the pleasure of your meal. Dust off and bring out your favorite plates and decent napkins to emphasize the seriousness and pleasure of this activity. You're worth the best! Eating slowly and chewing properly not only brings awareness for you but also helps you digest food. Think only about what you are eating, smelling and savoring in every bite. Practice putting down your utensils between every few bites, describing to yourself the flavors and textures in your mouth.

We All Practice A Little Form Of Yoga With Our Senses
This exercise has completely changed my life and it's so simple. Before any meal, I sit comfortably and take 5 deep breaths into my midsection. Then I continue breathing during and after a meal as well. Experiment with this exercise. I would love to hear your responses. Please email me.

Do you want to take this exercise a step higher? Ask yourself the following questions: What foods would best nourish me at this time? What do I truly want for myself right now? Is this a good food choice?

Nicole Ohebshalom, RN,CHHC, AADP
Radiant Living Wellness

NBC11 is happy to report the station has made a major commitment to going green.

As of Friday, March 7, 2008, NBC11 has become the first television in the U.S. to be powered by wind.

The station has offset its electricity with 100 percent certified energy certificates, according to station officials.

That means every bit of power used at the studios on the 2400 block of North First Street in San Jose is replaced on the grid by clean energy created by wind farms.

The wind effort is part of a new campaign started by the station called "EcoLogic."

The campaign is designed to educate NBC11 employees, viewers and local businesses about ways they can reduce their carbon footprint at work and at home.

The campaign will take an honest, public appraisal of the NBC11 studios, and follow as the station weighs various options for improving energy efficiency.

NBC11 kicked off the campaign internally in January with an appeal to employees to reduce electricity consumption by simply turning off unnecessary lighting and shutting down computers and equipment when not in use.

After two consecutive months of reduced electricity usage, NBC11 invested in Renewable Energy Certificates to offset the electricity used by the station’s San Jose studios and to help fund wind energy providers.

EcoLogic stories appearing in NBC11 newscasts in the coming months will show analyses of the station’s use of energy and water, its recycling programs, employee commute patterns, landscaping practices and more.

Viewers will be able to see the costs, benefits and trade-offs as the station embarks on a more ecologically sensitive future.

“This is not a hollow marketing tactic. We are taking a very frank appraisal of our carbon footprint, and will take our viewers through the process as we make changes and improvements to our building and our lives,” said NBC11 President and General Manager Richard Cerussi.

NBC11, in partnership with 3Degrees, committed to renewable energy through purchasing Green-e Energy Certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) equivalent to the station’s of electricity consumption at the main studios in San Jose.

This purchase has an equivalent environmental impact of preventing over 2,000 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, or of 473 acres of forest storing carbon annually.

Details of the station’s decisions and progress will be covered on NBC11 News and NBC11.com throughout 2008.

In the coming months, the station will announce several ways in which other businesses and viewers can join with the station in reducing the region’s impact on the environment.

NBC11 is owned by NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

NBC11 gives viewers control, choice and convenience by providing the latest news and programming online and on-air.

Dedicated to serving the communities in our viewing area, NBC11 supports more than 100 community events throughout the Bay area each year.

John Boitnott
Web Producer, NBC11.com

Global warming, pollution, rising energy costs have all played a part in raising our environmental awareness. NBC30 was the first (and only) station in Connecticut to produce a weekly segment on environmental issues that affect you and your family. The goal is to not only raise awareness, but help our viewers become more environmentally friendly.

"Going Green" started back in March when we looked at a man in Bristol who made it his mission to clean up downtown, one piece of trash at a time. From there we've taken tours of the shoreline on Segways and shown you how to recycle your kid's.

We spoke with a travel agent in Enfield about how you can take a "green" vacation and how the Regional Water Authority in New Haven went green with a funky looking building.

Some of the most memorable stories haven't exactly been the most pleasant. The Freund dairy farm in Canaan has found a way to go green with cow poop by using solid manure to make flower pots. My photojournalist and I climbed up a ladder on that Canaan dairy farm into a room that housed the "manure separator". Surprisingly, the smell wasn't any worse up there than it was on the rest of the farm. That changed, however, when Matt Freund turned on the machine. The apparatus that separates liquid manure from solid manure gave off the most foul smell imaginable, in fact nauseating. I quickly jumped down to the ground for fresh air while my brave photographer held in there for a few moments to get good video.

The one story I've had the most questions about involved a building company from New Milford. Steve Schappert constructs low energy (or zero) energy homes using solar panels, clever design, and ground heat pumps. Since the state of Connecticut subsidizes 50 percent of the solar panel purchase it's actually possible to SAVE MONEY on your monthly mortgage payment thanks to the state pumping equity into your house. I know it's cliche, but it's a great way to save green by going green.

Going Green has been a huge success. Most of that success, however, falls on you, our viewers. You have sent in your Going Green story ideas, and you've told us how YOU are going green. As always we want your suggestions, you can post it here on this blog or you can email me us directly at goinggreen@nbc30.com. Doing your part, however small, to reduce your impact on the environment can go a long way in helping to curb the ongoing global warming crisis.

Thanks again for your help.

Ryan Hanrahan
NBC Hartford
http://nbc30.com/goinggreenblog/

Looking out the window this morning I took a breath of fresh air and felt the transformation. Spring is in the air. A time of celebration, reinvention and lightness!

Spring is a time of new growth. In many ways a fresh start; a time to shed what you no longer need and an opportunity to identify what needs a little nurturing and tending to. As I find myself coming out of the snugly winter hibernation, I have been having fun shedding and reinventing different parts of my life. The first steps I took in my reinvention is reorganizing my space at home as well as my office and begun a cleanse program to balance my body, nourish my spirit and to spring ahead.

Here are some enjoyable eco-tips to enhance your personal spring transformation.

Grabbing a Handful of Energy
When the sun comes out I find every reason to go out and play! I add more high energy foods so my body has the fuel to stay up and energized for all my activities. As I stock my fridge with a rainbow of vegetables I begin to add more raw dark leafy greens like kale and swiss chard. I also enjoy more cold-water fish, like salmon, mackerel and herring, which are premiere sources of omega-3 fatty acids. My favorite snack is keeping frozen berries and handful of almonds on my desk during the day.

Speed Your Way in Fitness
Do you have a sudden urge to start working out? Reinvent your fitness routine with the high energy Speedball Fitness. These dynamic classes involve the medicine ball combined with boxing, basketball, martial-arts movement and rhythmic cardiostrength activity. Challenge your muscle and strengthen your core for a healthy body. Once you discover this full body workout you will change your entire routine.

Cleansing Your "Extra"
During the winter you may have accumulated a lot of "extra" - extra weight, extra exhaustion, extra clutter, and extra moodiness. A guided cleanse is a way you can jump-start your body for a more active life, a healthier life. Spring is the perfect time to get rid of these extras and a chance to give your mind, body and lifestyle a transition into balance. The New Yorker Cleanse is a seven-day nutritional program that will cleanse your body with juices and whole cleansing foods along with an educational e-book, nutritional counseling, yoga/meditation, and more.

Gorgeous Hair from the Inside Out
While your spirit may be singing the praises of spring, it's also likely your hair is still crying out with the winter blues - dry and rough as well as stressed-out, overheated, and undernourished. Good and bad hair days have become the barometer determining the kind of life we live. You can tell what someone eats by the state of their hair. When life in our internal environment is balanced, we can keep our hair's natural radiance and health. To build volume, begin having a daily dose of sea vegetables such as kelp or dulse in your diet. My clients have been known to pack their purses with pumpkin seeds, which add shine to your hair while boosting your immune system! The ultimate food for fuller hair is the high protein and omega-3 fatty acids from cold-water fish like tuna and salmon. The protein is essential for new hair growth and the omega-3 fatty acid works as an internal deep conditioner for dry, brittle hair.

Fresh and Local from Your Local Farm
As you plan to get your body ready for the beach remember that having your full dose of nutrients are vital to weight loss and a healthy strong body. By eating a variety of fresh organic foods your body will get all the nutrients it needs for optimal and balanced function. To buy my food I love to visit Farmers Markets over the weekends (my favorite is Union Square!) and also adventuring out to farmer markets in different states to explore their fresh colorful fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses as well as to meet the people who planted and cared for the food I will be eating.

Nicole Ohebshalom, RN,CHHC, AADP
Radiant Living Wellness

You might spend a lot of time in an office or cubicle, but that doesn't mean it can't become your own little eco-oasis! So roll up your sleeves, put yourself on deadline, and take some simple steps that will not only reduce your carbon footprint significantly but will create a healthier and more productive work environment.

For starters, did you know that according to the EPA more than $3 Billion dollars is wasted annually in electricity for office machines left running when not in use? A great way to immediately assist in reducing your impact is to plug all of your computer and electronic devices into a Power Strip that you can turn off every night with the flick of a switch. Plug in your PC speakers, iPod charger, cell phone charger, scanner etc. Investigate which devices are the biggest energy hogs with Kill-a-Watt. It's true that sometimes your monitor and computer need to stay running, but there is no longer an excuse to be like-minded with your appliances and waste time being 'idle.' I am very excited about the new CO2 Saver which you can download for free, just click here! CO2 Saver is a lightweight application that adjusts your power settings on your computer, hard drive and monitor to consume less electricity when not actively in use. The tool bar displays how many pounds of CO2 you are responsible for keeping out of the environment and will display your individual as well as collective impact.

Small steps can truly add up to impressive results! Take for example the move to using a staple-less stapler - we would save 120 tons of steel if every office worker used one less staple a day for a year (that's about the equivalent of 25 SUV's!) My office started using this gadget and it works well when we have to use paper, which we try to avoid unless absolutely necessary. In the words of Rob Schneider from Saturday Night Live, "Making Copies" is now becoming somewhat out of favor as we can now PDF our doc's and distribute them electronically. The average office worker uses approximately 10,000 sheets of copy paper each year which translates to a lot of trees! If you MUST print, use 100% post consumer recycled paper, available at most office supply stores or "tree-free paper". For your binders, folders and other supply needs, check out the Office Depot Green Book or online catalog and refuse the monster book that they typically distribute.

Another office instrument that I find particularly thrilling is the biodegradable pen where you can exercise that "green" thumb of yours and actually plant it! But you definitely don't have to be a gardener to pick up a few small plants to keep in your office.

Plants have been referred to as "nature's clean air machines" and studies have shown that plants notably improve the quality of the air by effectively removing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide among other pollutants from the atmosphere. The common English Ivy, Heartleafed Philodendron or Green Spider plants are three that been named as some of the most efficient air cleaners that prosper indoors with low light and don't require too much water.

Water, however, is a something that humans should all remember to drink plenty of! Being a good hydra-tor is a wonderful feeling but an even better feeling is practicing this without contributing to the incredible amount of plastic used to bottle it. Approximately 2.7 billion tons of plastic is used each year for bottling water and 86% of it ends up in landfill and will never fully biodegrade (I won't even go into the harmful effects of plastic on your health and the environment today!) but, a great way to quench your thirst and your style is tote a Sigg bottle. They're made with 100% recyclable aluminum and are coated with a highly elastic safe finish. They have a beautiful vast collection of colors and styles to suit your personality, (or personalities as the case may be!) Of course this is just a start and there many things that you can continue to do on your quest to green your work space.

Don't forget to turn off the lights when you leave your eco-office and pick a copy of the September issue of House and Garden Magazine - the eco-chic column has some excellent additional tips and product recommendations.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

Remember that Dunkin Donuts commercial where the guy would stumble into the bakery in the wee hours to start making the donuts so they would be fresh for the morning rush? It was time to make the donuts... Now picture me in my bathrobe, hair askew, teeth unbrushed, moving zombie like on weekend mornings because it was time to make the water...

I know folks claim that NYC's water is the "best tasting" water in the nation. Maybe by some standards it is but that does not mean that it is healthy for you. I'm not a water expert, but 7 years ago we had our NYC water tested in a lab and found that our water sample, collected directly from our kitchen tap, contained fecal contamination. Yes, we were drinking, cooking and brushing our teeth with poop. Plus, our NYC city water contains chlorine which, sorry, has been shown to be carcinogenic, and fluoride which still generates serious controversy over its safety. Furthermore, today, an AP investigation announced that a small amount but a "vast array of pharmaceuticals - including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones - have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans".

So, we set up a powerful water filter in our back kitchen and every weekend we would hook up the filter hose to an empty glass gallon jug and make water. Making water this way is a slow process that reminds me of old movies about Chinese Water Torture. The filtered water drips drop by drop into the gallon jug. On a good day, we could make a gallon in 2-3 hours. On a day with low water pressure and when the water needs more filtering, it could take 6 hours to make a gallon. Since we would use this water for all our personal and cooking needs, we needed 12 gallons of water to get through the week so our weekends revolved around watching the water and being ready to switch in the next gallon jug just before the first one overflows.

Sure, we could have just purchased gallons of spring water every week but even when you recycle, all that packaging is still wasteful and plastic bottles leech chemicals into the water. I tried ordering glass gallon bottled water from Mountain Valley Water service who would deliver weekly, but then I couldn't handle the carbon offset guilt of personally trucking in my water. So making my own water was the greenest and best solution.

When you work that hard at something day in and day out, you can grow attached to it and so there was born my little water obsession. By Sunday night, I would have 6 gallons ready to drink above the refrigerator, 2 gallons in glass water pitchers keeping cold in the fridge, 6 gallons stored in a special portable kitchen cabinet I bought at Bed, Bath and Beyond just for this purpose, and in case of an emergency, I had 12 half gallons in 2 crates in the hall closet left over from our Mountain Valley Water days.

Is this all worth it? I asked that question a lot as my water adventures started to flood my brain. The no-brainer was that I only wanted to cook and drink with clean water in the greenest way possible. But surely there was a better way. So last summer we invested in a reverse osmosis water filter that is built into the kitchen sink and has its own separate faucet. It lives under the sink, constantly makes water and can theoretically produce up to 35 gallons in a single day. Voila! Somebody took my weekend job!

Now 6 months later, I still marvel at how I can simply walk up to the kitchen sink with a glass in hand and pour myself a fresh glass of water. It takes me back in time to the days of yesteryear before we knew that virtually everything around us is toxic and damaging the environment. It brings me hope for the future that we can find more ways to live green without having to change our lifestyle radically. Yet old habits die hard... this weekend, I was cleaning out the guest room closet and found another 24 gallons of crated water that I must have been saving, just in case...

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

We are well into the year 2008 and I have created the steps to make more of my own "processed food." My new years resolution is to rely less on industrial energy, packaging and transportation even when I want to nourish my cravings or desire a quick hunger fix. So, now you will find me wearing my apron and creating mixtures in my private kitchen laboratory. It does take more time and energy which is difficult to find for a busy New Yorker but I feel a great amount of pleasure in the creative process of cooking, knowing that love is an ingredient in my food (also knowing what is in my food!) and eating a meal that I created myself. I can make exactly what I want and don't have to worry about hydrogenated corn syrup, preservatives, or food coloring.

The last two weeks I made my own jam, bread, yogurt, almond milk and pickles. The almond milk was surprisingly easy to make. It took me 15 minutes. When placed in a nice jar (yes... it was re-usable) it made a nice gift for my friends and family.

Here's the recipe:
1. Place 1 cup of freshly roasted almonds in a glass jar
2. Cover with 4 cups of water
3. Tightly close the jar
4. Refrigerate for 1 day or no more than 2 days
5. Pour into blender and blend until smooth

We would love to hear from you. Share with us. What are your favorite recipes? What have you created this week?

Nicole Ohebshalom, RN,CHHC, AADP
Radiant Living Wellness

The other day I stumbled upon a video of Gary Hirshberg giving a talk at Authors@Google. An employee program which brings authors to Google headquarters to talk about their recently published books. (OK, how cool is that.)

Gary Hirshberg, if you've never heard of him, is the Chairman, President and CE-Yo (I didn't make that up, they did) of Stonyfield Farm. His recently published book, Stirring It Up, demonstrates how everyone has the power to effect change in the marketplace. It's apparent after a few minutes of this talk that Hirschberg is an environmentalist first, business man second but his passion for the former inspired him to build the latter in a way that is both sustainable and profitable.

The entire video is 60 minutes but the meat of it is about 40 minutes. If you have the time, I definitely recommend the watch!

Nicole Walters
GreenIsUniversal.com

The San Francisco Bay Area is known for being at the forefront of improving the environment. However, I've seen some people from all walks of life living green in life and in work.

I met a 15-year old student, who was personally trained by Al Gore to deliver his Inconvenient Truth presentation. His passion for this issue was remarkable for a teenager.

The auto mechanic was just as passionate about keeping his garage as clean and environmentally friendly as possible. He lives it in his daily life as well, even driving a veggie fueled Hummer.

In the case of the small business owner, he's willing to make a big investment in creating what is likely the first z-squared building. That means his office building is using all of its own energy and not emitting any CO2 emissions.

Looking forward, we are continuing the trend of finding unique Going Green stories. We will profile a guy who is surfing along the California coast, to raise awareness about the threats facing the beautiful coastline. We'll also show you what it takes for a winery to go green. Solar panels are not unique, but the next generation is very different from the original. See why they're better, and why people are willing to spend the extra money on them. On the topic of money, we'll go on an energy audit to see how a small family owned business saves money going green. Finally, we'll look at how common household ingredients that go down the drain can harm the San Francisco Bay.

Liza Meak
NBC KNTV/San Jose
http://nbc11.com/goinggreen/

On a recent camping trip to the Adirondacks, I encountered a situation that asks the question... Should you put yourself in personal peril to protect the environment? Ok, well that sounds a bit extreme so let me explain.

We were staying at an established campsite that had a few cabins and tent sites. While we were eating dinner around our campfire our cabin neighbors to the north began to chop down a small tree (in camping terms, fowl a tree) for campfire (which you can buy at the store). There were many rules being broken here. Other than the obvious safety issues, they were destroying private property and the environment. What troubled me the most was that I didn't know what to do. Should I have directly confronted them and risked being harassed or worse? Keep in mind I am only sleeping in a tent which is a thin piece of fabric protecting me from a family with an axe! Should I have ignored the situation entirely and just sent mean thoughts their way? What would you have done?

I ended up taking the middle of road option and informed the manager at the campsite, who then dealt with the situation.

This is obviously a rare occasion that I encountered, but there are so many similar instances that I find myself lost at what to do. For example, I feel very passionate about recycling. When I put out my nicely separated recyclables each week, I have noticed that my neighbor doesn't recycle at all. I want to say something, but am not sure if it is my place.

I guess the question is, when does it become our job to educate others about living a more eco-friendly lifestyle? And if it's not our job, than whose job is it?

What do you think?

Danielle L. Spires
iVillage Your Total Health

We all take it for granted... how could we not? We've been using it every day since we were teenagers and it becomes so routine, we don't even think about it. But despite our blase attitude, we need to take a closer look because these products we think are so helpful have a more insidious side and pose potentially serious health risks.

As a start, nearly all commercial deodorants contain aluminum salts, usually aluminum chlorohydrate. Manufacturers like aluminum because it effectively suppresses perspiration but the metal has a dark side once it makes its way into our body. Aluminum toxicity is a serious issue, but fortunately, for most of us one that can be easily avoided, I turned to my doctor husband, a cancer researcher, for the facts.

Dr. Nick Gonzalez:
Thirty years ago researchers first detected significantly elevated aluminum levels in the brain of Alzheimer's patients, and subsequently proposed a link between the heavy metal and the disease. Though scientists still debate the connection, certainly aluminum is a toxic heavy metal that has no useful biological function, and which we don't want building up in our bodies, ever.

Manufacturers long discounted any such effect from aluminum salts in deodorants, which they claimed would not be absorbed through the skin. This assumption has proven wrong, and over time users of commercial deodorant do accumulate the stuff, sometimes in significant levels. A recent medical report described a woman who ended up with severe aluminum toxicity directly as a result of her deodorant use.

Most commercial deodorants also contain parabens, which act as preservatives and stabilizers, but which like aluminum can be absorbed with systemic effects. Parabens mimic estrogen, and though the amounts we absorb on a daily basis might be small, over time, the accumulation can be significant. A report from England in 2004 documented a relationship between parabens and breast cancer.

Fortunately, natural, organic alternatives abound, containing neither dangerous aluminum nor the dreaded parabens. I spent a long time trying to find the perfect natural deodorant and the trial and error testing was at time embarrassing. Some natural deodorants work just fine for an ordinary, low stress, low humidity day. But I'll still turn to my basic alcohol prep swab when I think I'm facing a particularly tough day. Yes, alcohol swabs, applied directly to the underarms (but not right after shaving, ouch!). Alcohol doesn't inhibit perspiration, but it kills the bacteria. Bacteria lives on sweat, and creates the odor that can be embarrassing. So kill the bacteria, kill the smell! Alcohol may not be an elegant answer, but it's cheap, it's natural and it works.

Natural, Paraben and Aluminum free deodorants:
Kiss My Face Active Enzyme: $4.99; Fragrance Free, Patchouli, Lavender, Skin Deep score: 1
Dr. Hauschka: $19.95; Fresh (sporty) and Floral; Skin Deep score: not rated
Avalon Organics: $5.95; Peppermint, Wild Yam, Lemon and Lavender, Skin Deep score: 0-1
Nature's Gate Organics: $5.99; Chamomile and Lemon Verbena, Skin Deep score: 1

Hope this helps you keep fresh and cool in the safest and most natural way possible.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

Compai, a crafty green design studio in Brooklyn, is the collaboration of a sister-team that has been making waves since 2002, in Florence, Italy. “99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Tie And Rock Your Scarf” is a DIY treat. Those interested in recycling their scarves by turning tired treasures into ascot masterpieces will love "99 Ways." Their first two books in the DIY trilogy convey the same philosophy using t-shirts (their first publication) and denim (their second publication). Each page is decorated with clever drawings matched with a photo of the project, and detailed instructions with sketches and a glossary of terms, to make following along simple. Each project also gives you a heads up on the approximate amount of time it will take (and level of difficulty), so if you don’t have 45 minutes to dedicate, find a design that fits your schedule! "99 Ways" may sound like a lot of twists on a simple subject, but you might be as pleasantly surprised as we were. Amazon has copies for only $13.57, so click here to get your hands on your own book.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

Humans have tended sheep, goats, and cows for their milk for over thousands of years. Historically, milk has always been a luxury and important part of a diet. Milk has been shown as an essential and honored food in many cultures such as the Sumerians, Sanskrit writing, the Bible, and nomadic armies of Khan from Iran. The cow was the center of all these domestic economies through the creation, usage and transaction of milk and cream as well as being an important part of keeping the doctor away.

Today, all milk we see and drink is not created equally. Some milk is better than others; for the cow, the environment, and human health. Modern industrial milk is not the same as the traditional milk we used to drink ten thousand years ago or even fifty years ago. Industrial milk comes from cows raised indoors and fed mostly on a corn, grain, and soybean diet. These cows are given a dose of synthetic hormones to boost milk production and antibiotics to keep them well. Then the milk is pasteurized and homogenized. The pasteurization removes all the valuable enzymes. Without the essential enzymes, milk is very difficult to digest. Pasteurization is a destructive process that distorts the physical structure of proteins in the milk that could be harmful to your body. Additionally, this process eliminates any good bacteria normally present in the milk.

Through the research, I have to believe that the butterfat of milk is there for an important reason. In the process of industrialized milk the butterfat is homogenized. Without the butterfat your body cannot absorb and utilize vitamins and minerals that is contained in the water fraction of milk. Along with valuable trace minerals and short chain fatty acids, butterfat is important because it also contains acids that hold strong anti-carcinogenic properties.

Industrialized pasteurized milk is the number one allergic food in this country. You or someone close has more than likely experienced one form of reaction to dairy. Why is this important for your health? A reaction can occur and come to surface in a form that you do not have the education to clearly recognize and identify in the manner that a skilled health professional has the ability to do. Perhaps your condition of diabetes, acne, gastrointestinal bleeding, skin rashes, diarrhea, infertility, cramps, ear infection, bloating, gas, iron-deficiency anemia, and atherosclerosis has occurred and has become prominent in your health due to build up of industrialized dairy food.

Industrial milk also contains a protein enzyme called Xanthine Oxidase. Normally, proteins are broken down once you digest them. When milk is homogenized, small fat globules absorb intact Xanthine Oxidase into your blood stream. There is strong research stating that this enzyme leads to an increase risk of heart disease.

The 1% and 2% industrialized milk is contained with non-fat dried milk. The cholesterol in this non-fat milk is oxidized and contains cholesterol that is rancid, which promotes heart disease. On the other side, the cholesterol from traditional raw milk plays a variety of health promoting roles in the human body.

As you can see there are many benefits and dangers of milk, which is beginning to be recognized by society. Have you noticed that since the spring of 2007 you have not seen the Dairy Council ads that promote weight loss? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ended the ads because the research did not support the claim. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) brought the complaint to FTC because the ads were based largely on small studies conducted by a University of Tennessee nutrition professor whose funding came from the dairy industry. The PCRM further states on industrial milk that "Independent research has found that dairy product consumption either has little or no effect on weight loss or actually increases body weight." Physicians, researchers and the government are beginning to support and see the difference in health when one eats clean raw milk from a healthy cow versus a crowded, poorly fed, and weak cow that is more susceptible to disease. As we've seen, the cow's ideal habitat is outdoors and her best diet is grass.

All food should be clean to support your healthy body, but modern mass production methods make this impossible. Traditional raw milk enhances health and flavor since it comes from cows mostly fed on fresh grass and hay. This raw and unhomogenized milk is free of synthetic growth hormones. A well-cared-for cow that is grazing on pasture and fed quality hay produces milk that contains an array of important enzymes and antibodies. These make raw milk completely digestible and directly support the immune system, which are claims that cannot be made for commercial milk. When food is locally produced on a more human scale, clean practices can reliably be maintained.

Traditional raw milk is free of synthetic growth hormones but there is a different story for industrial cows. To boost milk production, industrial milked cows are injected with genetically engineered bovine growth hormone called rBGH, which increases the risk of mastitis and shortens her life dramatically. When you drink a glass of milk from a cow treated with rBGH you are having a dose of a powerful insulin-like hormone that prompt cells to grow and proliferate. This is linked to cancers of the reproductive system.

Dairy food from grass-fed cows contain more omega-3 fats, more vitamin A, and more beta-carotene and other antioxidants. CLA is a good fatty acid from Omega-6 in the milk of grass-fed cows. In general, we get too much Omega-6 fatty acids, making us gain weight and develop other "too much fat" related health issues. However, the CLA in cow's milk is only found in whole milk, and mostly so from grass fed cow. CLA prevents heart disease, fights cancer, builds lean muscle and aids in weight loss by decreasing the amount of fat stored after eating and reducing the number of fat cells.

Why Your Mom Said Milk Is Good
- Vitamin A for healthy eyes, teeth, skin, and bones
- Vitamin B6 to build body tissues, produces antibodies, and prevents heart disease
- Vitamin B12 for healthy red blood cells, nerves, digestion, and to prevent heart disease
- Vitamin D to aid calcium and phosphorus absorption and for bones and teeth
- Thiamine to help turn carbohydrates into energy and aid appetite and growth
- Zinc for tissue repair, growth, and fertility
- Complete protein to build and repair tissues and bones

So, what is a person to drink to get all these nutrients? Grass-fed raw milk is ideal and organic milk is second best. Unfortunately, most commercial organic milk is cows that are fed on grains, not fresh grass. The cows producing commercial organic milk have "access" to pasture, but spend little time outside on the pasture. The best choice is grass-fed milk because cows are fed on grass and hay. Farmers who supply two organic brands, Organic Valley and Natural by Nature, raise cows on pasture.

I recommend experimenting by discontinuing all industrialized pasteurized milk products for several weeks and reevaluate how you feel at that time. If you feel better after several weeks you can attempt to rotate small amounts of one form of milk every four days.

Your best source for milk is to find a local farmer who sells raw milk to you. Clean whole raw milk from certified healthy cows, preferably from grass-fed cows of old-fashioned breeds that produce high-fat milk, such as Jerseys and Guernseys. I have seen so many clients improve their health after switching to raw milk. It is one of the healthiest foods you can consume. It has more nutrients, more health benefits and taste better as well. To find high quality, unprocessed milk in your area, visit Real Milk.

Nicole Ohebshalom, RN,CHHC, AADP
Radiant Living Wellness

We're loving the moms over at Mom Logic for giving us the heads up on the new Spring/Summer collection from LeSportsac. Vegans have always loved this mega bag maven for their fun, leather free alternatives, but now, through a partnership with one of our favorite sires of fashion, Stella McCartney, comes their premiere and truly eco-friendly line. Available on a pre-order basis only, you can be one of the first to tote (or roll) around one of these cute, yet sophisticated designs - made from entirely recycled fabrics. For the modern mom on the go, with a desire for form, function and sustainability, Stella's Sportsac's got it in the bag.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

The U.S. is ready to accept "binding international obligations" on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to James Connaughton and Daniel Price, environmental and economics advisers to President Bush, BBC reports. The Bush administration wants some kind of binding commitment from major developing countries such as China, India and Brazil.

"The U.S. is prepared to enter into binding international obligations to reduce greenhouse gases as part of a global agreement in which all major economies similarly undertake binding international obligations," said Price, the president's deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs.

On the heels of this announcement, EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas has traveled to the U.S. for talks on a possible binding international agreement on reducing greenhouse gases, The Australian reports.

An agreement could be announced "in conjunction" with the G8 summit of the world's must industrialized nations in Japan in July.

At the Bali conference in December, the EU wanted an agreement to require developed countries to cut their emissions by 25 to 40 percent of 1990 levels by 2020 to be included in the Bali Plan. The U.S., Japan and Canada opposed those targets. When these specific guidelines were removed from wording about future emission cuts, a compromise was reached which sets the stage for global warming negotiations that will end in 2009.

In addition to today's news concerning the U.S., major emissions news has been reported from Japan and Canada recently.

Japan is considering compulsory caps on greenhouse gas emissions and a domestic emissions trading scheme for its reluctant companies as it is expected to make tougher commitments in the post-Kyoto Protocol phase, Reuters reported last week.

British Columbia delivered a budget last week that included a carbon tax, CTV reports. On July 1, 2008, the province will begin phasing in the carbon tax, which will hit gasoline, diesel, natural gas, coal, propane, and home heating fuel. The starting rate will be based on $10 per tonne of carbon emissions, and rise $5 a year to $30 per tonne by 2012.

Environmental Leader

Tea, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love tea in every possible way imaginable. I love black tea with cream in the morning, herbal berry tea and green tea throughout the day, chamomile tea with heavy cream at night, iced herbal brewed tea in summer and rich chai tea with cream in winter. I love tea in mugs, in fancy china, served with finger sandwiches and scones, brewed in a single cup and steeped in a wide assortment of teapots. I love tea in whole leaves with silk sachets, loose leaves with herbs and flowers and cut leaves with recyclable, biodegradable paper filters.

There is something special about the simplicity of a few tea leaves and water that provides for a personal transformational experience. Drinking tea can awaken your body and soul. The ritual can expand your mind and transport you to another place where the elements of your tea grow naturally. Easy to make and easy to carry, tea is portable, predictable, perfection. I don't go anywhere without a few tea bags in my purse, just in case... And with so many organic teas available now from companies committed to environmental responsibility and sustainability, tea is good and green. Filled with antioxidants, tea is a healthy choice anytime of day. Some teas combine with herbal medicinals for health benefits such as good digestion, reducing water retention, supporting kidney function, promoting nighttime relaxation and reducing cramping.

Green tea specifically has received praise among scientists for its rich array of antioxidants that in clinical studies have proven protective against major killers such as cancer and heart disease. Chamomile, long a favorite in the alternative medicine world for its sedative properties, appears to promote restful sleep. Herbalists have long recommended ginger root tea to sooth a troubled stomach, and scientific evidence supports its use to treat nausea and morning sickness. Teas with goldenseal and echinacea help fight the colds and flu and many different teas (green, black and white) have a diuretic effect. Traditional Medicinals markets a whole line of healthful teas with an herbal medicinal theme, with benefits identified on the label. But these teas are wonderful even if you have no complaint, as a soothing beverage to help you enjoy your day.

While I've rarely met a tea I didn't like (Earl Grey - you know who you are) here are a few of my all time favorites:

- Tazi Organic Chai Tea (spicy and smooth, served with a liberal dose of organic cream)
- Harney & Sons Organic Passion Plum Tea (rich and fruity without caffeine)
- Traditional Medicinals Organic Nighty Night Tea (ensures a good nights sleep)
- Yogi Green Tea Energy (perky and balancing, 70% organic)
- Mighty Leaf Organic Hojicha Green Tea (deep, rich and nutty)
- Davidson's Spiced Raspberry Organic Black Tea (chai tea with cinnamon and cloves)
- Numi Moonlight Orange Spice White Tea (orange, schizandra berries, lime, and spice)

One final point for all you coffee drinkers out there. Though in fairness, coffee does contain some beneficial nutrients, the strong caffeine jolt can raise blood pressure and actually bring on anxiety. Even one cup in the afternoon can disrupt sleep hours later at night. For me the choice is simple, tea wins hands down, for flavor, for variety, and for health. Put aside that cup of java and learn to cherish a robust brew of tea - green, great and good for you!

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

I'd like to announce the launch of Unscrew America, the brainchild of An Inconvenient Truth producer Lesley Chilcott and Austin's SG&M Idea City.

The site is about getting people to Unscrew their regular light bulbs and to screw in more energy-efficient ones in the form of CFLs and LEDs. LEDs are the next big thing in lighting technology and use 97% less energy than regular lightbulbs. They're trying to share all these nifty facts with everyone, but it's evident their target audience are Millennials as the site reads more like a game and resembles something that might have come out of Napoleon Dynamite's notebook. Aside from looking cool, it's filled with tons of useful information about both types of bulbs, covering everything from disposal of your CFLs when they burn out to a highly complex mathematical algorithm about how buying more expensive bulbs now can save you money in the future. Check it out at UnscrewAmerica.org.

Nicole Walters
GreenIsUniversal.com

It's hard to believe that SIGG - the bearer of those beautiful, trendy, reusable bottles popping up all over the place - is celebrating a hundred years in the biz. They've no doubt made a positive impact on the more than 60 million water bottles thrown out each day (and that's just in the US!). To honor their lasting success, SIGG100 was launched on February 11th, in conjunction with Stop Global Warming, counting down the 100 days until Earth Day (April 22nd).

Each week, they're unveiling ten historical eco-moments, and users can take part and vote on the most significant for a chance to win a trip to Hawaii. But what we're really jazzed about is the opportunity to chat live with environmental activists, of which our own Zem Joaquin will be participating! Join Zem on Monday, February 25th at 2:00 pm (pst) on Sigg100.com for a Q&A. For those burning green questions you've got to ask, shoot them Zem's way during this live session. Also, be on the lookout for a chance to win one of SIGG's new gorgeous 2008 bottles, on ecofabulous.com.

Spring is definitely in the air for our East Coast contributors. Or wait, is it just global warming rearing its hot head? Either way, it's got some of us planning our spring wardrobes in the middle of February. For a sure thing when it comes to organic style, we checked out Loomstate's autumn collection. It's a good thing we don't believe in all that "no white after Labor Day" nonsense, because the Flux skinny white jeans are begging to be worn once the slush ceases to overrun the streets of New York. The slouchy green parka and long peach cardigan are spring staples for a sunny afternoon to breezy evening transition. Loomstate's clothing is made with 100 percent certified organic materials, so we won't blame you for stocking up on spring styles from their line, though remember to mix it with what you already have. Barneys has many of the best Loomstate pieces, and even has some styles unavailable elsewhere, so it might be worth a visit to one of their outposts.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

When was the last time your body received real nutrition from eating whole foods for an entire day, week, or month?

If you are like most people, you would have to honestly say it's been a while. Then there are some of you thinking, "Since I use supplements, my body receives all the nutrition it needs." So people come to the belief that they can eat anything and still function optimally. They tuck the concept, you are what you eat, way back into their brains because nothing will ever happen to them. You have your vitamins, right? People then get in the habit of eating pizza in front of the TV instead of preparing healthy meals while consciously enjoying the pleasure of their food. For a person on a pizza type of lifestyle, can a supplement be the right choice for their health? Or is it best to be nursed on more whole nutritious food? For a select few this question is a no brainer. They are clear in where they stand. But for many this is a true daily tug of war. You might be asking yourself, how can I have a healthy lifestyle with ease in this fast paced world?

When a client first comes to see me they are typically taking a box filled with vitamins because they believe the more they take the higher on the healthy scale they are and it's easier for them than eating good food. They are surprised and delighted once they discover that nutritionally filled food is a simple and straightforward choice in their busy lives. Traditional organic food has been around for thousands of years in every culture so why mess with natural science?

What do you get when you eat traditional organic (environmentally friendly) food? Food that comes from fertile soil (nutrient filled!) instead of depleted soil, and animals on the pasture instead of confinement. Good food begins with plants and animals raised in healthy ways on mineral-rich soil; and with meat, eggs, milk products, fish, grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables so that vitamins and minerals in the foods are preserved or enhanced.

Food, particularly unprocessed organic grown, meets the nutrient needs for anyone and it contains other valuable substances that is not present in supplements. I'm not saying there aren't any helpful supplements out there. There certainly are. What is becoming more apparent, however, is supplements will not help much if one does not first address the necessary basics of health and healing.

This fact has never really been questioned or argued. Everyone agrees raw honey is better for you than white sugar or that brown rice is better for you than white rice. Also, meditation and a visit to the spa supports a person's well-being more than happy hour with colleagues. Why should it be any different for supplements?

Calcium is a perfect example to find on the shelves of your local health food store. How does a nutrient dense cheese outweigh a calcium tablet?

When an individual takes a single calcium tablet then it isn't digested properly in the body. Why? Because calcium in tablet form doesn't belong to its naturally designed complex whole form. To absorb calcium in the body it needs to be digested with Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and Phosphorus. When you eat a calcium rich whole food the mentioned nutrients will also be in there... just like nature intended!

I propose that you look in your kitchen and the farmers market as your new medicine cabinet. As Hippocrates said, "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." Eat in pleasure and stick with whole traditional organic foods. Below are helpful resources to begin your journey. Once you begin your healthy journey, research supplements for extra support.

Whole Organic Food Support:
The Weston A. Price Foundation
Radiant Living Wellness
Slow Food

Nicole Ohebshalom, RN,CHHC, AADP
Radiant Living Wellness

It seems like easy, earth-friendly lifestyle alternatives are being made across all industries these days. I guess people are finally getting the message that changes have to be made if our great-grandkids want to experience things like... you know... spring and autumn.

I'm trying to do my part.

Last month I simply checked a little box on my electric bill to sign up for alternative energy - so easy! It cost about eight dollars a month more, but powering my home with clean energy from hydropower and wind makes me feel like a million bucks.

Speaking of easy ways to be more environmentally minded, I found a ton of great ideas in radio host Josh Dorfman's new book, The Lazy Environmentalist. It's an in-depth guide to living more "green" with solutions for the home that are simple, stylish and might actually save me money when I start incorporating them into lifestyle.

Apparently being "green" is all about our choices, so how about making your next decision to check out Josh's blog http://lazyenvironmentalist.com? There's no mention of patchouli oil or crystal deodorant, and I promise it will inspire you to begin a more eco-friendly existence, too.

Turning the light off when I leave the room,

Rachel Gray, Associate Producer
iVillage.com
http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/

I have had a re-occurring nightmare since childhood where I'm foaming uncontrollably at the mouth. And then animals and people come at me with their mouths engrossed in a white foamy mess. To this day, I simply cannot watch someone brush their teeth without being overcome by a deep rooted sense of fear. After much analysis, it seems that my unusual reaction is perhaps connected to being 10 years old and chased and bitten by a potentially rabid neighborhood dog or perhaps it is a premonition of the health dangers of foaming, chemical laden Sodium Lauryl Sulfate toothpaste.

As an eco-conscious Adult, I've learned that next to eating organic foods, the second best Green thing I can do for my preventative health is to brush with natural, Fluoride-free and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate-free toothpaste.

Why avoid fluoride? Hasn't this mineral been proven to lower our risk of dental decay? Well, not exactly. In fact, when scientists have closely evaluated the epidemiological "proof," that fluoride blocks dental decay, the data seems at best sketchy, with some claiming that areas with little fluoride in the water have less decay overall than highly fluoridated regions.

Fluoride can actually be quite toxic, hence the warnings on toothpaste cartons about swallowing the stuff! It has been linked, ironically, to stained teeth, weakened bones, even, in some animal studies, cancer. So why has it been so widely promoted as the answer to dental decay? Industrial processing yields huge amounts of fluoride or fluroro silicic acid, a highly toxic substance. Chemical companies, sadly working with government officials, thought the best way to dispose of the material would be to dump it into the water supply and claim it as a gift for our health. The widespread fluoridation of water actually represents one of the greatest human pharmacological experiments ever conducted with some claiming the end result will be massive degenerative disease.

What is so bad about Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)? This detergent and foaming agent is often used in personal care products to create foam to properly disperse the ingredients and ensure easy rinsing. People have been conditioned to believe that the foamy suds are part of the cleaning process. However, SLS has been linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage and cataracts. The Environmental Working Group states in their Skin Deep Report that SLS may possibly be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers 1,4-dioxane to be a probable carcinogen.

Now I'm not a scientist. I simply prefer the no risk, no cancer option of a chemical-free toothpaste to clean and protect my teeth and gums. And whenever in doubt, I'll listen to my premonition.

Best Natural Dental Care Products:

Kiss My Face: Offers fluoride-free and SLS-free products with no animal ingredients, no artificial colors or unnecessary chemicals and their products are not tested on animals.
- Wake Up: Certified Organic Aloe Vera Toothpaste, Skin Deep score: 1
- Triple Action AloeDyne Toothpaste, Skin Deep score: 1
- Whitening AloeDyne Toothpaste, Skin Deep score: 2
- AloeDyne Fresh Breath Mouthwash: Skin Deep score: 2

Jason: A Hain Celestial Group company, their natural and organic toothpastes are fluoride-free and SLS-free.
- Healthy Mouth: Tea Tree Toothpaste, Skin Deep score: 3
- Powersmile Whitening Toothpaste, Skin Deep score: 1

Auromere: Auromere provides Ayurvedic products that are pure, authentic, cruelty-free and their toothpaste contains no fluoride or SLS. I love their non-foaming, Cardamom and Fennel herbal toothpaste.

Tom's of Maine: A Colgate-Palmolive company, Tom's of Maine sits on both sides of the fence. They offer SLS and Fluoride products as well as SLS-free and fluoride-free toothpastes with glycyrrhizin, derived from licorice root, to foam and disperse ingredients. Skin Deep scores not available for these specific recommended products but other Tom's of Maine products scores range from 0-5
- Natural Clean & Gentle Care SLS-Free Antiplaque plus Whitening Fluoride-Free Toothpaste
- Natural Sensitive Care SLS-Free Toothpaste
- Naturally waxed, anti plague, unflavored, flat dental floss

Finding the right natural toothpaste for your personal needs isn't easy. I've often spent more than 30 minutes at a time in the natural beauty aisle reading the detailed toothpaste ingredients. Some "natural" products sneak SLS in as one of the last ingredients. Others list sorbitol, a sugar, as one of the first ingredients. Though sorbitol, unlike common sucrose, isn't suppose to cause dental decay, why would I want to brush my teeth and gums with sugar? Aren't I brushing to get rid of the sugar that causes tooth decay? Manufacturers add sorbitol to appeal to the sweet tooth and sugar addictions of consumers.

We can be smarter and not fall for these tricks. We can take our toothbrush into our own hands and stop foaming at the mouth.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

Though it's not available just yet, some things are too good to ignore - Karma being one of them. Slated in a Wired article to "do for the the plug-in electric what the Tesla has done for the electric car," which is make the latest in green technology smokin' hot, the Fisker Karma has lithium-ion batteries that purportedly get 50 miles of emissions-free, fully electric driving before it switches to a regular hybrid. With an $80,000 price tag, like the Tesla, it is priced to attract the eco-elite. Only 100 or so cars will be available (if all goes well) in 2009, but another 15,000 cars are supposed to go into annual production in 2010. Just a heads up in case you want to start saving. Fisker says that there are no compromises or sacrifices with this vehicle (your bank account might beg to differ). I guess karma isn't free after all.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

Have you glanced at an atlas recently? I was playing with one this morning and I realized how massive and important the sea is for our survival. Can you believe 72 percent of our earth's surface is the sea? It leads me to think, How are we treating the sea and its garden?

If you live in the smallest village in Asia or the busy streets of NYC, the sea's garden has been an important and essential source of food for you. The manner that we, as a society, have farmed fish has been causing our society ecological damage. The fishing industry defends fish farming as a source of cheap, high-quality protein. The feedlots these fisherman use produce chemical runoff from antibiotics, pesticides, detergents, and tons of fish feces. The good news for our health and the environment is we can easily change and protect our ocean and earth's surface through purchasing sustainable, organic, and delicious seafood.

Organizations such as Blue Ocean Institute rate fish and seafood by its abundance and ecological impact of fishing methods. Check out Monterey Bay Aquarium to see what the best choice of fish is to purchase and what to avoid eating.

You have heard the caution from the news, your doctor, your friends and your mother about staying clear of the wild fish such as swordfish, shark, mackerel, and tilefish. Since they are higher up the food chain, meaning they are large carnivores fish, they contain more mercury. Mercury is an environmental pollutant that accumulates in the fish's tissue and is known to cause brain damage.

You can visit www.gotmercury.org to find out how much mercury you could have consumed. This can be some ungratifying information to digest. Here are some great and simple tips. Eat cilantro! It's that simple to release and expel the harmful toxins from your body. If you are looking to take the next step you can go on a Private Cleanse. If you do suspect mercury poisoning, you should see a doctor. All these facts have lead the FDA advising children and pregnant women not to eat large wild fish. But it's unwise to avoid fish altogether.

Why? We gain massive benefits from consuming fish. Don't fear the mercury in fish. Understand how important fish oil is for you and what's the right way to shop. Keep it simple. Avoid the big carnivorous fish and eat plenty of small, fatty ones, like the anchovy, herring and mackerel. Herbivorous farmed fish such as catfish, carp, trout, and tilapia are good choices when you want to stand clear of mercury.

Why is eating fish one of the smartest and easiest things you can do for your health? Most fish are high protein, low fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids foods. Eating fish for Omega-3 is key because our bodies don't have the ability to make this essential fatty acid and can only get it from fish. Some of the great health benefits of Omega-3 include reducing tissue inflammation, regulating blood sugar levels and fat burning, creating more happy endorphins, natal neurological development and maintaining cardiovascular health. The research linking Omega-3 fats to heart health is so strong that the American Heart Association urges healthy people to eat fish twice a week. Cold-water, oily fish like sardines, mackerel, herring, salmon, and tuna contain the most Omega-3 fats for your body. If you are not a fish eater or have an allergy, take a high-quality capsule or liquid fish oil. Consult your doctor before hand.

if you are a fish lover but not sure which fish is a good choice. Here are some healthy tips for you and the environment when selecting your fish dish.
- Herrings and Sardines contain the highest amount of Omega-3 fatty acids of all the fish.
- To get the highest amount of protein and lowest mercury when selecting a Mackerel, choose a smaller species like Atlantic, Pacific or Spanish.
- Pacific and Wild Salmon is a great choice. Alaskan Salmon is regarded as the best salmon for your health because they come from clean, well-managed fisheries
- U.S.-farmed Tilapia is a freshwater fish that is produced in less pollution compared to most foreign tilapia farms.

Am I getting you hungry? Search through some tasty recipes!
- www.eatingwell.com
- www.whfoods.com
- www.cookinglight.com

Nicole Ohebshalom, RN,CHHC, AADP
Radiant Living Wellness

Only eight more days! Whether you want to surprise your S.O. with something sexy in a box or cloaking you, nothing says happy Valentine's Day like lingerie. When the candles start flickering on the 14th (soy or beeswax preferably), Enamore's got you covered (albeit scantily so). Produced in the UK, from the finest organic hemp, soy, cotton and hand selected vintage fabrics, we think it is pretty enticing that Enamore is a steward for the planet while creating smolderingly hot garments. Additional green options for all your Valentine's Day needs can be found on our Ecofabulous Lust List. Get busy y'all.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

Yes, please come Oil Pulling with me... what is that you ask? Oil Pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic homeopathic treatment for detoxification in which you swish a teaspoon of cold pressed, organic sesame oil in your mouth for 15 minutes first thing every morning before you've eaten and then spit it out (into the toilet, not the sink, to avoid blocking up the pipes).

This oil treatment allegedly pulls toxins out of the blood as it circulates through the thin lining of the mouth. Hundreds of websites recommend Oil Pulling as a wonder cure and hundreds de-bunk the theory. Some claim the simple technique reverses everything from constipation to heart disease to snoring to diabetes to wrinkles to cancer to insomnia to skin disorders and more. I'm not here to take sides in the debate or analyze the results of those who oil pull. But I've got 15 minutes a day to devote to science to check it out for myself.

Cancer cures aside, many of the folks who have tried Oil Pulling claim to have whiter teeth within days. Visibly whiter, clean teeth after just a few swishes!?! In a world where folks pay $600 to whiten and brighten their teeth with harsh chemicals while stuck in the dentist's chair, I figure paying $6.99 for a bottle of sesame oil fits my green lifestyle and wallet much better. Who doesn't want a safe, easy, inexpensive, non-toxic, natural, teeth whitener?

So I've asked 5 people who see me everyday to take a good long look at my teeth up close. And together we will monitor their whiteness over the next 2 weeks. I promise to stick with my typical meat and veggie diet (no blueberry pie!) and continue to use the same natural toothpaste throughout this experiment.

And I welcome you to do the same. Come take my "Oil Pulling Challenge", and we'll share our results. One small swish for science... one large leap for teeth-kind!

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

It's that time of year when we use heart shaped goodies and perishable treats to express our love for friends, family, crushes and for our one and only - how about showing your love in more ways than one this year? We've scoured the greatest sustainable and seductive gifts that are floating around in cyberspace, to bring you the most ecofabulous options available (across all budgets), and hope sparks will fly as you celebrate your passion. But amid all the shopping, don't forget your mother... earth, that is.

Chocolates For Melting an Eco-Heart:

Organic Style: Nothing says Happy Valentines Day more boldly than a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Artisan Chocolates from Organic Style come from fair trade cocoa, from Costa Rica, which is what makes this 17-piece offering such a lovely gift. In this box full of love, you'll find hand-decorated, heart-shaped ganache in three delectable flavors: Bing Cherry, Madagascar Vanilla Bean and Jamaican Spice Caramels. Your sweetheart is sure to be sweet on this slight twist on tradition.

Cocoa Vino: Everyone should indulge in these lovely chocolates at some point, so why not now! These regional, sustainable and organic chocolates, made by artisanal perfection, are a simple but powerful way to show that someone special how much you care (about them and the earth). The ecofab favorite is the olive oil bonbon with hazelnut and sea salt - yum!

Theo Chocolate: Theo pioneered the organic chocolate movement, in 1994, and has been blossoming ever since. The award winning bars capture the flavors of the regions in which the beans are grown - like Madagascar and Venezuela - and are available at Whole Foods.

Eco-Flower Power:

That bouquet may be a fragrant way to show your love, but it's also, most likely, the result of unacceptable labor practices in foreign countries, where people (mostly women) are poorly paid and exposed to huge amounts of dangerous pesticides and fungicides. Make sure your next floral token carries its ethical weight.

Organic Style: Our favorite flower buys come from Organic Style. Go for the tried and true - what says "I love you, deeply" better than a velvety rich bouquet of a dozen red roses? Maybe two dozen? Organic stems are always appreciated (especially when the Rosa Parks Foundation gets a little boost from your purchase). Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, your beholder may prefer cosmopolitan lavender buds or the fresh-from-the-garden look of Aphrodite pink Roses. There are lots of colors and styles to choose from and all of their stems are Veriflora certified.

Or get really gifty and opt for a charity bouquet - in which 5% (10% in the case of the Rosa Rose) of the purchase price goes towards the organization paired with each made-to-order bouquet. To see all their Valentine's Day specials, visit organicstyle.com

Or check out Local Harvest: find sources of local organics near you.

Conflict-Free Diamonds are a Green Girl's Best Friend:

Jewelry is glamorous, however - from earth to finger - its making is not. The production of one gold ring is said to create 20 tons of mine waste! Additionally, the dirty business of where we get our rocks is getting difficult to ignore (hello Blood Diamond). Ensure the bauble on your lover's finger (or anywhere else) will not support violence, human rights violations and environmental destruction by supporting ethical jewelers like the ones below.

Brilliant Earth: A shining example of earth-loving jewelry; they go beyond just pedaling beautiful jewels... they teach about diamond-related issues, offer gorgeous solutions and give back by supporting the Diamonds for Africa Fund. Their diamonds are exclusively mined in Canada, according to strict environmental laws, and - taking it a step further - they also use reclaimed precious metals (refined to be identical in quality to newly mined metals). And if you decide to choose Valentine's Day to ask your significant other to share your life, or to just further celebrate your commitment to one another, Brilliant Earth is the chicest solution. If you're just after a fancy find, a pair of diamond studs will do the trick.

Linda Loudermilk: this faucet necklace, constructed from reclaimed silver, will drop a fashion hint about water (one worth making) - part of L.L.'s "Water is a Human Right" Collection.

Verderocks: what designer Gwendolyn Davis has termed "nouveau vintage" employs only organic, vintage, recycled and "certifiably" sustainable materials. From condom cases to crowns, and all the jewelry in between, her stuff is contemporary with an antique twist that we just love, and we're pretty sure so will YOUR queen... or king.

Verdier: handmade from components old and new, incorporating filigree, Lucite, glass and metals from the 1920s to the 1970s, these pieces are sure attract some eclectic tastes. Though the Brass Beetle pendant may not appear to be the most romantic of gestures, the right girl would be stoked to don it. If my son could afford it, he would love to make it my V-day gift (but I have a feeling I'm getting the collage card again).

Toby Pomeroy: When genius jeweler Toby asked the largest gold manufacturer to source pure gold, derived entirely from reclaimed sources, they agreed! So he and his skilled team of artisans use their Midas touch to churn out timeless, refined treasures with their brilliant Eco-Gold.

For Your Knight in Shining Amour:

CotoLuxe: any man would be lucky to don these duos - the Antler Corozo and the Indian Head Nickel Links, made from fallen rack antler horns and antique Native American nickels (respectively), and backed with corozo wafer buttons, made from South American tagua nut. And they come in the perfect gift package - a wooden box made from sustainably-managed, Canadian forests.

Citizen Eco Drive Watch: granted these watches are not made of recycled materials (which makes us unhappy) but they say goodbye to traditional batteries in favor of solar power. They come in a wide range of styles and colors, perfect for the man (or woman) in your life.

Apple iTunes Gift Certificate: we don't have to tell you why downloading your tunes is more eco-friendly than accumulating a pile of disks. Feed a music addiction with amounts ranging from $10-$200. Maybe the recipient will use it to download some of your favorite love songs. That's what we call a win-win.

For Love That's on the Rocks:

If V-day drives you to drink, seek out a Veev "Valentini" or "Love on the Rocks", which will be served at hotspots throughout LA, SF, San Diego and Miami. If you don't live in one of these Veev-friendly cities, you can still order a bottle and make these organic, luscious libations at home.

For Your Queen of Green:

Vegan Queen: this red clutch comes from V.Q.'s collection of bags which are recyclable, non-toxic, organic, cruelty free, made in the USA and ooze "eco-luxury" from the core. Crafted with materials such as monogram-embossed 100% natural rubber, nickel-free zippers, PVC-free eco-polymers, organic cotton fleece lining and recycled crest medallions, it's a hearty dose of goodness.

For the Frisky Environmentalist:

Enamore: it's a fun and flirtatious lingerie collection produced in the UK from the finest organic hemp, soy, cotton and hand-selected vintage fabrics. Hard to say who is going to enjoy this sexy, sustainable stuff more!

Urban Fox undies: recently launched, Urban Fox's handmade, eco-friendly undie sets are soft, silky and oh-so-sexy. We got to feel them over at the Eco Gift Expo, in Santa Monica, and can attest to their luxuriousness!

Eco-Boudoir: exquisitely sexy, this UK-based online boutique will take care of all of a sophisticated woman's intimate apparel needs, while engaging in environmentally responsible business practices. Eco-luxury with a conscience - now that's a gift.

Just Tell Me You Love Me:

Night Owl Paper Goods: these cute valentines are made from sustainably-harvested yellow birch, and come in five holiday designs. We're partial to the "owl love you forever" of course, but to make the message loud and clear, send out the four letter word.

Care2 e-cards: go the most environmentally-friendly route, and send out one of these e-cards, from Care2. You'll be able to find one for anybody and everybody who deserves your acknowledgment this year. The ThumbHug2 card will warm any parent's heart, believe us.

World of Good Journal: a 100% wood-free journal made from recycled cotton waste, using a chemical free, handmade process in Rajasthan (thus supporting local economy). For the person who wants to capture their poetry, or the kid who needs a journal to pine over their childhood romances, these scribbles are where the heart is.

Beeswax Candle: Made from pure cinnamon essential oil and 100% natural beeswax, bring some light to your life this Valentine's. A little ambiance goes a long way, this little candle burns for 5 hours, and is non-toxic and non-allergenic.

Sweet Thoughts Journal: this cute, little handmade journal utilizes a box of chocolate sweathearts as its cover and contains approx. 40% acid-free, recycled pages (not the most impressive of percentages, but...). Who can resist the little adages of this quintessential V-Day candy? "Be mine." "Kiss me." Carry them around in your pocket with this mini note pad.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

It's Super Tuesday, folks. The day on which the largest simultaneous number of state U.S. presidential primary elections will be held. The votes cast today will decide who will be running against each other in November.

It's not too late to find out where your candidate stands on green issues and to get out there and vote. Here are some sites that review where the candidates stand on environmental issues and beyond.

- Grist's "How Green Is Your Candidate?" Guide

- MSNBC: Decision 2008

- The Washington Post: Campaign 2008

- EarthTalk.org: Where do the Presidential Candidates Stand on Environmental Issues?

Nicole Walters
GreenIsUniversal.com

This is actually the 15th year that the NFL has hosted a Super Bowl with green elements linked to the festivities, but this is the first time that 100% of the energy used for the game will come from renewable resources. That includes powering the University of Phoenix Stadium, the NFL Experience Football Theme Park and two hotels hosting guests in town for the game and other events.

Salt River Project (SRP) is the local power supplier that is selling the game its clean energy from sources like solar, wind, landfill gas, geothermal and low-head hydro through its EarthWise Energy program. In a recent press release, Lori Singleton, SRP Manager of Sustainable Initiatives and Technologies said, "The Super Bowl is a huge event for Arizona, and all eyes will be on the state. Providing green energy to the game is an excellent opportunity to showcase our state's commitment to clean energy resources and to educate the public about the importance of renewable energy." And once the game is over and gone, the SRP EarthWise Energy program will continue to be available to residential and business customers who are interested in being green and investing in clean renewable energy.

In addition to these green efforts, the National Football League and the Arizona Super Bowl XLII Host Committee will be working with local, state and national partners to plant trees on 96 acres of land devastated by recent wild fires.

The University of Phoenix Stadium is also an example of modern, green building. The stadium's sleek design is inspired by the natural form of a barrel cactus. Among some of its greener features is offering maximum sun exposure to the retractable 94,000 square foot natural grass playing field while providing maximum shade for its patrons. The 160 acres surrounding the stadium includes plenty of open space and grass for all of your tailgating needs -- just be sure to recycle all those cans and bottles!

If this hasn't gotten you pumped enough to see the greenest Super Bowl in history, take a look at the video below of some of Sundays players talking about their green efforts.

Nicole Walters
GreenIsUniversal.com

Remember the allure and thrill of being a kid in the '70s and getting a frozen TV dinner? There was something in the way the food manufacturers so consistently cared... so organized and so perfectly arranged every single time with the turkey/stuffing/gravy in one compartment, the neon red cranberries, the orange puree of some mystery vegetable and those whipped potatoes that would get a little brown on top in the oven. Nobody read labels back then so little did Mom know that she was feeding her children a sodium-rich, nutritionally depleted meal. We just felt loved.

Well, kids still love their frozen dinners and busy Moms today still rely on them so thankfully there are some healthier options.

With the excuse that a New Yorker has few options for January local and seasonal produce, I embarked on a mission of eating as many frozen/prepared dinners as I could this month. I also shared frozen meals with friends and colleagues with kids to get a broader point of view.

Here are our favorite frozen food finds: Scale ratings from 1-10
1. Taste: 1 = dislike, 10 = love
2. Ease of preparation: 1 = hard, 10 = easy
3. Would recommend: 1 =never, 10 = YES!

- Amy's Organic Bean and Cheese Burrito: 1=10, 2=10, 3=10
- Annie Chun's Organic Soy Ginger noodles: 1=8, 2=10, 3=10
- Amy's "Bistro Burger" a veggie burger made with rice/grains: 1=8, 2=9, 3=9
- Amy's Organic Vegetable Pot Pie with 100% whole wheat pie crust: 1=9, 2=10, 3=10
- Amy's Organic Frozen Mac and Cheese: 1=9, 2=10, 3=10
- Kashi's Sweet & Sour Chicken with natural chicken and whole grain pilaf: 1=8, 2=8, 3=9
- Annie Chun's Pad Thai Noodle Bowl: 1=6, 2=9, 3=7

Since navigating the frozen food aisle can be tricky, I consulted my husband who is a doctor who specializes in nutritional medicine and here is his general advice on what to look for and what to avoid:
- whole grains
- organic (natural doesn't mean organic)
- no white sugar (including cane syrup)
- no synthetic preservatives or additives (no MSG!)

Let us know what you've discovered in the natural frozen food aisle that both pleases your taste buds and your feeds your nutritional goals.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

A man in Silver Spring, Md., has started a company called Global Worming Worm Tea so people can have a healthy garden in a world that's Going Green. Many people don't know that their garden's best friend is a worm. Simply by eating and excreting, worms create dirt that is full of natural fertilizers and nutrients.

The Global Worming Worm Tea factory is three wooden boxes in Chip Py's basement. The employees are 36,000 red wiggler worms who work for food, specifically Py's garbage.

Py buries his waste in the soil and puts the worms on top of it and they go to town. The garbage goes into one end of the worm and what comes out of the other end is incredibly rich dirt called worm castings.

Py then takes the dirt and puts it in a cheesecloth bag.

"It becomes like a giant tea bag, and I put it in my bio-blender and mix it with distilled water," said Py.

For 24 hours the blender forces the water through the tea bag, producing an incredibly concentrated worm broth.

Py bottles that broth and sells it as Global Worming Worm Tea, which he said could be used as a fertilizer and insect repellent.

Py is hoping his worms will show people there's a natural way to a beautiful landscape. Global Worming Worm Tea is sold at four locations in the Washington area and online.

Because the product is so unusual, Py often appears himself to explain how it works.

KXAS NBC5 - Dallas/Fort Worth
http://nbc5i.com/goinggreen/11441069/detail.html

When a paint is marketed to pregnant women, parents of small children and people with allergies or asthma, it's pretty safe to say you've struck eco-gold. After all, in considering the health of the planet, we invariably improve upon the health of humanity as well.

An Arizona-based boutique color house is churning out handmade clay paints that are safe for everyone and everything at all times (as long as you don't guzzle down a gallon). Using ancient Mayan pigments and a soy resin - among a disclosed ingredient list that numbers under a dozen - Green Planet Paints provides a soft, silky clay finish in deep, complex colors. You can even create a smooth plaster finish by waxing the surface. Entirely free of Volatile Organic Compounds, these paints will smell only of soy, so you can be sure you aren't degrading your Indoor Air Quality (or outdoor!). I'm breathing easier already.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

Right now, on my desk, is something I'm pretty proud of. It's a rubber band ball. Why would a sphere of entangled rubber inspire pride? Let me explain.

I've always been a pretty wasteful person. Not intentionally, or even consciously. But for most of my life, I have thought of resources as being endless, and with no purpose other than to serve me. I would leave the kitchen sink running as I wiped down countertops, I'd walk out the door and leave all of the lights on, I'd print pages and pages of material and then re-print for trivial reasons, I never took the time to recycle. I didn't consciously rationalize it, but as much as I can remember, I couldn't imagine the world running out of anything. It's a huge planet and I figured we'd always have enough.

About a year ago, I started noticing a connection between my actions and the well-being of others. For me, that connection is key, because I care most about people and animals, not things (in my mind at least), like the ocean or the atmosphere. It was the height of summer and New York city was having a power crisis. City officials urged residents to use as little power as possible, fearing another blackout. If that happened, they said, old people could die because of the unrelenting heat. So I started turning the air-conditioner off once my place got cool. I'd make sure lights were off when I wasn't using them. My husband and I started to playfully remind each other to save energy. "Turn off that light," my husband would say. "We have to take care of the elderly." It was playful but not a joke. For the first time we saw our actions as benefiting others.

Then came the Discovery Channel documentary Planet Earth. I watched the entire series. It was appointment viewing. At one point they showed a polar bear swimming a remarkable distance looking for food. By the time he found some animals, he was too weak to attack them. He laid down and died, right in front of the camera. It broke my heart. And that's when it really sunk in that my actions were hurting people and animals. And I started to care.

Which brings us to the rubber band ball. Every morning my newspaper comes wrapped in two or three rubber bands. Initially, I threw them away. But then I wondered why. "There's nothing wrong with these," I thought. "And I always need rubber bands at the office." And so I started the ball.

Now I see stray rubber bands everywhere. I collect them and bring them into the office and add them to my ball. A few rubber bands won't save the world. But the ball represents so much more to me. It reminds me that I've turned away from wastefulness as part of my decision to care. As the ball grows, so does my commitment to the people and animals we share this beautiful world with.

Mara Schiavocampo
Digital Correspondent
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams

Many of us dream of a total kitchen makeover complete with Sub-Zero, Viking and Miele luxury refrigerators, ranges, countertops and cook top appliances. But not many of us can afford it. Now Green Demolitions helps make our dreams come true. This NY area based company salvages gently-used high-end kitchens from the luxury home market where new home buyers are most likely to gut, teardown and rebuild their dream house. Green Demolitions arrives on the scene, carts everything away at no expense and recycles at a very reasonable purchase price to mainstream America.

And Green Demolitions doesn't stop at kitchens... they recycle bathroom pedestal sinks, whirlpool tubs, oriental rugs, pianos, lighting fixtures, antiques and even airplanes! Their website previews kitchens that are available now and in the future, and they currently feature their "Almost Free Sale" where until 1/31/08 they've cut their prices to 95% off retail value.

With the envious eye of a rental apartment dweller, I've looked at their website and they have really top-quality stuff. They also have 3 stores where you can review the products up close in Norwalk, CT, Bethel, NY and Honesdale, PA.

To make the process even sweeter, donors get tax and renovation savings, buyers pay 50-75% off market price and the environment is protected from more landfill and energy waste. If these benefits aren't enough to get your fingers dialing, please know that all the proceeds go to Recovery Unlimited, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to All Addicts Anonymous (AAA) for all addicts and all addictions including alcohol, drugs, tobacco, food, depression, anxiety and anger. Recycling for Recovery... sounds like a deal in which everybody wins.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

Since we started our Going Green segment here at KNBC TV in Los Angeles - viewer response and input has been tremendous. Our goal was to talk about the little things people could do in their lives to help the environment. Telling everyone to simply and go out and buy a Hybrid vehicle is a nice idea - but for most, out of the price range. So we have focused on the little things.

Our first story on Green Weddings catered to a certain group. But even if you weren't getting married, there were small things you could take away from that story you could practice in your daily lives. Buying local produce for a wedding reception saves on fuel and cuts down on transportation costs, as using local flower growers whenever possible. Should you wrap your gifts? A lot of paper goes to waste - so we suggested if someone has registered for a gift and already knows what they are getting for any occasion - why not simply present it with a nice card?

Another story we did with was Hybrid Taxi's. Not a big part of the business just yet here in Southern California, but we found where there were alternative fuel Taxi Services - people opted for it. We also saw many hybrid limos on the red carpet at this year's Academy Awards. Local amusement parks in Southern California are packed during the summer and we found that many, including Disneyland and Universal, are designing new rides with energy conservation in mind. Our story on how local energy companies are offering cash for old refrigerators was a big hit. Probably got more email about where one can recycle and how to apply for a refund more than any other story we have done. We also followed an energy auditor with a local family and learned very simple ways to save on your energy bill. Replacing air filters often and using low energy light bulbs topped the list.

Southern California has always been a leader in thinking Green and since our series began, we have found a number of people who are transforming their homes into energy efficient models for the rest of the country to follow. From solar power to planting gardens on roofs - people are saving big bucks on their energy cost while creating beautiful, safe environments for their families. Even local colleges are getting into the act. Recently we featured a four-year university that designed new dorms with green in mind. Recycling bins are everywhere and building materials were locally produced whenever possible.

In the future, we are looking at a number of new stories that will provide people with simple ways to help save our planet. From the home, to the office, to your drive and everywhere in between, there are a number of ways to Go Green and we can't wait to show people what we have discovered!

Pablo Pereira
Reporter, NBC 4 Los Angeles
http://knbc.com/goinggreen/

When you have table scraps, you compost. When you have cardboard or newspaper, you repulp and reuse. Many plastics can be melted down and remolded... but what the heck do you do when it's time to dispatch your old, dead cell phone, laptop or iPod, with all those niggly little parts, to technological heaven? Considering the amount of nastiness built in, including heavy metals like lead, mercury and cadmium, it is imperative that they don't just go out with the garbage. As a matter of fact, in California - it's the law. The good news: companies like Green Citizen have arisen to ensure that your old Nokia or Dell moves on to a proper resting place (where it won't contaminate anyone's groundwater). Green Citizen operates out of the Bay Area, where (for a modest fee) it will even do pickups. Their website is a storehouse of info, as well as providing community-building tools and discussions.

Not in the Bay Area? If you're in California, the state has a county-by-county guide; in the Northeast, NLR provides a similar service, as well as focusing on keeping mercury-laden fluorescents out of landfills (NLR takes waste from all over the country). And Staples has just announced that they're taking in e-waste, too - for a fee, they'll even do data transfer to your new computer for you! And now there is now a resource so that next time you replace your laptop or printer you can purchase more eco-friendly electronics in the first place; check out Greenpeace's handy guide.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

Bamboo, technically a grass, is one of the fastest growing plants on earth. It is a darling of the eco-friendly movement because it is highly durable, quickly renewable and a great strong, sustainable alternative to wood.

I recently visited a Long Island home with a backyard of tall bamboo shoots. The area was dense with 6 and 8 foot high bamboo reeds that had grown there in just the past month! Given bamboo's rapid growth, it can be quickly harvested in just 3-5 years as compared to the average 15 years of a typical tree. Bamboo not only grows quickly, but can be put to many uses in construction, in furniture manufacturing and as a fuel. Its stalks can be converted into fabric and clothing, and bamboo sprouts even make for a tasty edible dish. Few natural products can serve so many masters, so it's not surprising that bamboo has become an important natural resource for our eco-friendly lifestyle.

Now don't worry, I'm not going to show you how to cook bamboo, but I will let you know some great ways to cook with it and where to get the best bamboo products.

bambu is a very impressive "renewable ideas company" with a wide array of stylish organic bamboo kitchen products that affirm a commitment to innovative design, social responsibility, as well the environment. At every step of the manufacturing process, the company thinks not just of profit, but of the welfare of those who've help make their products possible, from the harvesters to the finishers in their factory. Their concern for the environment shows true as a member of 1% of the Planet, a group of business who each pledge a least 1% of net sales toward preservation and restoration of our natural world. Consumers should take heart knowing that with each bamboo purchase, you not only bring convenience and beauty into your home, but you're contributing great benefit to our environment.

My favorite bambu products:

• Chop, Scoop and Serve cutting board - an organic bamboo multitask board with scooped out area to pile the chopped scraps and then flip it to use as a serving board/cheese board with cracker well, these boards absorb little moisture which means less shrinking, warping or likelihood of bacteria growth. $32
• Veneerware - an organic bamboo alternative to a paper plate, it is sturdy, disposable and biodegrades on 4-6 months, 8 plates for $5.50
• Spoontulas - versatile half spoon, half spatula so you can stir, taste, spoon and mix to your green heart's content $15.95 (set of 3)

Green is often about making better choices. In the case of bamboo, we can choose to purchase high quality organic bamboo products and in turn help the planet. Sounds like a win win to me.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

Frogs (1972)
Directed by George McCowan

Oscar winner Ray Milland appears in a different kind of Lost Weekend, as the wheelchair-bound patriarch of a grumpy family that has more in common with the cast of a game of Clue than any real clan. Unca Ray sets out poison traps for the critters on his private island, and in his day was quite the hunter. Frogs, snakes and other kinds of creepy-crawlies slither in for the attack. This low-budget gem famously played on a double bill with Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, making for the most eco-aware night at the drive-in ever.

Day of the Animals (1977)
Directed by William Girdler

Ozone depletion leads to animals like hawks, mountain lions, bears and wolves teaming up to bump off really annoying 1970s stock characters. Hikers are set upon by the ozone-depletion-crazed critters and are of course picked off one by one, and not slaughtered en masse (otherwise, the movie would be 10 minutes long). How the critters know that it's Homo sapiens that are responsible for the hole in the ozone layer isn't explained, but the massive amounts of fluorocarbon-propelled hairspray in the coifs of the female cast might be a clue. With Leslie Nielsen and Christopher George. Really.

Night of the Lepus (1972)
Directed by William F. Claxton

Somehow, MGM thought that Australian SF writer Russel Braddon's satiric novel The Year of the Angry Rabbit would make a good horror movie. Genetic manipulation to control the rabbit population leads to bunnies the size of Volkswagens, played by real hippity-hoppers shot through a macro lens and by guys in bunny suits jumping on and mauling hapless victims. Starring Oscar nominees Stuart Whitman and Janet Leigh, and featuring the greatest movie line ever: "Attention! Attention! Ladies and gentlemen, attention! There is a herd of killer rabbits headed this way, and we desperately need your help!" Clips are featured in The Matrix.

Barracuda (1978)
Directed by Harry Kerwin and Wayne Crawford

In among the scads of 1970s Jaws ripoffs (Grizzly, Claws, Great White, Orca, Devil Fish ...) comes this zero-budget number, in which chemicals dumped into the water by bad guy named Jack, owner of "Jack Chemicals Company," leads to barracudas going berserk and chomping people. Turns out the chemicals are part of some government mind-control conspiracy, and the flick shifts gears from a Jaws ripoff to a Three Days of the Condor-type 1970s bit of paranoia. Think Alan J. Pakula making Piranha. With no money. Over a weekend.

Eight-Legged Freaks (2002)
Directed by Ellory Elkayem

The only revenge-of-the-animals flick on this list not made in the 1970s is a conscious throwback to 1970s revenge-of-the-animals flicks, and 1950s A-bomb paranoia flicks. Horrible, nasty chemicals dumped in mine shafts near a small town lead to local arachnids growing to giant size and feasting on local townsfolk, pets and ostriches (of the livestock variety). Great fun, in that unlike 1950s giant spiders (think Tarantula and Earth vs. the Spider), these are energetic critters, like wolf spiders, that leap on hapless prey. The flick is also of note in that it overtly addresses the economic issues that would make the town's mayor think that a toxic dump near the water table might be a good idea.

Michael Marano
SCIFI.com

What struck me as I reported on how homeowners are going green is the slow realization and acceptance that comes to environmentalism.

For example, one woman is all into saving money, but admits to no clue on the environment. I interviewed a corporate CEO who's totally committed to taking his company green. The vehicle he drives? A gas guzzling (albeit smaller sized) SUV. I know a dedicated environmentalist -he lives and breathes the stuff 24/7- and while he drives a small, relatively fuel efficient car, dismisses hybrids as a "drop in the bucket" gimmick.

In short, one person's idea of Going Green may be quite different from another's. In. Effect we are dealing with shades of green, which leads to this question: just how green are you?

Brian Thompson
Producer, NBC New York
http://wnbc.com/goinggreen/

Sometimes going green seems like it has a bad rap. People don't like to be told that they 'can't do things' or that they should do less of something'. Going "green" can be just as much about what we can do. Do one environmentally helpful act and it becomes easier to do the next.

In my personal life with the help of my wife and 5 year old daughter, we do as much as we can at home and we are always looking to do more.

Some of what we have done at this point quite frankly seems cliche. Yes we have CFL's (compact fluorescent light bulbs) in all of our fixtures. Even the dimmables. My wife swears by that modern invention called the Internet, and on it she found dimmable fluorescent bulbs. (You cannot put standard CFL's in a dimmable outlet). That said, CFL's really do make a difference. If every American home swapped out just 5 incandescent bulbs for CFL's, 1 trillion (with a "t") pounds of green house gases would not go into the air. That's equal to the emissions of 8 million cars but it's also equal to 6 billion dollars in energy savings to the "swappers".

In my household and in many cities and towns across the country you can also "opt into" sustainable energy. In New York City our utility provides us the choice. We chose to pay a slight premium to get our electricity from only sustainable sources. That said, the oldest business model is supply and demand, and if more people ask for this it will ultimately become cheaper, and in some instances it already is. This at a time when fossil fuels, last time I checked, are getting more expensive. Another easy thing to do that saves energy and money is to unplug all your chargers when they are not charging BlackBerrys, cell phones, iPods etc. When a device is not in the charger the chargers are still sucking energy, known as the vampire effect. In our house we have "smart strips - they are surge suppressors that actually cut all the energy to the devices when they are not in use. Power strips also suck energy even if the TV is turned off. All of this saves money on your energy bill. The average American household leaks about 50 watts of energy. Also when looking for appliances and home electronics look for the energy star label. Any device with that label saves 10-15% of energy compared with non-energy star appliances.

We also conserve in our house. We recycle most everything. The frustrating thing is that while some manufacturers make recyclable packaging (even some Styrofoam) some municipalities don't recycle everything. Know what you hometown does and do what you can to recycle what they do. Then push for them to recycle even more.

Mario Garcia
NBC Nightly News, Environmental Producer
http://www.nightly.msnbc.com

I'm living the dream. Finally, after 20 plus years of living in Manhattan, I have an organic vegetable garden. Granted it lives on my kitchen countertop but it is a very real, very Green, very abundant garden.

Let me introduce you to my AeroGarden -- a present from my dear husband this Christmas. This revolutionary product is based on hydroponic gardening -- a soil less, high nutrient process that is considered by some to be the most productive way to grow all varieties of plants, for maximum yield, flavor and vitamin content. In fact, AeroGarden claims to be proven by NASA to be the highest yielding plant growth technology on the planet with nearly 50% faster growth then soil plants grown under the same conditions.

So far it has been a very user friendly, brown thumb proof, extremely low maintenance science experiment. The hydroponic concept is quite brilliant as plant roots suspend in the air in an high oxygen, rainforest-like environment. The plants thrive with ample oxygen that stimulates root growth helping them absorb nutrients faster. Just mix the pre-packaged nutrients in with the water and they feed directly to the root system several times a day.

Hydroponic gardening also offers environmental benefits. The process uses less water than soil gardening and constantly recycles and reuses the nutrients. Since hydroponic gardening systems do not require soil, topsoil erosion isn't even an issue.

However (and you knew there was a big BUT coming), now I know what it is like to have my own personal sun beaming down on me. The unit has 2 full daylight spectrum, energy-efficient grow lights that shine so brightly you'd think you had the Arc of the Covenant in your home. The system runs the grow lights for 16 hours on and 8 hours off so be sure to time it right for when you plan to sleep. The first few nights the lights were still on after I went to bed, and I found my REM sleep self lured toward the light in a creepy Close Encounters of the Third Kind kinda way.
And yet it works. I have herbs galore after just a few weeks. Basil and chives and dill, oh my! Next are cherry tomatoes, strawberries and mesclun lettuces. Just wish I could grow them all at once. I wonder how many of these units I can fit on my counter? Maybe if I move the coffee maker and the toaster oven into storage I can make enough room...

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

I just finished a wonderful book called The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. Since then, I have been dorking out to basically anyone who'll indulge me, trying to teach people some of the (many) things I learned by reading it. Did you know there's a huge swirling trash dump floating in the middle of the Pacific that's bigger than Texas? Did you know that we sent Chuck Berry songs into space to represent us to alien civilizations? Did you know there's forest primeval in the Bronx, but it's being basically sterilized by Bronx squirrels?

What I found most wonderful about Weisman's book, though, is its optimism. Even though our planet's overall health is, as we know, not good (and this book provides some jaw-droppingly clear examples of just how not-good that I'd never heard before), Weisman's writing and research makes clear just how resilient nature truly is. If and when we humans destroy ourselves, our planet will probably bounce back. I found that message to be oddly, counterintuitively reassuring.

Until I read about the plankton.

Just as plastic six-pack rings strangle sea otters, abandoned commercial fishing lines snare whales, and plastic bags suffocate sea turtles, on a smaller level, all the microscopic pieces of plastic that have been swept into the ocean are giving plankton, well, fatal constipation.

And it's all my fault. Okay, partly.

Apparently, two major sources of microscopic plastics in ocean water are 1.) plastic that's already washed out to sea, degrading into smaller and smaller bits like rock erodes into sand. And - this is the one that got me - 2.) exfoliating body scrubs, which are essentially made of thousands of tiny, unfilterable plastic beads that wash right into our water supply. Plankton apparently eat the "microbeads" in our body scrubs because they're the size of food, and then die of eating plastic.

Bad news, right? So I just squirted a whole bottle of Neutrogena into my trash in horror. And I switched to scrubs that contain ground-up nuts, salt, or sugar instead of plastic microbeads. Because sure, I like having decent-looking skin. But we humans are going to be around for a while longer, and I'm pulling for our planet. And I'm especially pulling for the plankton.

Siobhan Adcock
iVillage, Senior Producer - Network & Social Media
http://www.iVillage.com

For a state that is as "red" as Texas is, it is actually surprisingly "green." People around the state are constantly breaking the stereotype that all Texans drive big s-u-v's, have no care for the environment and simply do everything bigger with no concern for waste.

When we began doing "Going Green" reports at NBC5, I must confess that I thought it would be impossible to find people that were making a difference. But it's been incredibly easy. We have met amazing people who are flipping the Texas stereotype on its head. Young people seem especially aware of how precious and limited our resources are. No matter where you go in the country, young people are the ones that will have to live with the consequences of how we treat the planet now. Young Texans are no different. The thing that leaps out here in Texas is the space. This is the fastest growing large market with still an unbelievable amount of space to build on. Many of our stories deal with people who build green homes or develop green projects. Many stories also focus on how to preserve our natural resources since the population has exploded.

No other part of the country is changing so fast, and those who fail to see the environmental impacts may lose out to those who go green.

Steve MacLaughlin
KXAS NBC 5, Meteorologist
http://nbc5i.com/goinggreen/

In the coming years when water is nearly as scarce as oil, you might be happy to have the Cyber-Rain XCI controlling your sprinkler system. What better device to show you than this water-saving wireless eight-zone controller? It gets local weather updates from the web a few times a day, and is aware of not only the temperature, but also of the likelihood of rain. It also lets you set up independent watering schedules for eight different areas of your yard and garden.

Cyber-Rain communicates wirelessly with your PC, where you set up its smart watering schedule. If the weather report indicates rain, it's sensible enough to suspend its wandering operations for that day. It also can adjust watering for the seasons in your area. Now if you could just connect a moisture sensor to it, Cyber-Rain would have awareness of your soil's present watering needs as well as a forecast of its future conditions.

This is a great idea, because there's nothing goofier than to see a sprinkler system watering somebody's yard in the midst of a downpour. If you already have an underground irrigation system installed, this controller can be added for $295. If water is expensive where you live, this smart box could pay for itself in less than a year.

Charlie White
DVICE.com

I'm always looking for new ways to conserve electricity, not only to help the environment, but my wallet as well. Usually this involves turning off the lights, but I've realized it doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing. Dimming your lights is a great way to save electricity and money, too.

Unlike roughing it by turning lights off the second you leave the room, dimming them makes a really cozy atmosphere in your home - and you look better under softer light, anyway.

If you simply replace light switches with light dimmers you'll not only save money on your bill, your bulbs will last longer. Even if you only dim the lights 10 percent, it saves 10 percent on electricity. And, if you want really save a bundle, set a romantic mood and dim the lights to 75 percent and save 60 percent on electricity - you don't have to tell him why.

Check out Lutron Electronics for new light dimming products - like the wireless lighting control system, AuroRa, that will work some energy-saving, mood enhancing magic in your home.

Rachel Gray, Associate Producer
iVillage.com
http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/

Being the most widely used fiber, statistics regarding the conventional production of cotton are nothing short of shocking - suffice it to say it's the most pesticide-intensive crop on the planet. That's why it's imperative to shop, not just organic fruits and veggies, but organic cotton too. Your eco-options for fabrics need not be limited to cotton alone, though. The market has expanded into greener territory with even some seemingly odd innovations, sometimes called "new organics."

Perhaps the most publicized has been Ingeo, a company that makes a fabric from corn. After fermenting the sugar from corn (much in the same way as yogurt) it's transformed into polymers that create a durable yet biodegradable fiber. Check out their website for more info, to see where it's being used and who's supplying it. Tencel is the brand name for a type of fiber called lyocell that is produced from the cellulose of wood pulp. The process of creating lyocell has been heralded as environmentally friendly - garnering a European Union's Environmental Award - as it's manufactured in a closed loop of constantly recycled additives and minimal waste. It spins out totally white, so bleach is unnecessary. Plus, the fiber degrades in just eight days in waste treatment plants. A company called EcoSpun keeps three billion plastic bottles out of landfills each year by transforming them into a fleece-like fabric. Although the process is energy intensive, we commend their use of post-consumer materials. Another notable fabric making headway comes from the byproduct of soybean oil production. Called SPF for Soybean Protein Fiber, these amino acids are said to be as good for your skin as their ingestible counterparts. Bamboo pulp can also be converted into a naturally antibacterial fabric that wicks sweat away from the body and rivals hemp in its superior sustainability. But perhaps most bizarre is Seacell, made from a seaweed base. The company claims this Oeko-Tex certified fiber promotes activity and creates a sense of well-being. Sasawashi is another fabric purported to deliver health benefits such as improving circulation and healing inflammation. A blend of rice paper and kumazasa leaves grown in the highlands of Japan, it's an ancient wisdom being put to good use. Lofty claims for mere fabrics, but given such ingenuity in the world of textiles, we're tempted to broaden the scope of our wardrobes (though shopping vintage is always an environmental boon). Lastly, I'd like to say, watch out for wool. While it is an eco-friendlier option (when compared to cotton), wool is not always as natural as it seems to be. Commercially, wool is cleaned by a chemical carbonization process that essentially puts it through a toxic bath. Best to buy organic wool or get it from small, family operations.

To further explore innovations in green fabrics check out Treehugger's Mini Directory of Green Fabrics.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

What if you had a place where you could donate your gently used books, furniture, clothes, luggage, jewelry, dishes, lamps, TVs and virtually anything else you think someone else, somewhere might want? What if that place housed a constant turnover of high-quality products and sold them for so little money that you just couldn't resist shopping there on a regular basis? And then what if all the proceeds went to local charities where you could see the impact right in your own backyard?

Welcome to Noah's Ark, a second-hand store run by St. Michael's and All Angels Episcopal Church on Sanibel Island in Florida. My retired school-teacher mom currently manages this beloved hub of recycled treasures, called affectionately "The Ark" by all. I had the opportunity to witness this Green wonderstore first hand while visiting my parents over the holidays.

The first thing you must know about The Ark is that the shopkeepers, all volunteers, are quite discerning about their merchandise. This isn't a dumping ground for worn or misused items. Everything for sale must be in good working order. My Dad and a few other men fix the TVs, radios, broken table legs, coffeemakers, computers and phones before displaying them for sale. All clothing is clean and often ironed before it goes on racks displayed by type (i.e.: shorts, shirts, dresses, designer goods, hats, etc...) making shopping a breeze.

This Florida West Coast island beach community has a fair amount of wealthy second home owners who buy and sell their homes fully furnished. Quite often this means that the contents of entire homes are donated to The Ark whose staff quite conveniently arrange for pick-ups so donating and recycling one's belongings couldn't be easier. Thus The Ark has become a first stop of many looking for a new bedroom set, table and chairs, bookcases, dishes and glassware.

And then there are the displays... the staff of creative, retired volunteers lovingly dress the mannequins with fancy silk sweaters, arrange book in the "Barnes & Noah" section and set round tables with beautiful china. Then they frown when everything is sold within minutes of the store opening for the regulars know that the best stuff is displayed prominently and they gobble it up.

With the prices so low ($1 for a hardcover book, $3 for a sweater and $25 for a bike) and the donations so frequent, there is a constant influx of shoppers looking for a bargain. It isn't unusual to see 50-60 people standing patiently in line at the beginning of each day The Ark is open. Some people come everyday and never leave empty handed. I must admit that I picked up a few gems this trip: a "like new" lavender silk sweater, a hand-stitched tablecloth with matching napkins and an antique china teapot to go with my discontinued tea set.

I cannot think of a better way to live Green than to donate to and shop at The Ark. For instance, my parents drink coffee yet my husband and I drink tea so rather then buy a new tea kettle for the 8 days we were visiting, we simply bought one for $1 at The Ark and then donated it back at the end of our trip. In an age of rampant consumerism, it feels good to discover that someone else's discarded goods can meet your simple needs. My mom tells me that many people who come down to Sanibel on vacation buy bikes or golf clubs at The Ark for their stay and then return to recycle them; they shop the clothes racks for a forgotten bathing suit or swing by for a wide brimmed straw hat on the way to the beach.

Last week The Ark was brimming with un-wanted Christmas presents -- a lovely Lenox China vase, unopened sheet sets, new shrink-wrapped DVDs and lots of new clothes with the tags still on them. Someone even donated a completely wrapped present with a Christmas tag on it from their mother-in-law... as if to say that they just knew without opening it that they wouldn't want it!

The Ark is a special place where misfit items can find loving homes, even if only temporarily. A place where people can easily go Green by reusing, reducing and recycling. A place where you can spend very little but do a lot to help support your own community. A place that strives to profit by helping others not by counting the cash. I wonder if this model could work in other communities. Could it work in big cities? Could it work in your hometown? Wouldn't it be interesting to find out?

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

When you think of environmentally friendly cars, speed isn't usually one of the first things that comes to mind. Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg aims to change that with the introduction of the new special edition CCXR Supercar. The ethanol burning Koeningsegg CCXR Supercar is the second most powerful production car in the world, with only slightly less power than the SSC Ultimate Aero TT. This one-of-a-kind supercar can go from 0-100 in 2.9 seconds and has top travel speeds of 400km/h.

The CCXR sports a cast-aluminum V8 engine with 1,018hp capable of running on biofuel. Koeningsegg's new car runs on E85 biofuel consisting of 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded. Ironically the burning of ethanol cools the combustion chamber allows for higher pressure in the cylinder. Add that to biofuel's increased octane rating and you get one incredibly fast sports car. But the CCXR isn't just a speedy car, it's also a beautifully designed automobile with a removable roof.

Koenigsegg designed the CCXR as a follow-up to their ultra sleek CCX model. CCX owners will have the option of having their cars converted to the same engine specification as the CCXR for approximately $100,000. The Swedish car manufacturer will continue to produce the CCX, as biofuel isn't widely available yet.

If you're interested in purchasing one of these bad boys get ready to shell out around 3 million dollars, according to some estimates.

Scott Bernstein
http://www.pwiz.com

I've eaten lunch at my desk every working weekday for about, oh, 10 years now. Partly that's because I'm busy, but mostly it's due to a lack of imagination on my part - I do have co-workers who manage to take their takeout...out...somewhere. Anyway, one day not long after helping to launch the iGo Green mini-channel on iVillage (Irony Alert), I looked into my post-lunch trashcan and thought, Jeez. I've used three plastic spoons today. And I just threw them all in the trash. How did that happen?

Here's how it happened.

Plastic Spoon 1: Oatmeal for breakfast. (Once you start eating lunch at your desk every day, it's a slippery slope to eating all your other meals there too.)

Plastic Spoon 2: Soup for lunch. (Which, at least, I made using veggies I got from the CSA I belong to. If you don't currently participate in a CSA program, Blog Reader, join one, like, immediately. For real. The veggies, they're delicious. They're so much tastier than the mass-farmed stuff you get at the grocery store. Trust me.)

Plastic Spoon 3: Yogurt for lunch. (I did not want to use the same spoon I used for my tomatoey soup in my apricotty yogurt. You know how that is.)

This kind of behavior, of course, is exactly where dismaying statistics like these come from:

- Disposable-lunch eaters create up to 100 pounds of garbage per person per year.
- The average American creates 90,000 pounds of garbage over the course of his or her lifetime.
- The average American produces about twice as much trash every day as the average American did in 1960.

So there I was, eating my CSA-veggie soup and feeling all proud of myself for working on all this eco-conscious Interweb content, and meanwhile... I'm throwing away about ten boxes of disposable plastic spoons every year - not even recycling them (not that our office appears to recycle anything anyway). And that's just spoons - what about all the plastic forks I've tossed for salads, and macaroni and cheese, and... um... salads?

I realized I'd been doing something crazy and stupid. And I was looking right at one of those fabled little changes that I could make right then and there, that would actually make a big difference.

So, I got two sets of these adorable re-usable bamboo utensils and stashed them in my desk drawer. I use them every day instead of burning through a box of plastic spoons a month. I don't pick up plastic forks when I get takeout salads, and I ask cashiers not to give me utensils either.

And maybe, if I keep at it for another ten years, I'll burn off some of my bad Plastic Fork Karma. I hope so, anyway.

Siobhan Adcock
iVillage, Senior Producer - Network & Social Media
http://www.iVillage.com

Carpet stained after the big party? Forget the steam cleaner - try using the microwave to clean it up. That's kind of the gist of this trailer-mounted microwave, invented by Dr. Chang-Yul Cha, founder of Cha Corporation in Wyoming. He created the contraption to reclaim solvents that are polluting some of the most contaminated industrial sites across the country.

Cha's method uses microwaves to recover pollutants (like solvents, lubricants and fuels) by adsorption (yep, adsorb, not absorb) from activated carbon. The carbon adsorbs the chemicals similar to the way the charcoal in your barbecue fires up to cook some franks - he chemical fluids bind to the surface of the carbon in a thin layer. This saturated carbon is then exposed to microwave energy as it passes through a quartz tube reactor, condensing the chemicals.

So unlike the Hoover steam cleaner from the supermarket, Cha's microwave doesn't leave you with a bucket of dirty water, dog hair and guilt. Instead it actually recovers the original chemicals so they can be reused - hopefully more responsibly than the first time.

Trevor Curwin
DVICE.com

In the entertainment industry, the idea of being green is very, very cool. You can't go two feet without seeing a Prius--they're even becoming the limo-of-choice for the Oscars. I myself bought a Prius in May and I love it. Not only is it eco-friendly, but it's also incredibly convenient. Not having to fill up that often saves a ton of money, and all that time wasted at the gas station. Tons of time.

It's amazing how spread out Hollywood is--there are studios in the valley, Paramount is in Hollywood proper, and then Sony is all the way over in Culver City. To get between these studios takes lots of time and gas. And for those looking for something on the higher end, the Lexus hybrid seems to be quite popular, though not as efficient as my little Prius.

In covering this beat, I've found Hollywood's love affair with green goes beyond the cars. I'm not talking about Al Gore and his leveraging Hollywood attention to spread a message about global warming. I'm talking about nuts and bolts. More and more office buildings are going up. And at the Emmy's this past year I reported on a new green building being built by New Pacific Realty in Beverly Hills. It'll be state of the art, fancy shmancy designed by Richard Meier--and totally green.

The studios are even making their productions green--Universal Pictures' "Evan Almighty" was the first carbon-neutral film: which meant that the studio bought carbon credits to account for the cost of the movie on the environment.

Just this weekend I was talking with some "industry" folks about how hard it is to be green, but how everyone is trying. One new trend-- buy carbon emissions credits to make yourself, or an event (like a big Emmy party or a wedding) totally carbon neutral. It used to be only companies could make themselves carbon neutral, but now anyone can help minimize their negative impact on the environment.

Julia Boorstin
CNBC.com
http://cnbc.com/id/21542560/site/14081545

According to the iVillage Carbon Calculator, which measures your individual impact on the environment, I'm at a 6.4 - slightly lower than the national average of 9.96.

I owe my lower-than-average carbon footprint, in part, to my former teacher, Mr. Krick. No, he didn't teach me to recycle or to reduce my waste. As my driver's ed teacher, Mr. Krick instilled in me a fear of my driving abilities - which, incidentally, has served the planet quite well. I've always hated driving, and that was one of the reasons why New York City appealed to me - I would be able to walk or take the subway everywhere. So I moved into an eco-friendly (read: tiny) Manhattan apartment with two other girls and now walk to work every day. Living in an astronomically high-rent apartment is motivation enough for my roommates and me to keep our other bills to a minimum, and that means using as little energy as possible. ("It's only 95 degrees out. We don't need AC. Don't be such a baby!") In fact, one of the added benefits of the green movement is that practices otherwise seen as tightwad or stingy, such as refusing to turn on the AC, reusing sandwich bags and letting the laundry pile up, are actually revered as eco-friendly.

Let other people call us cheapskates; I prefer "environmentalists."

Valerie Denny
iVillage, Associate Producer
http://www.ivillage.com

Here's an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint when it comes to movie rentals.

According to reports, Apple is close to announcing plans to make Fox and Disney movies available as online rentals via iTunes (US).

That means you'd be able to electronically rent movies without driving to the store or having them mailed and delivered to your home in paper envelopes (like Netflix).

Rumors say Apple CEO Steve Jobs is likely saving the official announcement for his Macworld Expo keynote on Jan. 14.

Laura Wallace
http://methodshop.com

Not that long ago, maybe four or five years my kids and I went to our monthly visit to the Museum of Natural History to see an IMAX film about the depleting coral reefs. A few words uttered in that film triggered something in me to make me realize I had to act and not just be a spectator anymore. They said that in just 40 years these reefs may all be gone! 40 years! At the end of the film there was a website where one could go to help fight to save the coral reefs. Well, I went to that site, http://www.reefcheck.org, and from there I eventually signed on to some others, and once I was signed up I began getting their newsletters and action e-mails. In a matter of a month or two I was signing hundreds of petitions and internet action letters on issues of global warming. It was like a domino effect. I began reading up a storm - finding out more and more about all the other ways in which our planet is suffering at our own hands. The planet's assets that have allowed living things to thrive for millions of years are now being taken for granted and all our lives are at risk and we must face the serious challenges of change. My shock and initiative to stop sitting idle was pronounced in just those few words. 40 years. The thought that our own children will not be living in the world as it is now. And, what would they say to us as they watched it all change? When did we know and why didn't we do anything about it?

I am writing this entry to say how this one day triggered a life shift for me and my family. A trigger that turned inertia into action, how one change then led to another and then so many others in our lives. I wanted to tell you about just a couple of really big ones here. We literally changed how we live, eat, shop and sleep. It has even changed how we make our living.

Three years ago we needed a new car. My husband knew about the Prius, he mentioned it briefly but he thought it would be too small for us. It was hard to even see one on any Toyota lot. Finally we found one on a lot, but the dealer could not open it up for us to even sit in because it was for a customer. We looked in the window and knew we wanted it. If it was the only car on the road with the best available gas mileage, then that was going to be our new car! We got one without even sitting in or test driving it before ours arrived. At the time, everyone was saying how the price is not commensurate with what you may or may not save on gas, but this was not the point to us. We were buying this car because of what it could do to cut down on CO2 emissions and oil useage! And, by the way, we so save money on gas - every month!

Light bulbs? Where could we buy these new light bulbs? Once we found them we weren't going to buy just one. Sure, everyone was saying how much more expensive they were. Again, we are not thinking of the purchase as "what a light bulb usually should cost", it was for a bigger purpose, and we were not going to just change one light bulb in the house. Why not change as many as we could while we were doing it?

These purchases I speak about making are not easy for everyone, I know this. But, what frustrates us is when a family can afford it, why do they choose not to?

The biggest purchase of all was our home. My husband, Laszlo Kiss, is a great architect. So, when we sold our home we hoped to build our first house for ourselves as a zero energy house. He knew that to stay within a budget we could afford we had to build it as a prefabricated house in a factory, not stick build it. But, it had to be Zero Energy designed with a floor plan that wasted no space. It took a long time to figure this all out for just the right price. This two year project has now become our new family owned business. The house is now being marketed to the general public as one of the first Green Prefabricated homes of it's kind in the northeast that has the Solar and Geothermal energy systems included in it's overall price! We have called it the ASAP House - House About Saving A Planet! (ASAP because it has to happen As Soon As Possible plus prefab helps get the house there ASAP!)

For my husband and I, the past three years have seemed like getting a mini graduate degree with all the reading and knowledge we have acquired. Researching and brainstorming and formulating some really innovative ideas of how to help our own communities to be as inspired as we have been in just this short period of time. If it could happen to us and change our way of thinking about so many things, then it certainly could happen for lots of other people as well. Obviously the wave is occurring and more and more people are stepping up and making great changes, but not enough to really impact the kind of change needed.

We wanted to figure out how to make more happen in our own neighborhood in a big way. We came up with a great idea for a non profit organization that would act like a Carbon Offset program that would create more renewable energy systems across Long Island. We call this company GreenLIEF - Green Long Island Energy Fund. (The word "Lief" in old English means willing and able!) All the money raised will be distributed right back into our own region, not sent half way across the world. The sole reason and idea for this stems right from the "trigger" idea again. Once you see your own neighbor or local store up the block putting up solar panels or espousing all they have just done to reduce their own "carbon footprint" it is now "in your air space". By trying something for yourself, or hearing about someone else you know and respect trying something. We learn from each other. We may not always be open to hearing or seeing a lot of things all the time, but if it is happening more and more in your own backyard it gets harder and harder to miss! This is the goal and this was how our lives changed so completely.

Some of our most valuable insights came from organizations such as: Native Energy, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and Rocky Mountain Institute. All three of these organizations are innovators in the field of getting more renewable energy into our communities and fast!

Lisa Kiss
VP Sales and Marketting, asaphouse.com

How many eco-friendly companies can say they leave a negative environmental footprint? They can if they're TerraCycle, a company founded in a Princeton dorm room by two entrepreneurial students who created a product made entirely from garbage. They've developed an all-natural plant food (worm waste) from organic garbage that would otherwise head to the landfill, and packaged it in used soda bottles collected from people like you and me.

Over one million bottles have been collected already - sign up to add yours to the program, and check out the do-good TerraCycle products for your lawn, veggies, flowers and indoor plants, that are now being sold everywhere from local garden centers to Super Wal-Mart.

Rachel Gray, Associate Producer
iVillage.com
http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/

Consider this: The San Francisco Business Times reported that more than 70% of the people who bought units at the Four Seasons Residential Project had their kitchens remodeled prior to move in (in accordance with their personal taste). That's nearly 100 brand new kitchens that were sent to landfills! M8 founders Steven and Joan Livingston understand that homeowners want to personalize their kitchens (and beyond), and they get that tastes change and evolve, as do homeowners themselves. As an answer M8 has developed a patented changeable system that lets you "remodel" your cabinets without actually remodeling them. In a few easy steps you can change the face of M8 boxes without having to replace all of the actual cabinets, thus keeping wood out of the landfill. They will even take back the discarded faces, dismantle them and return the individual parts to their vendors to be refabricated into new M8 products. Plus, they have a huge selection of eco-friendly materials and finishes to choose from, and everything is made to order to eliminate the need to have warehouses full of unused inventory. Joan Livingston says - in the spirit of her company - that while their product is inherently environmentally-friendly, really, "it's up to the consumer to decide how eco they want to be." M8 provides a vast selection, so what shade of green are you going to paint your cabinetry, metaphorically speaking?

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

I grew up in the 1970s, the daughter of Lola Granola and Hippie Al.

Summer vacation involved tent camping, outdoor "comfort stations", and a weekly (yikes!) 3-minute shower for four quarters. We lived in an old house that was always cold in the winter, but mercifully, was usually cold in the summer, too. Money was tight and my parents weren't so organized when it came to paying the bills (as an adult, I now understand these two things often go hand in hand), and after the power being shut off once, we kids learned well to always turn off the lights when leaving a room.

Flash forward 25 years and I have kids of my own. My sister has carried on the mantle of Lola Granola in my family; me, not so much. I did (briefly) drive a hybrid car, but wound up back in a minivan for practicality's sake. (I kept the hybrid in the family, passing it on to Lola Granola the Senior).

But two kids, one divorce, a mortgage and a career have all pretty much taken a front seat to any lingering environmentalism that might have carried over from childhood. Then, one typically gloomy winter evening two years ago, as I battled off the "I'm boreds" and the "You're a pests", of my loving children, there came a knock at the door. I answered it only to discover a long-haired Hippie Al the Junior type. He was from a local environmental organization and was collecting signatures for a petition to protect our nearby wetlands. I signed the petition, because after all, who could argue against protecting the wetlands? He asked if the children would draw pictures to send to Governor Pataki and said he would be back in an hour or two to collect them.

The children worked diligently for the next hour and a half. Calm reigned in my little house. No one was bored. No one was a pest. It was a miracle. Dare I say it was a miracle of environmentalism? Beautiful pictures featuring crocodiles and beavers and seagulls and "Protect the Animals" slogans were created by my loving children and handed off to Hippie Al upon his punctual return.

We never saw Hippie Al again, but over the next year or so, we saw the many family films with an environmental message that were released - Over the Hedge and Happy Feet come to mind. We took many long walks through the wetlands and on the cliffs above. As we walked, we noticed the birds - blue herons and egrets and hawks and cormorants. And as we walked, we talked. We talked about how turning out the lights and turning off the water can help the animals and the environment. And then at home, I pestered the children to actually turn off the lights and turn off the water. And after that, my son started pestering his friends at school about turning off the water and the lights. Then one day, he got into a fistfight with a kid who refused to turn off the water. Hey, suddenly, we were environmentalists!

So I guess it shouldn't have come as that much of a surprise to me when, one day last January, as we sat in traffic in our minivan, listening to the radio for news of a break in traffic, my son, now five years old, said to me, "Did they just say there's a new governor?"

"Yes", I replied in a moment of I'll-teach-you-about-citizenship parenting, "His name is Governor Spitzer. He was elected. He replaced Governor Pataki."

"Oh, then I better write and tell him about the swamp."

And sure enough, when we returned home, he got out his crayons, drew his crocodiles and beavers and seagulls, and with the help of his older sister, wrote this poignant message to the State:

"Dear Governor Spitzer,

Things are bad in the swamp."

Jennie Baird
Editor-In-Chief, iVillage.com

Call me ungrateful but I'm a bit disappointed at some of the "Green" Christmas gifts I received this year. My feelings aren't aimed at the gift givers - in fact - I'm deeply touched that so many people who bought me a gift this year recognized that I would prefer an eco-friendly product. I am upset however how easily well-intentioned "very light Greeners" can unknowingly buy something much less Green then they had expected.

- Harry and David's online catalog seductively describes the Triple Treat Collection as "Super-premium fruit - selected by America's fruit authorities. You won't find fruit this wholesome and extraordinary at the supermarket." The box included fresh oranges, fresh pears and fresh apples but then printed in small letters on the packing box: "coated with a food grade vegetable, petroleum, beeswax, and/or shellac based wax or resin to maintain freshness." I kid you not. I could see my pupils in the shellac on the apples. I called Harry and David to inquire as to what exactly was in the shellac and neither Terry, the customer service rep, nor her manager knew but said that it was "simply there to make the fruit shiny and pretty and can easily be washed off". She then kindly offered to research it and get back to me within a few days (by which time the fruit will likely have spoiled). Now Harry and David make no claims that their fruit is organic, and I realize they must be using approved shellacs, but I'm confident that my brother-in-law had no idea that his gift of fresh fruit would be covered in shiny chemicals.

- EcoExpress.com promotes their eco-website with this tagline "Uncommon Gifts for the Common Good". Admittedly, some of their gift basket items are organic and some support rain forest conservation. But many of their products are simply fancy Gourmet goodies such as sun-dried tomatoes, Italian breadsticks, stuffed olives and dried portabella mushrooms. An avid label reader, I searched for what made these products eco-friendly or perhaps organic but to no avail. Yet I'm sure that my well-meaning brother thought that he was sending us a Green gift from this self-labeled "eco-minded" website.

- Barielle's 10 piece natural nail care system: Knowing that I blog about natural beauty products, a close friend sent me this "natural" nail care system. Surprise! Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep score is a high 7 (on a 1-10 scale) with 92% of other nail care systems having lower environmental toxicity concerns. Nothing very eco or natural about that and then I realized that their "natural" means as opposed to "artificial" nails. How confusing...

As pleased as I am that companies are now making an eco-friendly lifestyle more accessible to mainstream consumers, I'm concerned about how easily people with the best Green motivations can purchase gifts not knowing the full picture. Caveat emptor (which we all learned from The Brady Bunch is Latin for "let the buyer beware") is more necessary than ever in a market where products labeled "natural" may not be and "wholesome" might mean covered with chemicals. And don't even get me started on how many genuinely Green presents arrived packed in Styrofoam peanuts...

What were your Green gifts experiences this season? Did they thrill or disappoint? Please share your own stories as we walk this perilous Green path together.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

There's a new lesson being taught at San Diego High School -- how to take a fast-food snack and turn it into an alternative fuel source.

A group of juniors and sophomores have been hard at work, trying to find ways to reduce the nation's need for oil. The real-life lesson is being taught by science and technology teacher, John Karanopoulos. Their goal is the production of biodiesel.

"From something that is a waste product, we can make something that is an energy product," he said.

But it's not a simple task, the students explained. First they begin by "filtering the used cooking oil, so we can get the impurities," said Woody Elwell, a junior. Then, junior Joseph Humes said, "we turn on the reaction pump for at least an hour."

They then add a chemical and watch for reactions that tells them how many fatty acids are in the oil that they're using [see slideshow]. It's a painstaking process that could change the way we fill up our tanks.

"It's great knowing that you're kind of a part of small steps towards making the environment better," Flores said.

The class gets oil to use from restaurants around town and Johnson & Johnson, which is a business partner at the school.

NBC San Diego
http://nbcsandiego.com/goinggreen/14321285/detail.html

Are you starting to get creative with the peppers, tomatoes and zucchini that are still hanging around from your fall harvest?

Check out what artist Ellen Hoverkamp is doing with the exquisite colors, shapes and textures of vegetables, fruits and flowers. She uses a process called "scanner photography" to create life-like images that are so crisp and deep, they seem almost three dimensional.

Learn more about her work and how to order her incredible prints that any garden lover will adore.

Rachel Gray, Associate Producer
iVillage.com
http://housecalls.ivillage.com/home/

Sometimes I goof up with Green. I seem to do okay with buying Green food (organic and local natural foods) but I have a harder time sticking to Green stuff for my home. I like to blame it on the fact that it is harder to find Green, non-toxic products like natural carpet or rug pads, but that isn't really true anymore. I know where to find the Green stuff, I just don't always want to make a sacrifice for decor. My home decor matters to me and so sometimes I give in and buy something that isn't Green. And sometimes I suffer as a result.

You see I wanted a lush cream rug for our guest room. The room was all cream and aqua and I wanted it to feel like a private sanctuary... like living on the beach. I placed sea shells around the room and even hung a privacy sign on the guest room doorknob from Shutters - a famous Santa Monica beach hotel. But when it came to the new rug I needed to buy, I was stumped. Where was I going to find a thick, gorgeous, plush, non-toxic, cream colored rug that would make my feet feel like they were walking on sand?

Determined that I couldn't find such a rug, I just went to a local rug store. I looked at nearly a hundred rugs hung from the ceiling and touched them to feel their potential plushness. After 30 minutes, my head ached, my eyes were watering and my throat felt swollen. I left in a hurry, without a rug, and came home to take a shower and get the chemical rugness off my body and out of my head.

Dr. Blue Eyes looked up from his book and suggested that I call Green Depot - a leading supplier of Green products with a wide assortment of natural rugs. I called for samples and they were sent within days. I selected a yummy cream rug and an extra thick rug pad. They needed to be specially ordered (at a similar price to chemical laden rugs) and arrived within a few weeks. I couldn't wait to get them on the floor and complete my dream beach retreat.

I can honestly say that the rug looked and felt great on my bare feet. But it stank to high heaven. Not a chemical smell exactly but a wooly, natural, animal-type smell. Like we were putting our guests up in a barn.

After 6 months of convincing ourselves that we just needed to ride it out and the smell would go away... that Green is a bit of a sacrifice... I broke down and called Green Depot. They sent out an expert right away and sure enough, we discovered that the manufacture had sent us the wrong rug pad. I'm not sure where the goof happened... but it wasn't non-toxic and when we replaced it with one that was.

So I learned that even when buying Green, I need to be vigilant and I need to think of my family's health first over my lofty decor ideas. Fortunately, this time it all worked out in the end, and my beach dream has been completely fulfilled.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

EcoFabulous teams up once again with dear friend David Shearer, ecoadvisor to Toyota and Google. In yesterday's post, David delivered the skinny on greenhouse gas (GHG) offsets. Today, David makes sure we know that he's got our back when it comes to the follow through. If you've been moved to buy carbon offsets, here are six questions that David advises us to ask any possible suitor. Learn more at www.climateclean.net.

1. Can you provide detailed information on specific projects that result from your offsets?
2. Which objective standards do you use to demonstrate the high quality of your offsets?
3. Have your offsets been verified against an objective standard by a credible third party source?
4. Do you sell offsets that reduce GHG emissions in the future? If so, how far in the future?
5. How permanent are your offsets - 10 years? 20 years? 50 years? Evidence of permanence?
6. If trees are used for offsets, how do you measure the carbon reductions? How do you ensure that they are not burned or cut down?

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

Every worthy cause has got it's celebrity spokesperson. Refugees have got Angelina. The Global Fund has got Bono and now - like it or not - Green has got Paris Hilton.

On a recent visit to Berlin to promote a sparkling wine that comes in cans, Paris told reporters that she is doing her part. Newsday.com reports:

Paris Hilton is making a personal contribution to protecting the environment.

"I changed all the light bulbs to energy-safe light bulbs and I'm buying a hybrid car right now," the 26-year-old celebrity heiress said Wednesday.

Hilton said she turns off the lights, doesn't leave the TV on or the water running when she leaves her house.

"Little things that people can do every day to make a huge difference," she said.

I'm glad Paris is going green. It's great to see celebs use their status to get the word out about worthy causes like going green.

The things that Paris mentions can add up to big savings on electric and gas bills, and what I can only imagine to be thousands of dollars in water damage repair every year. Let's hope she adds recycling the cans from her sparkling wine to the list!

Nicole Walters
GreenIsUniversal.com

Feeling the call to Green more than ever this year, I vowed to be as Green as possible in how I wrapped our presents. For me this meant making a commitment not to buy any new wrapping paper, bags, bows, tinsel or tags. It just seemed more Green (and more creative) to "re-wrap" and re-use what I had been accumulating since last Christmas then spend energy seeking out companies on the web who could ship me eco-friendly wrapping paper.

But as I looked at my very large pile of pre-wrapped presents and my smaller collection of last year's gently used holiday bags and bows, I realized that demand definitely exceeded supply. I would need to get more creative to keep my vow.

I ran to my closets for inspiration for my green re-wrapping goal. What else could I use, as the paper supply dwindled? Sheets? No, that was too radical. Dishtowels? Well, maybe. Magazines? Yes, I could see wrapping gifts in flashy fashion mag pages. But then I had a better idea - cloth eco-grocery bags! YES! And retired hair bows! Perfect. And how about Sarah Jessica Parker style flower pins? Definitely.

Of course, my new approach to wrapping also requires some coordination between the gift and the re-wrapping so my brother doesn't end up with the gift covered in InStyle fashion holiday spreads with a huge pink flower. In the beginning I mapped it all out before I dove in and began my re-wrapping adventure. As I neared the end of both my gifts and my re-wrappings, I realized that my 3 year old nephew wouldn't likely appreciate his Scobby Doo DVD wrapped in the only item I had left... a navy silk scarf. And then I looked closely and saw a fish pattern on the scarf and convinced myself that he just loves fish.

Shortly into my re-wrapping, I realized that the re-use concept could easily be extended to the gifts themselves, so back to the closets in search of very gently used "extra" items my dearly beloveds would love. I know re-gifting is generally considered tacky, even uncouth. So I decided to be bold and announce my re-gifts with pride in their eco- friendly repurposing. These were extra gifts anyway... so no one should feel slighted. Right?

A ha! A rarely used tea kettle for my kettle-less "let's make tea in the microwave" sister-in-law; a large wooden "looks like new" jewelry box for my brother's wife; a never worn pink cashmere scarf/glove/hat set from last Christmas for my mother-in-law and a purple sweater my husband never wore for my Dad...

It all seemed like a great idea yesterday but as I look at my gifts this morning, I'm having second thoughts. Did I go overboard in my effort to be Green? Will my sincere efforts be appreciated or will my less Green family just think I needed to clean out my closets? Good thing I have a few more days before Christmas to mull this over. I can always make a mad dash for Bloomingdale's where for $10.95 they will wrap anything.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

With winter weather upon us it's important to remember there are some simple steps we can take to make sure our coldest season is also one of our greenest. Here's what the healthy living gurus at VitalJuiceDaily.com recommend:

Natural ice: Skip the chemical de-icers and instead go for sand, fireplace ash, cat litter or alfalfa meal (natural fertilizer) -- all will naturally melt ice while providing traction. They'll also keep hazardous chemicals off of driveways and roads, and out of our surface waters and groundwater!

Snow workout: Snow piling up on your sidewalk or driveway? Skip the gasoline-powered tools you keep for just this occasion and instead grab a shovel or broom and get to work. You'll burn calories and keep greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

Take your temperature: Install an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat and you'll save money (about $100 each year) and energy if you use one of the pre-programmed temperature settings. When you go away for vacation, remember to lower the thermostat so you don't waste unnecessary resources.

Protect yourself: The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) warns that radon levels can soar during colder months because we keep windows and doors closed and huddle up indoors. Radon is a cancer-causing natural gas that you can't see, smell or taste. January is National Radon Action Month, so in honor we suggest testing your home (approximately 1 in 15 homes across the country has dangerous levels of radon).

Battery up: With big winter storms blanketing the country, we're always stocking up on emergency supplies. Skip the disposable batteries and instead buy rechargeable ones to have on hand for flashlights in case of power outages. That way you're not tossing out mercury and hazardous waste every time you run low.

Bundle up: Fleece is the word this time of year -- so make sure you're wearing fleece that's been recycled (many are made from recycled plastic soda bottles). You'll be keeping warm while fighting global warming!

Have other ideas on how to green your winter? We'd love to hear about it.

Lisa Blau
Editor, Vital Juice Daily
www.vitaljuicedaily.com

I get it. The holidays are hard and gift baskets help make them so easy. You go online, you order something appropriate and voila! you're done with your gifting for the year. But most of the products in the basket, including the basket itself, are wrapped in plastic and the boxes aren't usually recyclable (check inside the box - if the paper is white it's not recyclable, if it's brown it is recyclable), and some even stash a little block of Styrofoam beneath the grass filling to lift all the items up so that it looks better.

That's why I was particularly excited when Meghan Fahey from Greenstream Gourmet contacted me about a better option. Greenstream Gourmet has been created to show you that doing your part may be as simple as purchasing the right cookie. Tough, I know. They bake their cookies with organic and natural ingredients. Simple, time adored recipes - chocolate chip, oatmeal cranberry and brownie mint - with no artificial sweeteners or shelf life enhancers. Their packaging is made from corn plastic or PLA, polylactic acid, which decomposes into H20 and carbon dioxide in controlled composts in as little as 45 days... so good! (Regular petroleum based plastics stick around forever and are made from non-renewable resources... so bad.) Their labels and ribbons are even made from bamboo, sugar cane and cotton and are printed with soy-based inks.

So I know the question that's really on your mind... sure they sound good for the earth but are they good for the taste buds, too? I tested the sampler that Meghan sent me on some skeptical colleagues and the vote was unanimous - they didn't taste organic, they tasted absolutely delicious! Chocolate chip was a big hit, but my personal favorite was the brownie mint. Think thin mints but in soft and chewy cookie form!

Meghan writes on the card that comes with each order that "after all my research in bringing this together, I had to wonder, why haven't we been doing this for years?" I'm not sure either, but it's a great start and a healthier option for the earth and for your giftees during this time of year.

To order, visit GreenStreamGourmet.com... so so good!

Nicole Walters
GreenIsUniversal.com

Close the door. Lock it. Strip. Put your hair in a bun on top of your head. Light a candle. Turn on the hot water. Ease your body into bliss...

I have never met a bath I didn't like. But I have learned how to make a bath even better by adding natural and herbal products that can transport your body and soul to a deeper calm.

In the interest of science, I took the ultimate sacrifice and tried 10 different bath products over 10 days so I could share the results with the Go Green group. My criteria: all natural and paraben free. I checked them first on Skin Deep to confirm their claims and see how natural they really were. This site rates on a scale of 1-10 (1 = safest). I'm happy to say that none of these products disappointed me and all lived up to their marketing promise.

- Day One: Kneipp Sparkling Herbal Bath Tablets: The "Juniper" tablet promised to soothe and calm while it fizzled into oblivion in my warm tub. The tablet lasted a good 10 minutes... just the right length of time to relax my nerves and get in a good soak. Juniper helps improve circulation and relieve muscle tension -- especially tired and sore muscles after sports. Skin Deep Score: 4

- Day Two: Alba Organics: This bubble bath doubles as a shower gel but save it for the bath since it makes such fragrant, luxurious and long lasting bubbles. I chose Midnight Tuberose because it said "Exotic and irresistible, midnight tuberose will evoke the seductive pleasures of a tropical garden" and it reminded me of my honeymoon. Enough said. Skin Deep Score: 4

- Day Three: Kiss My Face: Feeling like I was coming down with something, I poured this natural Cold and Flu Bath Gel into the tub. In addition to feeling empowered for taking preventative care of a potentially nasty cold, I enjoyed a relaxing bath smelling of eucalyptus and fennel and my head felt clearer as it opened my sinus. Skin Deep Score: 3

- Day Four, Five, Six and Seven: 100% natural Kneipp Classic Bath Oils: in Eucalyptus (good for sinus relief), Lavender (helps relax, fight fatigue and balance), Valerian & Hops (deeply relaxing, aids sleep and reduces stress), and Melissa (soothing, relaxing, calming). They all lived up to their promise as I crawled right into bed each night and fell right asleep. They worked so well, I had to share some with my husband so he would understand why I was retiring so early each night. They had the same effect on him. Skin Deep Score: 1-3

- Day Eight and Nine: Dr. Hauschka: Lavender Bath Oil, I cheated and used this lovely aromatherapy bath oil two days in a row. I loved it so much I bought the Lavender Body Oil the next day so I could lavish myself further in the powerful, relaxing aroma. These essential oils quickly absorbed into my skin and penetrated deep to alter my mood. Skin Deep Score: not rated

- Day Ten: Aveda: Camomile Savage Pure-Fume Singular Notes, I added just a few drops of this concentrated essential oil and was relaxed within minutes. My skin felt refreshed. Skin Deep Score: not rated

All of these bath products are natural, many are organic and all were effective at both pleasing my senses and relaxing my body and mind. Knowing that I was soaking in products that were doing my body good instead of harm helped me relax even more.

If you have a natural bath product that you really like, please chime in and help spread the good news. And now with eyes wide open, I have several replacements for my old favorite bubble bath: Bliss Vanilla and Bergamot which I just discovered has a Skin Deep Score of 9. I think I'll just have one last hurrah and go finish it up. I've got a steaming hot cup of Organic Chai tea, and I'm off to go close my eyes and slip into the tub!

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

With Christmas celebrations upon us, we're surrounded by red and green -- but make sure your holiday festivities stay true to their colors. Here are VitalJuiceDaily.com's tips on how to have a truly green holiday:

Don't go overboard with decorations: pare down the Christmas lights and keep your lawn reindeer-free and you'll save on the electricity it takes to light it all up (and your neighbors might be relieved). Skip over the mass produced ornaments and instead find handmade, fair trade holiday decor to spruce up the house. Or better yet, try making some yourself! Make a homemade wreath from your own garden pruning or pluck decorations from nature, like pine cones and ivy. You can compost them at the end of the holiday season. If DIY isn't your thing, then shop vintage: surf eBay for classic decorations from yester-year (chic recycling!). When it comes to your tree, you might think you're doing the environment a favor with an artificial tree, that's not actually the case. They're usually made of PVC and your local recycling center typically doesn't have a bin for old PVC trees. Instead, buy from a local, organic farm -- that way you'll know your tree hasn't traveled across the country emitting CO2. Plus, an organic farm will skip the harmful pesticides and chemicals. When the holiday has come and gone, remember to recycle your tree.

Now that the decorations are in place, you'll need to go shopping for supplies and food. When prepping for a house full of family, remember to buy in bulk -- whether you need napkins, brown sugar, paper towels or toilet paper go for the super-sized options. It'll save on packaging, cost less and last well into the New Year! While you're out, be sure to stop by your local farmer's market to find ingredients for your holiday meal. Your food will be fresher, cheaper and less taxing on the environment. And when dinner's over, take leftovers to a local homeless shelter to make sure nothing gets wasted.

And for those family members who travel to you -- consider purchasing carbon offsets to help offset the carbon emissions generated on their way to all the festivities.

Have other ideas on how to green your holiday? We'd love to hear about them.

Lisa Blau
Editor, Vital Juice Daily
www.vitaljuicedaily.com

There are three levels of wisdom through which Hanukkah invites us to address the planetary dangers of the global climate crisis -- what some of us call "global scorching" because "warming" seems so pleasant, so comforting.

We can encode these teachings into actions we take to heal the earth, each of the eight days.

1. The Talmud's legend about using one day's oil to meet eight days' needs: a reminder that if we have the courage to change our life-styles to conserve energy, it will sustain us.

2. The vision of Zechariah (whose prophetic passages we read on Shabbat Hanukkah) that the Temple Menorah was itself a living being, uniting the world of "nature" and "humanity" -- for it was not only fashioned in the shape of a Tree of Light, as Torah teaches, but was flanked by two olive trees that fed olive oil directly into it.

3. The memory that a community of "the powerless" can overcome a great empire, giving us courage to face our modern corporate empires of Oil and Coal when they defile our most sacred Temple: Earth itself. And the reminder (again from Zechariah) that we triumph "Not by might and not by power but by My Spirit [b'ruchi -- or, "My breath," "My wind!"], says YHWH, the Infinite Breath of Life."

We are taught not only to light the menorah, but to publicize the miracle, to turn our individual actions outward for the rest of the world to see and to be inspired by. So we invite you, this Hanukkah, to join in The Shalom Center's Green Menorah Covenant for taking action -- personal, communal, and political -- to heal the earth from the global climate crisis.

After lighting your menorah each evening, dedicate yourself to making the changes in your life that will allow our limited sources of energy to last for as long as they're needed, and with minimal impact on our climate.

No single action will solve the global climate crisis, just as no one of us alone can make enough of a difference. Yet, if we act on as many of the areas below as possible, and act together, a seemingly small group of people can overcome a seemingly intractable crisis. We can, as in days of old, turn this time of darkness into one of light.

Day 1: Personal/Household: Call your electric-power utility to switch to wind-powered electricity. (For each home, 100% wind-power reduces CO2 emissions the same as not driving 20,000 miles in one year.)

Day 2: Synagogue, Hillel, or JCC: Urge your congregation or community building to switch to wind-powered electricity.

Day 3. Your network of friends, IM buddies, and members of civic or professional groups you belong to: Connect with people like newspaper editors, real-estate developers, architects, bankers, etc. to urge them to strengthen the green factor in all their decisions, speeches, and actions.

Day 4 (which this year is Shabbat). Automobile: If possible, choose today or one other day a week to not use your car at all. Other days, lessen driving. Shop on-line. Cluster errands. Carpool. Don't idle engine beyond 20 seconds.

Day 5: Workplace or College: Urge the top officials to arrange an energy audit. Check with utility company about getting one free or at low-cost.

Day 6: Town/City: Urge town/city officials to require greening of buildings through ordinances and executive orders. Creating change is often easier on the local level!

Day 7: State: Urge state representatives to reduce subsidies for highways, increase them for mass transit.

Day 8: National: Urge your Senators to strengthen and pass the Lieberman-Warner "America's Climate Security Act." For easy addressing and a model letter to send them, go here.

Make our planet's Hanukkah a happy one!

Rabbi Arthur Waskow is director of The Shalom Center, author of many books on "down-to-earth Judaism," and a frequent speaker for synagogues, Hillels, etc. Rabbi Jeff Sultar is director of The Shalom Center 's Green Menorah Covenant.

For more information, to explore having your congregation or community becoming a partner in the Green Menorah Covenant, or to arrange for Green Menorah resource people to visit your community, please contact Rabbi Sultar or visit the center's website.

As a mother of two young children, I know firsthand how many snack bags and juice boxes and paper towels and sheets of construction paper toddlers can go through in just a single day. A LOT. That's why I was curious about meeting Alix Clyburn, another mother of two, who writes a blog called "Alix In Wonderland" for "The Green Guide". I thought her advice on Going Green would involve a lot of preparation and planning (i.e. time). It was a relief to hear about simple things parents can do to minimize waste and help the environment.

For example, most of us think that paying our bills electronically is more convenient in many ways... but it's also friendlier to the environment-- not so many trucks and airplanes utilizing fuel to get those checks from our homes, to their destinations. Along the same vein, Wendy Gordon, the Managing Editor of the Green Guide suggested subscribing to magazines and newspapers on-line, rather than receiving a print copy at home.

While my report on Moms Going Green contains several useful tips for parents who want to go green, I heard about many others that I couldn't fit in, simply because of time limits. But luckily, there are no time limits on the web. So here are some additional pieces of advice on Going Green from Alix, Wendy, and Samantha Delman-Caserta of 3r Living in Brooklyn, as well as the authors of "The Complete Organic Pregnancy"-- Deirdre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu.

- Buy foods at local farmers markets -- to cut down on packaging and transportation fuel use
- Buy large containers of juice, and pour servings into reusable cups or mugs -- to cut down on packaging from juice boxes which are thrown away after each use
- Reuse plastic containers from take-out meals, for example, and use them to hold glue, glitter and other materials for children's art projects
- Use both sides of paper when children draw
- Use cold water, rather than hot water, when doing laundry
- Use hand-me-down clothes and toys
- Refill plastic water bottles with tap water -- to cut down on plastic bottles

Lynda Baquero
WNBC News Anchor
http://wnbc.com/goinggreen/

Fear of being accused of being a hypocrite aside, "Going Green" is something I'd be doing anyway. Conservation and sustainability have always been part of my life; I've always turned water off when I brush my teeth, turned off all the lights, and found value in eating organic foods.

To me, these things aren't "Going Green" - we should have already gone there. So, since taking on the "Green" reports last April, I've made it a goal to get even greener... both personally and in the stories we cover.

While telling stories about donating shoes and recycling ash trees forced to be cut down into little league baseball bats is entertaining and informative, there are bigger issues to tackle.

As a meteorologist, people are always asking me what I think about "Global Warming." I often turn the subject to conservation and sustainability, because no one can argue that we need to do that.

So being the "Green" reporter in more than one sense (this is my 14th month at NBC 5) has been a trip. We honestly get hundreds of emails each month regarding "Green" ideas and "Green" tips from viewers and companies in the Chicago-land area. The reaction locally has been astounding. Chicago is a city that is incredibly proud - of everything - and now they can add being a little greener to that pride.

Ginger Zee
NBC 5 Chicago, Green Reporter & Meteorologist
http://www.nbc5.com/goinggreen/

Consuming music digitally is clearly better for the environment than the shrink-wrapped, plastic-cased, truck-shipped CD alternative. But until recently, consuming digital music legally has been fraught with headaches. Amazon has changed all that with the launch of their new 'amazonmp3' music download store.

Why am I so excited? Three reasons:

1. All songs on amazonmp3 are in, you guessed it, standard mp3 format.
2. All songs are 'DRM-free' - meaning they have no copy protection. You can move them from one computer to another, one portable player to another, burn them to CD, etc.
3. Amazon provides a great software utility for PCs and Macs that adds your purchased songs directly into your iTunes library. Nicely done.

What about iTunes, you say? The iTunes application is my music organizer and player of choice, and the iTunes Store has a fantastic selection of music for sale. Some of the music for sale on iTunes is available in a DRM-free version called 'iTunesPlus'. The problem is these DRM-free tracks, when you can find them, show up on your computer in Apple's AAC format which is not supported on mp3 players other than the iPod. To make matters worse, iTunes Plus tracks also cost more than AmazonMP3 tracks ($1.29 vs. $0.89). Will Apple learn from past lessons and adopt the tried and true MP3 format for the iTunes Store? I doubt it... but I'm happy to know that my AmazonMP3 music purchases play perfectly on my iPod. Full review here.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

There are two types of people: those who love a big beauty ritual and bathrooms full of products, and those who worship getting ready in 20 minutes or less and prefer an austere vanity cabinet. I fall into the second category. I can barely remember to wash my face or remove my summer toenail polish, let alone follow some multi-step beauty routine. And once I discovered that "parabens" are in most of the beauty products our skin drinks up, my vanity cabinet got even more austere. Then along came coconut oil; I went cuckoo. Now when I get out of the shower, I put it all over my body, and on the tips of my hair for frizz control and conditioning. Warm it in your hands and lather it on, and it absorbs almost instantly. Plus, I have eliminated the following products from my regime (and saved the bottles from ending up in the landfill), because coconut oil is oh-so-very multifunctional and dreamy:

- Body and face moisturizer - yes, I put oil on my face, but I have dry skin.
- Body firmer - every product seems to claim that it firms, so I just threw this in to motivate you to try it.
- Nail and cuticle moisturizer - applying coconut oil to the rest of your body means it's automatically gonna make it onto your nails. See the beauty in the simplicity here yet?
- Fragrance/perfume - its light scent is reminiscent of a mai tai.
- Hair conditioner and anti-frizz controller - save water by getting out of shower sans conditioner and applying oil to the driest parts of your hair.
- Cooking oil - eat some, or toss into a smoothie to get your daily dose of lauric acid, an amino acid that helps you process fat. Yes, a fat that helps you shed other fat. Nirvana.

Look for coconut oil that's fresh, virgin, non-GMO, and unrefined at your local health food store... I'm off to dream of a Caribbean vacation and pack extremely lightly.

Jen Boulden
Co-Founder, Ideal Bite

Metro is partnering with the hit musical WICKED in a campaign entitled "When traffic gets WICKED, Go Metro!" This will be the first time that the Broadway production of WICKED has partnered with a government entity, and it will allow for the subway and train system to reach the large audience of Broadway's biggest blockbuster with an attractive promotion.

Metro will be offering its riders a 20% discount to see WICKED on Tuesday evening performances at the Pantages Theatre. Metro riders can redeem the discount by simply presenting a valid Metro Pass or Metro Rail ticket at the Pantages box office, directly across the street from the Metro Red Line's Hollywood/Vine Station. The discount can also be redeemed online with a password, which is available to Metro riders.

Metro Board chair Pam O'Connor said, "When WICKED opened at the Pantages Theatre our first response was to begin discussions about working with the show, since we knew it would be extremely popular and just across the street from one of our stations. The show presents us with a forthright, beautiful, strongly principled heroine, who is green - who would be ideal in our general message of environmentalism, while the title of the show gave us an easy tagline for the promotion. When WICKED was willing to work with us, we realized we had a win-win for Metro and the public."

Marc Platt, producer of WICKED said, "Partnering with Metro is exactly the kind of activity that our show should be pursuing during our long run engagement of WICKED at the Pantages. One of our greatest priorities is to be a part of the community we are in. Helping to motivate people to ride Metro is a great way to support caring for the environment and we are pleased to be putting our show into campaigns that support riding public transportation in Los Angeles.

"This campaign will include images of our heroine, Elphaba, riding Metro to escape the traffic. This is the first time we've allowed a character to be depicted outside the stage world of the show - but the cause of public transportation was worth our breaking new ground with our show."

To promote the offer, Metro will distribute brochures on its buses and trains, send out e-blasts to its riders and businesses that support the "Going Metro" program, place information on its website, create a Public Service Announcement and podcasts that will air on cable and regular television, produce artwork for buses and trains - both interior and exterior - that feature the "Elphaba" character riding Metro, launch a publicity campaign, and directly reach out to its employees. WICKED will include a Metro message in some of its advertising and on its popular website, www.wickedthemusical.com/la.

About WICKED
The Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles is home to a new production of WICKED, the smash hit musical that the New York Times called, "one of the most successful shows in Broadway history." Winner of 15 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, WICKED is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

Riders can receive the Wicked Tuesdays promotion in person at the Pantages Theatre Box Office at 6233 Hollywood Blvd. or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information www.metro.net (search CNG) or call 1-800-COMMUTE.

The upcoming Holiday Season provides a great opportunity for all of us to enjoy the bounty of the earth and celebrate our green way of living. In past years, my husband and I have done our best to celebrate a natural Christmas, but this year we intend to go all out. We "dark Greenies" will be traveling to my parent's home in Florida for the holidays, not necessarily the picture postcard locale of snow colored New England hills we associate with the season. But we will be nonetheless making this Christmas if not white, very very Green. We plan to give my wonderful "light Green" parents the Gift of Green so we've offered to help prepare the Christmas feast and celebrate with an organically Green spin on traditional holiday favorites. I've worked hard thinking up the following menu.

Harvest Holiday Centerpiece:
- Acorn squash, yellow squash, butternut squash, persimmons, mangoes, green apples, chestnuts, kumquats and red pears on a bambu oval serving platter

Christmas Eve Dinner:
- Four raw milk cheeses with 7-grain toast points, organic Adriatic fig spread and homemade membrillo quince paste
- Organic mesculan salad with red and yellow organic heirloom tomatoes and Emma's organic balsamic and herb vinaigrette dressing
- Wild salmon roll with lobster stuffing
- Organic green kale sauteed in extra virgin olive oil and fresh organic garlic
- Organic strawberries, blueberries and raspberries topped with Amish raw cream

Christmas Breakfast:
- Organic fresh squeezed carrot, apple, celery juice
- Dr. Nick's wild smoked salmon scrambled eggs with yellow organic onions and raw cheddar cheese
- Organic smoked bacon from local farmer Elmer King
- Homemade organic whole wheat toast with raw butter and organic blackberry fruit spread

Christmas Lunch:
- Organic spinach salad with hard boiled organic eggs
- Emma's grass-fed natural beef and organic sausage 3 bean chili
- Raw sour cream
- Organic 7 grain French bread with raw butter

Christmas Dinner:
- Wild smoked salmon and capers on 7 grain toast points
- Diamond Organics Dried Organic Fruits
- Organic, grass-fed, 16 pound roast turkey
- Mom's organic sausage and herb whole wheat stuffing
- Nana's whole berry cranberry sauce
- Dad's creamed pearl onions
- Dad's organic yukon gold mashed potatoes with cream cheese and chives
- Steamed organic brussel sprouts and baby carrots
- Sparkling organic apple cider
- Emma's homemade organic whole wheat crust pumpkin pie with raw cream fraiche

Come join in the planning and share what good Green things you are cooking up this Christmas.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

Green-wash (green'wash', -wosh') - verb: the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off
e.g. paper (including household tissue, paper towel and copy paper): "Okay, this product comes from a sustainably harvested forest, but what are the impacts of its milling and transportation? Is the manufacturer also trying to reduce those impacts?" Emphasizing one environmental issue isn't a problem (indeed, it often makes for better communications). The problem arises when hiding a trade-off between environmental issues.

2. Sin of No Proof
e.g. Personal care products (such as shampoos and conditioners) that claim not to have been tested on animals, but offer no evidence or certification of this claim. Company websites, third-party certifiers, and toll-free phone numbers are easy and effective means of delivering proof.

3. Sin of Vagueness
e.g. Garden insecticides promoted as "chemical-free." In fact, nothing is free of chemicals. Water is a chemical. All plants, animals, and humans are made of chemicals as are all of our products. If the marketing claim doesn't explain itself ("here's what we mean by 'eco' ... "), the claim is vague and meaningless. Similarly, watch for other popular vague green terms: "non-toxic", "all-natural", "environmentally-friendly", and "earth-friendly."

4. Sin of Irrelevance
e.g. CFC-free oven cleaners, CFC-free shaving gels, CFC-free window cleaners, CFC-disinfectants. Could all of the other products in this category make the same claim? The most common example is easy to detect: Don't be impressed by CFC-free! Ask if the claim is important and relevant to the product. (If a light bulb claimed water efficiency benefits you should be suspicious.) Comparison-shop (and ask the competitive vendors).

5. Sin of Fibbing
e.g. Shampoos that claims to be "certified organic", but for which our research could find no such certification. When I check up on it, is the claim true? The most frequent examples in this study were false uses of third-party certifications. Thankfully, these are easy to confirm. Legitimate third-party certifiers - EcoLogo, Chlorine Free Products Association (CFPA), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Green Guard, Green Seal (for example) - all maintain publicly available lists of certified products. Some even maintain fraud advisories for products that are falsely claiming certification.

6. Sin of the Lesser of Two Evils
e.g. Organic tobacco. "Green" insecticides and herbicides. Is the claim trying to make consumers feel 'green' about a product category that is of questionable environmental benefit? Consumers concerned about the pollution associated with cigarettes would be better served by quitting smoking than by buying organic cigarettes. Similarly, consumers concerned about the human health and environmental risks of excessive use of lawn chemicals might create a bigger environmental benefit by reducing their use than by looking for greener alternatives.

TerraChoice.com

Lately, I've been trying to drink green tea each day. This is a difficult accomplishment for someone who drinks as much coffee as I do. Pots of it. No, seriously. Pots.

A few years back, my voodoo witch doctor (everyone needs one) told me that the antioxidant properties in green tea would make me live a longer, happier, healthier life. Of course, this is not why I started to drink green tea. Oh, no. Longer life? What kind of incentive is that?

Fast forward a year or so. I read an article about how people who drink green tea lose weight more easily than those who don't. Viola! Green tea drinker is born. (Amazing how I won't do something that might keep me from having cancer, but tell me I'll be able to fit back into my leather pants, and I can't sign on fast enough... sad, sad, sad).

The same thing happened with my shampoo. For years, I've read the ingredients labels on shampoo bottles in complete puzzlement. Now, I like SAT words as much as the next person, but if I can't pronounce it, I'm not sure I want it soaking into my largest organ, my skin. And then I learned that parabens (search for the terms methyl-, ethyl-, or butyl-paraben on your beauty product labels) - preservatives found in nearly all beauty products - are estrogen disruptors, meaning they mimic estrogen in your system and may just lead to certain kinds of cancer as well.

Again, didn't change my shampoo. Until I learned that the same estrogen-mimicking might just cause you to retain more weight.

Needless to say, I've been drinking a bunch of green tea and phasing out parabens ever since.

Years later, I still don't fit into the leather pants, but that might be because I learned that dark chocolate and red wine are very good for me, so I make sure to have lots every day.

Heather Stephenson
Co-Founder, Ideal Bite

On Wednesday, November 28, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City was lit - an annual tradition celebrating its 75th anniversary. This year marks the first-ever solar powered tree, a collaboration of GE Energy and Tishman Speyer, one of the world's leading owners, developers, operators, and fund managers of first-class real estate - including Rockefeller Center. The lighting was televised live on NBC during the network's tenth annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special.

As part of an overall energy conservation initiative for Rockefeller Center, Tishman Speyer installed 363 GE solar panels on the roof of 45 Rockefeller Plaza to help reduce the building's electricity consumption. The solar energy roof, which will be the largest privately owned solar energy generation station in Manhattan, will conserve energy during peak usage times year-round and help power the tree's new energy-efficient LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights.

The solar panels will create a 70 kilowatt DC generation station that is tied to the Rockefeller Center grid and will help reduce the building's electricity consumption. The solar installation will also keep approximately 67,392 lbs. of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year and more than 2,000,000 lbs. over its 30-year lifespan. The tree's 30,000 LEDs, on five miles of wire, will draw a fraction of the power that is traditionally required by the tree, reducing energy consumption from 3,510 kilowatt hours to 1,297 kilowatt hours per day, saving as much energy as a single family would use in a month in a 2,000 square foot home. The new solar energy roof will generate more electricity in its first year than the tree lights will consume over the 42 days they will be illuminated.

Also for the first time this year, the tree was cut with a handheld saw to reduce energy use. Tishman Speyer is replanting/re-greening the land where the tree came from and recycling all appropriate materials used during the cutting event. Upon completion of the holiday season, the tree will be milled and treated and made into lumber to be used by Habitat for Humanity.

NBC's broadcast of the Christmas in Rockefeller Center special was co-hosted by Today's Al Roker and recording artists Nick Lachey and Ashley Tisdale. Musical artists Natasha Bedingfield, Tony Bennett, Celine Dion and Josh Groban, among others, performed current hits and holiday classics.

NBC Universal

Who knew that we were all at such risk of constant dehydration? Read enough magazines or watch enough commercials, and sooner or later, you'll be convinced that your body is in severe need of hydration, electrolytically imbalanced and far from its peak performance.

Oh puhlease. When I grew up, kids playing sports drank... well, water. And that water? It came from a tap, not a plastic bottle with a label.

But if I bought the idea that electrolytic sports drinks were critical to my health (and trust me, as a girl who occasionally imbibes too much of a different kind of liquid, there is something miraculous about those blue sports drinks as a hangover cure), you can bet I'd be reaching for some coconut water instead. Natural coconut water - the "juice" inside a coconut when you split it open - offers the same electrolytes and potassium as conventional sports drinks, but with fewer calories and none of the artificial additives. I was a complete skeptic until I tried it.

I promise - it's good stuff. Who knows? I might even start running (without anyone chasing me) if it means I'll be in desperate "need" of some hydrating coconut fluids...

-Heather Stephenson, Co-Founder, Ideal Bite

'Tis the season to get informed. When shopping for papers there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, regarding recycled content - always check out the percentage: a label that reads "30% recycled, 20% post-consumer waste" means 70% virgin wood cut down from forests, 20% post-consumer waste and 10% post-industrial waste - a little play on words to make you think they're more eco than they actually are (look for 100%, if possible). Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) paper is also key. Paper mills that use chlorine for bleaching produce chlorinated organic compounds such as highly toxic dioxins which cause a host of health and environmental problems.

Next you want to consider the dyes being used. Conventional dyes that are petroleum-based emit harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere. Look for vegetable-based dyes, such as soy that has been found to emit 82% less VOCs. They are also considerably easier to remove from paper during the de-inking phase of recycling.

Other things to look for are the sustainable practices a company engages in (hopefully): like where do they get their power? Do they practice fair trade? Do they buy their materials locally? At the end of the day, though, we want paper products that we love, that are simply beautiful.

One company to check out is Fish Lips Paper Designs. Made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper that is Processed Chlorine Free and printed entirely with soy inks (they also use Green-e certified wind power) their high-quality wrapping papers don't skimp on cool at all. The "one love" is perfect for pets and what gent wouldn't love a gift wrapped in the "dirty martini" paper?

Their holiday line can also help green a notoriously wasteful time of year; "don't be a flake" is great for Christmas and Hanukkah alike, but I'm not so sure about Kwanzaa. Of course you could try my favorite technique - cut out pages of magazines that are befitting of the recipient. My super-stylish sister gets fashion magazine picks, while my dad gets old golf images. Use whatever you have or ask a friend their old books.

Zem Joaquin
ecofabulous.com

We all know we should use less power, recycle more and take shorter showers, but few people really live as efficiently as they can. What might help is a visual reminder that's ever-present, constantly reminding us of the impact we're having on the environment, and how much we can do better.

Enter the EnergyTree. A concept proposed by designer Ben Arent, the tree is like any houseplant, except you never need to water it. Its container does that for you, though the amount of water and nutrients the tree gets depends on how energy-efficient you are. Turn down your heat at night and the Tree will be strong and healthy; leave your Xbox on when you're not playing and those branches might start to look bare. How would this all work exactly? More pics and info below.

Exactly how the EnergyTree would monitor your energy consumption is a little hazy, though from Arent's description, it would involve connecting devices via control ports (so the tree could turn off gear not in use) and weighing the content of recycling bins. Sounds like a custom installer might be involved. Of course, there's the obligatory Internet connection, too, which would let you score "green points" online and boast to the world about how green you are. 'Cause that's what it's really all about, isn't it?

Peter Pachal
SCIFI.com

When it comes to holiday gift giving, there's a shade of green for everyone on your list. Here are some suggestions for giving environmentally responsible gifts that your friends, family and planet will thank you for:

When heading to those holiday parties grab a bottle of ecohol to take for the host or hostess. Square One Vodka is made with 100% organic North Dakota rye and comes in a non-frosted glass bottle (frosted glass uses lots of chemicals) with a bamboo label that peels off so the bottle can be reused as a vase. Toss in a bottle of organic fruit mixer from Modmix in delicious flavors like Citrus Margarita or Pomegranate Cosmo to really get the party started.

For Mom, why not treat her to some organic pampering. Body oil from Origins Organics makes for a relaxing bath or massage - and she'll feel good knowing that their sustainable packaging has preserved some 1,500 trees and counting. She might also like to indulge in Pangea Organic's new mask (it's packed with antioxidant rich Acai and Goji Berry!). Even better? She can plant the packaging and watch herbs sprout for future use.

If your Dad is always grumbling about the many bills he gets in the mail, why not do him a favor and thin out his mail entirely? Sign him up for Green Dimes and they'll not only reduce his junk mail by 90%, they'll also plant 10 trees in his honor. Just think, if everyone in the U.S. did this we'd spare 100 million trees each year.

We're sure your fashion-forward sister will love anything from Under the Canopy - the first brand in "EcoFashion" makes one of the softest robes on the planet in 100% organic cotton. If she prefers to make more of a statement, give her a "Think Green" t-shirt from Zooey (also popular with the always-statement-making young Hollywood set).

For your tech-obsessed brother, give a solar powered charger to juice all of his portable gadgets. The Solio charges at the same rate as if it's plugged into the wall, and when fully powered can charge his cell phone at least twice.

Everyone in the family should get their stocking stuffed with a Sigg - beautifully designed reusable water bottles that are cool enough to carry with you always.

And there's no better way to say thank you, then sending a thank you note - but email it on personalized e-stationery (check out the selection from Iomoi.com).

If you're still looking for green gift giving inspiration peruse these sites: Earth Moment stocks everything from jewelry to TV's and they donate a piece of the revenue from every product to CarbonFund.org; Great Green Goods is a shopping blog dedicated to all gifts eco-friendly; and 1% for the Planet will help you find retailers that donate 1% of their sales to environmental organizations.

Have other green gift giving ideas? I'd love to hear about them.

Lisa Blau
Editor, Vital Juice Daily

In recent news, the Nordic nations (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland) via a joint statement have raised the alarm over the melting Arctic. They are worried that this phenomenon will have irreversible consequences, threatening livelihood and doubling the rate of ice melt.

United Nations (UN) has put the blame on burning fossil fuel for this melt. While the nations and head of states work on their protocols and what needs to be done, I have already start practicing “environmental-friendly” life whenever and wherever possible. How? Read on for some of my many ways.

Many of us own a car; the more fortunate ones own more than one. A huge majority of our cars run on fossil fuel; the remaining minority operates on biofuel, natural gas, liquid petroleum gas, hydrogen and electricity. My car runs on fossil fuel because I cannot afford Honda's new hydrogen car. I drive my car everyday and each minute I burn fossil fuel and contribute to the overall rise in global temperature, although in a minute way.

What I practice are ways to reduce the burning of fossil fuel and at the same time, saving me money against the rising global fossil fuel price. As you may know, Malaysia is right smack in the tropical region and hence is a very hot place. Using the car’s air conditioning consumes about 20% extra fuel. For me, whenever my car is cooled down, I turn off the air conditioning. Call me crazy, call me a fool, but switching off air-conditioning whenever you don’t need it saves fuel, saves money and saves the environment. Fixing heat reflecting films helps a great deal.

I have already changed the way I drive, from being heavy footed to very light. I seldom accelerate more than what is required, using momentum to help push the car, thereby reducing fuel consumption. I also reduce the need to hard brake by looking further ahead, decelerate much earlier on whenever I see traffic ahead.

These simple methods have helped me reduce my fuel consumption by some 15%; at the same time, reducing the emission by the same margin. Can you imagine if 20 million Malaysians reduce 15% emission? Malaysia will have a very blue sky.

Jimmy Wong
amoswong.com

In a move that apparently makes me horrifically old-fashioned (if the comments of my peers are any indication), I admit to being quite attached to cleaning my counters with actual dishcloths. If I spill something and it's a bigger job than a cloth can handle, I grab an old tea towel and soak it up. Everything tosses into the washer. To me, this makes perfect sense.

But for whatever reason, it seems like most people I know use some version of a freakin' baby wipe to sweep down their counters. You know the ones - anti-bacterial disposable wipes - one swipe and a toss. And god forbid a glass of wine upends on the counter or kitchen floor... out come the paper towels - a whole roll in the service of mopping up something that could just as easily have been sucked into washable, reusable towel.

When did we become such creepy germophobes? Has anyone ever seen any studies that show that the kids of parents who use bleach-infused wipes instead of a dishcloth (maybe even a cloth that's a day past its prime and might need to head to the laundry) have fewer bouts of sickness than those who use a dishcloth? (This isn't rhetorical - if you know of a study, let me know... I've never found one.) Is it really more convenient to go to the store, buy a plastic package of countertop-babywipes, find said wipes under the sink, rip out seven or eight, clean, and ultimately recycle the plastic package, than it is to wash and fold a few cloths and towels?

Really?

Heather Stephenson
Co-Founder, Ideal Bite

I'd always been a little conflicted about Global Warming. Intellectually I knew it was a bad thing, I'd watched Al Gore's documentary and was suitably scared and like everyone else I like Polar Bears and wish them all the best. On the other hand I live in New York City, hate winter and am quite fond of late falls and early springs. Not very PC? You bet but until now I felt okay about it; I take the subway to work, separate my paper and plastic and when I have a few extra dollars in my pocket I buy one of those swirly fluorescent light bulbs. I figured I was doing my part.

Then I had kids, two of them.

Now when I fly across country and look down and see subdivisions spreading like fungus across what was farmland only a few years ago I get upset. When I read that we are running out of water in the Southwest and the Southeast because we have built and built without any concern for the future but only with the idea of how many houses we can cram onto a single acre I get more upset. When I am forced to hug the shoulder of the road to avoid oncoming SUV's and Hummers driven by a single occupant because - well I can't fathom the reason people would drive a Hummer when gas prices are routinely above three dollars a gallon - I get angry.

So what can I do to secure the planet for my children besides huff and puff as I look out airplane windows and glare at oncoming traffic?

The first thing is to get involved. I routinely let my elected officials know how I feel. This means I e-mail my state assemblymen, my mayor, my congressman, my senators and my president to let them know how I feel about global degradation and what I am in favor of and maybe just as importantly what I am against - a continued over reliance on fossil fuels.

But there is also a lot I do in my everyday existence. I walk my kids to school. It is good for them and me, I save a few bucks on gas, lessen traffic and don't pollute the environment. I have made turning off the lights when you leave the room an absolute mandate in my house (points are added or subtracted for the kids depending on how well they do - redeemable for ice cream on the weekends). I make it a hard fast rule that if we bring something home - a toy or gizmo for dad - something also has to leave the house. It can't go into the garbage out front it needs to make its way to the Salvation Army, Goodwill or our church. I don't use lighter fluid when I start the BBQ and I only buy organic food. I wear a sweater in the winter and preach the benefits of an extra blanket at night. I installed double paned windows and put in low flow toilets. In short I do anything I can think of to leave a smaller carbon footprint.

Why? Because in the last few years my eyes alone have convinced me that something pretty serious is going on (99.9% of all scientists agreeing doesn't hurt either). The idea that the world will be even more difficult place to navigate for my children is unfathomable. I want my kids to be concerned with first loves, great jobs, what to name my grandchildren. I don't want them consumed with global warming, dwindling water supplies, a country that is a single vast suburb, clogged with traffic and few open spaces. I want my children and future generations to know the joy of a snowball fight, an endless view of pristine forest and rivers and streams that are clean enough to drink from and fish from. At the pace we are going that won't happen. So to everyone I say do your part, pitch in and find 5 or 6 ways you can be a little bit more green. It will save you a few bucks, make you feel better about yourself and help save the world.

Christian Martin
iVillage, VP & Executive Producer, Programming, Content & Integration
http://www.iVillage.com

With Thanksgiving just days away, I've been musing about this past year and recounting my blessings. High on the list is the fact that Green has certainly busted out all over. This newfound mass awareness of the eco-friendly lifestyle and its importance to us all makes living Green much easier.

Certainly, I'm thankful for my Going Green group that gives me a voice to share my thoughts, and the chance to hear my Green friends on Connect. I'm thankful for the recent launch of GreenIsUniversal.com which gives us Green folk another forum to spread the word. These blessings got me thinking about all the wonderful people I'm connected to now as together we try to make our lives a little Greener.

- Elmer, my raw milk farmer, who courageously battles with the FDA every day and travels to NYC from his organic farm in Pennsylvania so my family can enjoy the benefits of raw dairy.
- Laura Jordan, owner of Ka Nani Essentials, a mother and small business entrepreneur of wonderful, handmade, custom, organic, natural beauty products.
- Local farmers who work with the earth and struggle at times against arcane government regulations to provide organic, nutritious produce to my local grocery store.
- Companies like Dr. Hauschka, Bambu, EO, HERdesign and Pangea Organics who are dedicated to providing superior organic, Green products while advocating and practicing an eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyle.
- Rhea Alexander, president and design director of D.I.G.S. , an eco-conscious, quality, home accessories design company who helps me to decorate Green without compromising style.
- Experts like Paul Novack at Green Depot who teaches me how to make my home more Green and provides me with the Green products that keep my living space clean and allergy and toxin free. It's nice not being allergic to my apartment anymore!
- Loyal, inspirational Going Green members like Jenjerdear, Katen2006, Heartsong 2000 and Charming 1223. Keep your comments coming!
- And my husband, Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, a pioneer in nutritional medicine and the scientific backbone of my Going Green group. His patient advice and expert Green teachings have been a constant and motivating source for my own Green lifestyle.

I'd love to hear about your own "Green Team" - the people and companies who you rely on everyday to make living healthy and eco-friendly possible for all of us.

Mary Beth Gonzalez
iVillage.com
Please join my Going Green group and read my Green Blog

• Tell your florist that you only want to use organic and locally grown flowers


• Order your invitations on recycled paper - Oblation Papers offers a beautiful line of invites on recycled cotton handmade paper


• In lieu of traditional wedding favors, make a donation to an environmental charity - The I Do Foundation has a list of a dozen green charities and organizations you can choose from


• Have the caterer and baker create your wedding menu and cake from organic and locally grown ingredients

Visit From "I Will" to "I Do" for more wedding planning tips. Or post your eco-wedding questions on the Eco-Friendly Weddings message board to learn how you can have an eco-chic wedding from our eco-expert.

Anne Chertoff
iVillage, Producer
http://www.ivillage.com

You are what you eat, but if fish is on your fork several times a month, you could be poisoning yourself. Many forms of fish are great for people, there's no doubt about it. But because of several factors, mainly the pollution from coal-generated power facilities that produce energy for many homes, mercury levels are rising inside of our bodies.

In many fish, mercury built up under the scales and shells can cause adverse health problems if eaten by people. Children and women of childbearing age are at an increased risk, according to the government and environmental advocacy groups.

Most fish is lean and full of healthy omega-3 fats, but some species are also laden with mercury, a harmful toxin that can interfere with the central nervous system and brain. The Natural Resources Defense Council, sourcing the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration, listed fish safe to eat and fish to avoid.

Mercury has been used for making thermometers and thermostats and in some chemical and industrial facilities. The real problem arises once the pollution moves into the air and makes its way into oceans and waterways, building up in the fish people eat, according to NRDC. Once mercury enters a waterway, naturally occurring bacteria absorb it and convert it to a form called methyl mercury," according to information published by NRDC. This transition is particularly significant for humans, who absorb methyl mercury easily and are especially vulnerable to its effects. Mercury then works its way up the food chain as large fish consume contaminated smaller fish. Instead of dissolving or breaking down, mercury accumulates at ever-increasing levels.

Scientists have said that predatory fish such as large tuna, swordfish, shark and mackerel can have mercury concentrations in their bodies that are 10,000 times higher than those of their surrounding habitat.

According to the EPA, if a pregnant mother eats fish contaminated with mercury, it can harm the fetus' growing brain and nervous system, which can affect cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language and other motor and visual spatial skills.

It also affects growing children because they absorb more nutrients as their brains and nervous systems develop.

By far, people ingest the highest amounts of mercury through tuna because it is one of the most popular fish to eat, according to environmental groups.

It is also important for fisherman to check local advisories because some fish are so highly contaminated that they should not even be eaten at all.

Greening Your Way To Mercury Reduction

Eating fish brings mercury into people's bodies, but if you've feasted on lobster and tuna your whole life, don't panic. There are ways to cut mercury contamination inside your body and in the environment.

Restrict Portions Or Don't Eat Fish At All:
Obviously, people who cut fish out of their diets will consume much less mercury than those that eat it. If cutting fish out of the diet isn't an option, people can drop mercury levels inside their bodies by choosing to eat fish with lower levels of the toxin and by eating less of it. Most doctors say it takes several months for levels to drop. Blood tests can detect mercury levels.

Need another reason? Think about how much energy goes into getting crab legs harvested thousands of miles away onto your plate. Ships have to span long distances in dangerous conditions to catch the crabs, return to land, ship them to other parts of the world and make sure they are refrigerated through the entire process.

Many species are also harvested using environmentally destructive methods and are perilously low in numbers, which could affect how some people chose their meals, too.

Heat Your Home With Clean Energy
Remember, one big source of mercury pollution comes from power plants.
Many are not in a financial or geologically feasible position to install solar panels, geothermal heating systems or windmills in their back yards.

Still, there are options. Many power companies, including Peco, offer programs where customers can purchase wind power instead of fossil-fuel-generated heat. You won't have the windmill in your yard, but the company will purchase the same amount of wind power for the power grid.

Stay Informed, Become An Activist
Stay on top of environmental laws and loopholes associated with cutting industrial and power plant emissions.

According to NRDC's Web site:

By law, the Environmental Protection Agency is obligated to require power plants to cut roughly 90 percent of their emissions of mercury and other toxic pollution by 2008. Instead, in March 2005 the agency let polluters off the hook, requiring much smaller reductions and giving electric companies more than two decades to accomplish them. What's more, the agency essentially allowed polluting companies to do nothing for the next 12 years.

The nonprofit organization also said people should ask their grocery stores, fish markets and restaurants to label fish and post warnings about the dangers associated with the fish they sell.

Leah Zerbe
WCAU NBC 10 Philadelphia
http://nbc10.com/goinggreen/14299413/detail.html