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Brine lacrosse gloves have excessive lead, and can be traded in for a replacement or refund.Also check product safety recalls, food recalls and pet-related recalls.

You'll be surprised how much energy you may be wasting. Also see 30+ Ways to Save Money by Going Green.

It's not hard to take charge of healthy eating, green cleaning and looking good.

A brunch-time staple, this bellini is made with fresh strawberries and served in a champagne flute.

I've been spending a lot of time recently thinking about lighting, because I'm writing a book about green lighting, which will be out this fall. I've been busy approving layouts. Green lighting is a very exciting set of technologies, because it provides some of the quickest paybacks of any energy efficiency upgrades, it is easy to do, and it can improve productivity and comfort. There's been a lot of excitement about LEDs (light emitting diodes) recently, and some hot new bulbs are due from major manufacturers in the near future. They are roughly 90% more energy efficient than regular old incandescents, they last for tens of thousands of hours, and they produce less waste heat, meaning they don't contribute to summer cooling loads. LEDs also can come in many colors, and they can be rapidly switched. In fact, chances are good that you are looking at them right now, since many serve as backlighting in computer displays. LEDs are awesome, and their prices are dropping, though right now CFLs and other fluorescents are a better buy for most homeowners who don't have super-heavy lighting needs. Yes these bulbs have some mercury in them, but that is dropping, and there are precautions you can take, and do be sure to dispose of them properly. However, also don't panic. There is much more mercury in other common products (thermostats, thermometers, electronics, switches), and I interviewed experts in the book who calculated that you'd receive more exposure from eating a seafood meal than is likely from a broken CFL. So all of this explains why I am excited that WellHome has made a new infographic on green lighting. WellHome is a company that offers home energy audits, then helps customers start saving money. Energy audits are generally very worthwhile, and they may get even cheaper if HOME STAR passes:

Summer photos from The Daily Green community. Like what you see? Send us your summer photos.

Donaldson Aerospace & Defense, a division of Donaldson Company, a leading, worldwide manufacturer of filtration systems and parts, is pleased to announce FAA-PMA approval for three new dry media inlet air filters for multiple normally aspirated Piper Aircraft models including the Aztec, Comanche, Cherokee/Warrior/Archer, Arrow, Dakota, Cherokee ...

BEIJING (Reuters) - As many as 60,000 metric tons of heavy crude oil could have been spilled into China's northeast coastal waters as a result of an explosion that rocked the port of Dalian on July 16, Greenpeace said on Friday.

For decades before the rig explosion, the oil industry, farming and lax oversight have contributed to a dead zone in the gulf.

A dead whale was discovered pinned to the bow of a luxury liner near Juneau, Alaska, the 3rd such incident involving the company's Alaska fleet in a decade, officials said Thursday. Alaska - Cruise ship - Juneau Alaska - United States - National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration

Spider silk is a protein fiber spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons for protection for their offspring. Spider silk is as strong as many industrial fibers. There is commercial interest in duplicating spider silk artificially, since spiders use renewable materials as input and operate at room temperature, low pressures and using water as a solvent. However, it has been difficult to find a commercially viable process to mass produce spider silk.

Agriculture giant Cargill has announced an agreement to supply Unilever with 10,000 metric tons of palm oil sustainably-certified from the Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Cargill has often come under fire from green groups for being linked to the rainforest destruction. The Dutch-English company Unilever—the world's biggest buyer of palm oil—has been trying to move its palm oil sources away from deforestation with a goal of sourcing only 'sustainable' palm oil by 2015.

The Dalian Port in China has resumed operations of all its terminal and ground facilities following the July 17 explosion and oil spill. How did they clean it up so fast?

LONDON (Reuters) - A United Nations climate panel will ask a sub-panel to investigate further claims that a Kyoto Protocol scheme may be incentivizing participants to emit more greenhouse gases, environmental groups said on Friday.

The commissioners court listened to presentations from Diana Rawlins, James Mays and Patsy Goss on the efforts of a community group self-designated as Citizens Against Slaughter House during their regular meeting Monday, July 26.

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water... Sharks can be scary to encounter when swimming in the ocean. But they are not the most dangerous threat one can face at the beach. A new study from the University of Miami suggests that microbes in the water should be of much greater concern, especially in warmer waters. The team found that swimmers at sub-tropical beaches face an increased risk of illness.

Enbridge was warned in January by federal regulators about insufficient monitoring of the pipeline that officials say leaked more than one million gallons of oil into a major waterway this week.

Many of the environmental issues facing Indonesia are embodied in the plight of the orangutan, the red ape that inhabits the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Orangutan populations have plummeted over the past century, a result of hunting, habitat loss, the pet trade, and human-ape conflict. Accordingly, governments, charities, and concerned individuals have ploughed tens of millions of dollars into orangutan conservation, but have little to show in terms of slowing or reversing the decline. The same can be said about forest conservation in Indonesia: while massive amounts of money have been put toward protecting and sustainable using forests, the sum is dwarfed by the returns from converting forests into timber, rice, paper, and palm oil. So orangutans—and forests—continue to lose out to economic development, at least as conventionally pursued. Poor governance means that even when well-intentioned measures are in place, they are often undermined by corruption, apathy, or poorly-designed policies. So is there a future for Indonesia's red apes and their forest home? Erik Meijaard, an ecologist who has worked in Indonesia since 1993 and is considered a world authority on orangutan populations, is cautiously optimistic, although he sees no 'silver bullet' solutions.

In 1969, Sen. Gaylord Nelson was so moved after seeing the devastation of an oil spill off the California coast near Santa Barbara that he called for a national teach-in on the environment. The following year the resulting "Earth Day" kick-started the modern environmental movement and shaped the way Americans thought about their air, water and soil. California - Earth Day - United States - Santa Barbara - Gaylord Nelson

People can now use food stamps at several Cleveland-area farmers markets, with the goal being to give people on food stamps access to healthy food.

Despite their tiny size, plant plankton found in the world's oceans are crucial to much of life on Earth. They are the foundation of the bountiful marine food web, produce half the world's oxygen and suck up harmful carbon dioxide. Food chain - Environment - Carbon dioxide - Oceanography - Plankton

Image via Unplggd While back we showed you an iPhone app that lets you customize nature sounds to chill out to. You could choose a basic theme, like the ocean, and boost up the crashing waves or tone down the seagull calls to get just the right mix to create a personalized relaxing soundscape. For those of us who aren't iPhone users, we now have a similar free tool for our computers thanks to Nature Sounds....Read the full story on TreeHugger

John Bowron's Off-Grid Cottage Scott Huler, author of On the Grid, makes a very important point in a guest post on The Infrastructurist : Nobody is really off the grid. Well, maybe the Amish, but almost nobody. Everyone else is part of an enormous mesh of grids that every back-to-the-land off-gridder is dependent on....Read the full story on TreeHugger

Musician Christopher Willits performs in "The Illuminated Forest." Photo by Jessica Resmond via Soundwave. What does "green" sound like? Artists and musicians in San Francisco are attempting to answer that tricky question with a series of avant-sound performances and shows, including a month-long installation that allows visitors to explore an illuminated "forest" that changes with their presence, reflecting the impact people have on real Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo credit christophercarfi @ flickr. Move over kangaroo, horse, and nutria - there's a new meat on the supermarket shelves at Budgens in the UK - it's squirrel. Squirrel has been eaten in the U.S. south for ages, and Budgens owner Andrew Thornton told the Guardian that he sells as many as 15 squirrels a week. Rather than ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image via Dezeen The mantra of offshore wind turbine design seems to be "Bigger! Bigger!" in order to get more power out of single turbines. But going hand in hand with making turbines bigger is that they become heavier. British engineers are hoping that a new design that mimics the way sycamore seeds spin through the air will help lighten up the weight of offshore turbines. While the challenge remains to boost efficiency and durability while making it ever lighter, the new design looks promising -- and big. Check out a video of the next wave ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image credit: Associated Press From Pamela Anderson stripping people at airports via women donating their bodies for barbecue to making fun of fat women, PETA is no stranger to using women's bodies to make their case for animal rights. But, perhaps wisely, they were unusually restrained when they too...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo by adactio: "A Pacific oyster from Whitstable about to consumed on Brighton seafront." Oysters worldwide have been faring badly. From pollution levels in filthy bays to now a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the populations of the popular shellfish have been hit hard. But now a new problem has hit the oysters of Whitstable -- a herpes virus is spreading among the Pacific variety. While not transferable to humans or even native oysters, the disease could wipe out what little harvesting is still done in the area once famed for its oyst...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo by Suthep Kritsanavarin A hydropower dam project planned for the lower Mekong River is getting greater attention from conservationists as it nears the final stages of an approval process. The project would cut off the migration route for the Mekong giant catfish, an iconic fish within the culture, severing off the spawning grounds located upriver in northern Thailand and Laos. The species is already critically endangered due to overfishing and poor water quality. The dam would also impact three other species of the world's top ten largest, as well as cut off sedi...Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Tour de France may be the king of biking events, but do they serve organic food there? Here in Pennsylvania, we are blessed to have a velodrome nearby. Not just any velodrome, but one of the best in the country. Most people have never heard of one, or ever seen one, but a velodrome is a sight worth seeing. The Lehigh Valley's--officially known as the Valley Preferred Cycling Center--is basically an oval track with steeply banked sides, where cyclists race around and around in various kinds of races. My father got our velodrome built. He was competing in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City for skeet shooting (he came in 16th) when he saw one for the first time, and got hooked. Velodrome racing is a huge sport in Europe--and actually, it used to be huge in the States, too, at the turn of the last century. The original Madison Square Garden was a velodrome! The first velodrome I ever saw was in Vienna. It was an indoor wooden track and was the site of the Junior World Championships. This track was also known for its "six-day" races, where teams of riders would race continuously for six days! But here's what I remember most: the sandwiches. There was a truck outside the track that sold little white Viennese rolls stuffed with a few slices of hard salami. I think my little brother and I must have eaten about 20 of them while we were there. This year, for the first time ever, there is amazing ORGANIC food at the Lehigh Valley's velodrome in Trexlertown. It's crazy-popular, and tastes really good. You can get organic cheeseburgers, organic hot dogs, organic hot pretzels, organic popcorn--even organic snow cones!--and other good, yummy stuff. For less than the cost of a mystery-meat hot dog at a major urban sports stadium, you can get an organic version that tastes better, and eat it outdoors to the beautiful whirr of bicycle tires flying around the track. The races (and the great organic food) continue throughout the summer--usually on Tuesday and Friday nights. Check out www.thevelodrome.com for the details. Come on out and try the amazing food! Related Links: Growing Evidence that Chemical Agriculture is Killing Us - Maria's Farm Country Kitchen You Can Do It: The No Excuse Guide to Biking To Work - Rodale.com Bicycling Magazine For more from Maria Rodale, go to www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com.

If there's just one thing we at MNN have learned since publishing our first round of talented, sustainability-minded "40 chefs under 40" last year, it's that MNN readers have an insatiable appetite for more. After we asked you to tell us about your favorite young chefs from across the country working magic in the kitchen with local and organic produce, humanely raised meats, sustainable seafood, and everything and anything artisanal, you enthusiastically responded. And now we're back to deliver the goods.

Summertime and swimming holes are synonymous in many of our minds. Who doesn't strike up the image of children jumping into swimming holes as an emblem of summer? While beaches may be first choice for many, we here at HuffPost Green are big fans of swimming holes. Especially when we consider the water quality of our nation's oceans, many more may opt for swimming holes in rivers, ponds, lakes or streams. So take the plunge and head to your favorite swimming hole. But first, flip through our slideshow for some destination inspiration. And, as always, we want to hear from you. Tell us about your favorite swimming holes in the comments. More: Check the water quality at your favorite swimming hole.

The thing about those truly wondrous places--the Galapagos and the pyramids of the world--are that they came long before us and they'll outlast us. But as we all know, the impact of humans is taking a devastating toll on some of Earth's most iconic travel destinations. Many factors threaten their survival, and in some cases, the next generations might only read about these places in textbooks. Get there while you can, but tread lightly so you don't contribute to their demise. Jetsetter has found properties or tour operators in each of these endangered destinations that let you rest easy while taking these once-in-a-lifetime trips. (Text and captions courtesy of Jetsetter.com)

NEW ORLEANS — BP gas station owners across the country are divided over whether the oil giant stained by its handling of the Gulf spill should rebrand U.S. outlets as Amoco or another name as part of its effort to repair the company's badly damaged reputation. Some who have seen their sales plunge because of protests say BP has already sought a fresh start by naming an American to replace its gaffe-prone British CEO, so why not change the name on gas station marquees to Amoco, which once stood for American Oil Co. Others worry that a name change is a big deal that is risky given all the marketing dollars already spent building up the BP brand. They also believe a successful turnaround with the existing brand will have a bigger payoff. In the aftermath of the oil spill, some BP-branded gas stations reported sales declines of 10 percent to 40 percent from Florida to Illinois. BP later responded by offering distributors of BP gasoline cash in their pockets, reductions in credit card fees and help with more national advertising. The BP name and green-and-yellow sunflower logo took over after BP merged with Amoco in the late 1990s, replacing the Amoco name and its blue-and-red torch inside an oval logo. There is precedent for such a drastic move to return to the Amoco name or to go with a new name. Think AirTran after the ValuJet crash and Xe Services after the killing of civilians by Blackwater Worldwide guards in Iraq. John Kleine, who heads a trade group that represents distributors of BP gasoline in the U.S., told The Associated Press that interest in changing names has not reached a fever pitch by any means, but it has supporters and is percolating among station owners ahead of their annual convention with BP executives in October. "Is it on the minds of people? Sure," Kleine said. "It would not be a topic of conversation if not for the oil spill." Kleine noted that many distributors would still like BP to try to rebuild its existing brand, and if that cannot be done, then to consider alternatives. Distributors in many cases also own and operate stations. Two BP officials said in e-mails that the company is not considering rebranding U.S. gas stations. BP owns just a fraction of the more than 11,000 stations across the U.S. that sell its fuel mostly under the BP banner. ARCO, a BP affiliate, is predominant in the West. Kleine said the Amoco name is no longer supposed to be used, but acknowledged in rare cases it may still exist in a few locations. Most BP-branded stations are owned by local people whose primary connection to the oil company is the logo and a contract to buy gasoline. Bob Juckniess, who owns 10 BP-branded stations in the Chicago area, is in the camp that wants BP to consider rebranding to Amoco at U.S. outlets. "The BP brand is very tarnished right now, not just the brand but the reputation as a company is tarnished," said Juckniess. He added, "Amoco was very well known and had a great reputation as a name and a brand." Juckniess said he feels so strongly about the issue that he would "urge BP to look at the ramifications of such a change." It is noteworthy that Bob Dudley, the American who will replace Tony Hayward as CEO on Oct. 1, worked for 20 years at Amoco Corp. On the other side of the debate is Jeff Miller, whose company owns, operates and supplies roughly 56 BP-branded stations primarily in southeastern Virginia. He said that if BP does the job right and invests back in its brand and customer base, it stands to gain more by not changing the name at U.S. stations. "When you look at all the case histories of all that have done it well, whether it is Toyota, Tylenol or Exxon, they have all reinvested in their brand and done a better job," Miller said. "If you just change the name and don't change the behavior, have you really gained anything?" Miller said he has heard from a number of station owners who have suggested BP rebrand U.S. stations as Amoco, but he describes that as a "knee-jerk reaction." "I think you get a better return by working on repairing your reputation than starting fresh," he said. Jim Donnini, whose company owns, operates and supplies roughly 75 gas stations in Florida that fly under brands including Chevron, Exxon, Shell, Sunoco and Valero, said Amoco was a very strong brand in Florida. "Everybody thought they missed their opportunity to keep it that way," Donnini said of BP, referring to the aftermath of the Amoco merger. Donnini, who doesn't own any BP stations, said he has heard from owners of BP-branded stations in Florida who would like BP to consider a name change at U.S. stations. "It's really a shame the independent businessmen that fly that BP flag are being victimized," Donnini said.

With the Senate dropping the ball on climate action & global temperatures continuing to soar, this week's climate news is pretty depressing. So Dirty the Global Warming Denier Sock Puppet & I decided to break out of our studios in National Wildlife Federation headquarters this week and head to the Reston Zoo. What can spider monkeys, peacocks, ostriches & sheep tell us about global warming & the climate debate on Capitol Hill? Watch this week's National Wildlife Federation Climate Capsule: Major thanks to all our guest stars at the Reston Zoo! And we'd be thankful to you if you'd subscribe to the Climate Capsule: Go to the NWF Climate Capsule archive on YouTube & click the yellow "subscribe" button in the upper right corner Subscribe to the Capsule as a podcast via iTunes Got climate questions? Any global warming denier arguments you'd like to hear Dirty sock puppet? Email us!

The University of Texas and Texas A&M, in partnership with a Texas energy company, have announced the launch of two separate programs to promote renewable energy to alumni and fans: Texas Longhorns Energy (TLE) and Aggie Energy. Both programs will offer 100 percent renewable energy to school supporters that will also raise money for sustainability initiatives [...]

Whether Dad is outdoorsy or needs a little prod, here are eco-friendly gifts to get him back to nature.

All week long, temperatures have been soaring to records, and on Thursday, they reached a new high for Moscow, 100 degrees. July has been the hottest month since the city began taking such measurements 130 years ago, officials said.

You nominated your favorite green chefs, and here they are: Forty rising culinary stars, all working to make great sustenance more sustainable.

A massive simulation of soot's climate effects finds that basic pollution controls could put a brake on global warming, erasing in a decade most of the last century's temperature change.

Last year, the United States Postal Service (USPS) unveiled its first and New York City’s largest green roof on top of the Morgan mail processing facility in midtown Manhattan, constructed in an effort to save energy and reduce pollution runoff. Touting a lifetime expectancy of 50 years, it features native plants and wooden benches made from [...]

In his SoHo salon, John Masters shows us what a good hair 'do really means.

The gulf is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the hemisphere, home to abundant wildlife and natural resources. But like no other American body of water, the gulf bears the environmental consequences of the country’s economic pursuits and appetites, including oil and corn.

On the hunt for authentic reclaimed hardwood flooring but with a sleek, modern look? Staybull Flooring has got you covered with options ranging from African teak to domestic maple.

Natural salt contains traces of iodine and other minerals that give the salt a little bit of color. But, like so many other foods, we have to bleach salt, too, to remove these traces of other nutrients. Refined “white” salt also contains up to 15% additives to prevent caking, etc. For years, I thought salt was bad, period, and just avoided it. I felt much better when I did. However, like our desire for carbohydrates and fats, there is a good reason we crave salt. Our body needs it.

Sometimes, I ask myself that question and as I am braving the cold winter air, wind lashing me in the face during my morning run, I come up with absolutely nothing in the answer category. Except for, “Yeah, why am I doing this?” And on other days the exercise answers for me. What do I mean by that you, my dear blog readers, ask? A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit Aspen, Colorado as a part of my job as a weekend nanny. Yes, yes, I know, I am lucky. It was my first time visiting Aspen and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect on the exercise home front. Would I be able to brave the cold mountain weather? Would my lungs feel like they were caving in as a result of the increased altitude (uh-huh)? Well, I wasted no time finding out. On day one, I was shown the running stroller (to tote along one of the adorable children I babysit) and on the running shoes went. I started out with the intention of walking, but soon found myself running along the trails that surrounded the town. It was breathtaking and, while it’s not usually my style to stop during a run (something has to be bleeding or breaking), I couldn’t help but take pictures of the scenery with my phone (see above photo). The rest of my week was spent squeezing in walks and runs throughout Aspen while pushing my trusty partner, Charlie (good thing he loves to exercise!). I even had the opportunity one day to climb Smuggler Mountain (yes, mountain) while pushing the jogging stroller. I am not going to lie – it was hard. But when I got to the top, I couldn’t help but do a little bit of a victory dance (OK, I imagined myself doing one). I felt pretty darn good, and, of course, the encouragement from others along the trail – “You must be really strong!” and “That’s definitely a first!” – also gave me a huge “Yay, me!” boost. Of course, it’s not every day that I have a mountain to remind me of the reasons why I exercise. On normal days, like today, the positive reminders of why I put time in at the gym or endure an extra hot yoga class may be a little bit tougher to spot. But they are there. Whether it’s an extra pep in my step while I get ready in the morning or the sense of accomplishment I feel when I walk into work and know I have already done something for me that day . . . well . . . that’s why. Because I am my best "me" when I am taking care of my personal health. And that's just too good an offer to pass up.   I want to know: Why do you exercise?   ___________________________________________________________ Caroline Shannon has been a professional journalist for six years, working for several publications, including Redbook magazine, Ideal Bite, Entrepreneur.com, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and First30Days. She is a certified Pilates instructor and takes a long, hard run just as seriously as she does several scoops of Purely Decadent's Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl vegan ice cream. She can be reached at www.carolineshannon.com.

Welcome to LIME's Organic Living blog, where organic lifestyle expert Eliza Sarasohn - author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Organic Living - tackles your questions on the ins and outs of living la vida organica. This week, Sarasohn shares gardening inspiration. Gearing up to start an organic garden this spring? Great! Good gardens begin with good plans, and you’ll want to start your organic garden off right with careful planning. If you already have an established garden plot, your planning process will focus more along the lines of what you need to do with your soil and what you want to plant. If you’re starting from square one—no established garden—you’ll need to consider the following:       •   Your overall goal. What do you want to accomplish with your garden? Do you want to grow vegetables? Fruit? Both? Do you want to augment an already-existing landscape by adding to current beds or creating new ones?       •   The lay of the land. Garden areas should work in harmony with your yard (remember biodynamics?). If you haven’t already done so, now’s the time to make a sketch of your yard. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it doesn’t even have to be to scale, but it should show the location and relative size of existing elements, including property lines, fences, trees, shrubs, structures, pathways, etc.       •   Your yard’s ecosystem. Every yard has its own mini-environment—its own ecosystem—that will factor into how well things will grow in it. Spend some time observing what goes on in yours. Consider how the light moves across it, where the sunny spots and the shady spots are, how the wind moves through it, if there are wet spots and dry spots, etc. In an organically planned garden, you want to work with all of these elements, not against them. In other words, you’ll want to put them to work for you. Studying other yards that you like and which have elements similar to yours can be extremely helpful, especially when you’re first starting out. There’s always much to be learned by walking in the footsteps of those who have gone before you. Once you have a good idea of what you have and what you want to do with it, it’s time to decide what you want to grow. The amount of space you have to work with and your yard’s ecosystem will both play key roles in this process. Other factors to consider include:       •   What your family likes to eat. There’s no sense in growing veggies the kids simply won’t touch.       •   What’s easily available and affordable locally. Farmers’ markets and other local sources for organics are often heavy on the basics—tomatoes, onions, potatoes, beans, etc.—as supply and demand for these items are usually fairly steady and consistent. If they’re abundant in your area, you might want to focus on the less available choices.       •   What you can easily preserve/store. Putting up the bounty from gardens used to occupy people for weeks at a time at the ends of growing seasons. These days most people don’t have the time or the inclination, but there’s usually produce at the end of the summer to deal with. Did you know tomatoes can be frozen whole? Choose varieties that lend themselves well to this—paste tomatoes are the top choice, but any fleshy tomato will work—and you’ll have a quick and easy use for your end-of-season harvest. Many other veggies also lend themselves to the quick and easy approach.       •   What you can easily grow. If you’re new to vegetable gardening, stick to the basics—tomatoes, peppers (hot or mild), squash, beans, corn—they’re all good choices for novice gardeners.       •   What you can trade with others. Growing crops that complement what others have in their gardens is a great way to expand the selection of organics at hand.       •   Plants that fit your growing area. If you’re confined to containers, you’ll want to choose more compact varieties—even the smallest corn varieties need barrel-sized containers to do well. When you’ve figured out what you want to grow, sketch out your garden plot. Now’s the time to draw it to scale; doing so will make it easier to determine exactly where everything will go and if you have the space to grow everything you want.    Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Organic Living by Eliza Sarasohn and Sonia Weiss

It may seem like the dawn of a new era with the new decade, but it’s still flu season so it’s a good idea to stay on top of your cleaning and keep the germs at bay. One cleaning project that can make a real difference in whether or not you make it through the season without succumbing to the virus is to target your telephones. We talk, breathe and spit (yes, even you) on these gadgets all day long, yet when’s the last time you included them in your cleaning routine? Since our phones have such direct access to our respiratory systems and skin, you’ll definitely want to avoid using pesticide-laden antibacterial wipes or any cleaner that leaves a residue of toxins for you to breathe and absorb. Instead, try these green steps to a clean phone. 1. Unplug your phone so that you can clean it with a damp cloth without risking the phone. 2. Add a squirt of non-toxic dish soap to a small bowl of warm water. 3. Dip a clean cloth (an old t-shirt will do fine) in the sudsy water. Squeeze out excess water so you can avoid drips. 4. Wipe the base of the telephone and handset. Use cotton swabs to access tight dirty spaces such as crevices and between the buttons. 5. Run the cloth down the length of the cord to get rid of any dust or grime that has accumulated there. 6. To disinfect your phone, dampen a cloth with distilled white vinegar and wipe down the entire handset. Do the same with any headset or earpiece you use with your phone.  To disinfect your cell phone, dampen a cloth with distilled white vinegar. Squeeze out any excess. Wipe down the back, sides and keyboard or dial pad. Do not wipe down the screen with this cloth. For the screen, just use a dry microfiber cloth to avoid scratching it. Do this once a week for heavily used phones. Cleaning your phones without pesticides or other toxins is easy and you’ll be healthier for it. This way even if you did want to talk dirty on your phone, it isn’t because the phone’s covered in grime and germs!   Kimberly Delaney is the author of Clean Home, Green Home: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Eco-Friendly Homekeeping, published by the Knack imprint of Globe Pequot Press.  

Americans are under a lot of stress right now. Job losses, salary cuts and fear about the economic state of our nation are leaving no one untouched. As many of us are feeling overwhelmed and working harder than ever, we are making economic adjustments to our personal lives. What was once a "necessity" has now become a "luxury." The first things to go when we cut back are the “extras” like our gym memberships, personal trainers and the more expensive quality foods. 
 When we are stressed, instead of keeping up with the gym, many of us forego it because “there are so many other more important things to do.” As stress cuts into our time, we run out the door in the morning or arrive home late in the evening, turning to empty calories and processed foods that are quick and easy.  And as our minds race and we worry about what tomorrow will bring, nervous energy can increase our emotional eating. Now is not the time to abandon yourself! Sure money might be tight and fancy gym memberships and personal trainers might not be financially possible, but that doesn’t mean you quit working out all together! Working out is going to make you feel better — it is a guarantee. Getting out of your head with exercise will help you forget about life for a while. The most important outlet for stress is exercise. You don’t have to exercise every day or even an hour a day. Just 15 minutes will do. Finding time to exercise might mean waking up a little bit earlier. Or it might mean walking everywhere, riding your bike to and from work, or resigning to only take the stairs. If you no longer have a gym membership, use the outdoors as your gym. As the spring approaches, walk or go for a run and come back home to do some body resistance exercises for strength training such as lunges, squats and push-ups. For ideas on fitness trends that won’t break the bank, click here. Stressful times are when we need to put even more effort into taking care ourselves making sure to eat right. Keep up with fresh fruits and vegetables and wholesome meals. Try cooking on the weekends for the week ahead, ensuring healthy meals for the week. Avoid emotionally eating by keeping trigger foods out the house. Aim to eat three meals and two snacks a day, 3-5 hours apart, remembering to stay within the caloric intake that is ideal for your body. During these difficult times, seek comfort in family, friends, hobbies, exercise and other enjoyable activities, rather than in a pint of ice cream.  

If you're in the Los Angeles area (or you're willing to make the trip), we've got a special offer for you! Wipe the slate clean and welcome in the New Year with a revitalizing one-day yoga and wellness retreat at a private ranch in the stunning hills of Malibu. January 16th, join YogaWorks and Green Bliss Eco Spa for a soul-satisfying day of yoga with green yogi Sara Ivanhoe, Ayurvedic cuisine from chef Cristina Urioste of Rasa Foods, eco-luxurious spa treatments courtesy of Green Bliss Eco Spa, workshops, eco-fabulous goodie bags and much more! Regular cost is $450 but LIME.com readers will receive a special discounted price of $375. Indulge in the experience of a sleep-away spa retreat at a fraction of the cost—an amazing offer for today's brutal economy. Get all the retreat details here. Register here, and use the code lime10 when paying! AND AND AND... the deal gets even sweeter! ((Drumroll please...)) One lucky registrant will be chosen to win FREE admission to the retreat for a friend! Make the day extra special by spending it with a loved one.

You have to hand it to the New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. After raising awareness about trans fats, smoking and hidden calories, they are now taking aim at salt. The good news is that the food police aren't too worried if you happen to have a heavy hand with the salt shaker at your own table.  Instead, their targets are food companies that make processed foods and mass-marketed meals. According to them, those products are responsible for something like 80 percent of our collective salt intake. The foods high on the list include bread, cereal, soups, condiments and prepared foods. The plan, put forth by health department chief Dr. Thomas Friedman, calls for packaged food producers and restaurant chains — all of them in unison — to voluntarily scale back the salt content of their products by 25 percent during the next five years and another 25 percent in the five years after that. The idea is that Americans won't notice a gradual decline in salt use, as our tastebuds adapt to lesser and lesser amounts. If the companies refuse to comply, he has suggested the possibility of legislation. According to health experts, a high-salt diet worsens — or perhaps causes — high-blood pressure, which is linked to the nation's number one killer: Cardiovascular disease. In the past, Friedman's policies on smoking and trans fats start in New York, then serve as model for major cities across the United States. In this case, however, experts anticipate a tougher battle, because salt's effect on heart disease isn't as clear-cut as smoking or trans fats, according to an article in the New York Times. Personally, I'm always staggered by the salt content on the labels of some foods. It's eye-opening — and troubling — to realize that a can of otherwise healthy soup contains something like 70 percent of the day's recommended allowance.  The Times article mentioned that around the city's health department, the war on smoking, trans fats, and now salt are called "stealth health." I know a lot of people don't like the food police interfering with our diets. Personally, it doesn't bother me much. I'm more concerned about other things — like improving health care across the board.          

The other day as I was putting groceries away, I made an unpleasant discovery: there was no more room in our freezer. We have one of those drawer freezers in the bottom of our refrigerator, which is supposed to be more energy-efficient than a top freezer. The trouble is, the drawer is so deep that once I put something in it, it seems to sink to the bottom and I forget about it.   Looking at all of the packages of frozen vegetables, meats, leftovers and more, I made a decision: This month will be "Clean Out My Freezer" month. This doesn't mean emptying out the freezer and throwing away everything so I can start from scratch. No, I am challenging myself to take stock of my crowded freezer and try to incorporate the various packages of food into my meal planning each week. Along the way, I'll also try to clean out some of the stuff that has piled up in my fridge and pantry. Day one of this effort was actually a great success, and it wasn't even my doing: my husband found a package of leftover rice, which he made into a sort of stir-fried rice that used up a few frozen chicken thighs and some odds and ends of frozen vegetables (for some reason we seem to have more than our share of opened bags of frozen vegetables, each of which only have a cup or so left; not enough to use on their own for a side dish). He seasoned his stir-fry with soy sauce and the rest of a bottle of Asian marinade, and broke a couple of eggs into it for a little more bulk and protein. A few days later, we made chili, which is another terrific use of frozen odds and ends and leftover vegetables. Part of a red pepper and even a couple of chopped carrots went into our chili, as well as the rest of a bag of frozen corn, and a half-bag of meatless crumbles that were found in the bottom of the freezer. My biggest success came a few days later, and for once, I was almost thankful for our overstuffed freezer. With dinnertime fast approaching, I hadn't yet make it to the supermarket. I rummaged in the freezer and found two chicken breasts. Using the running-water defrost method they thawed as I assembled the rest of my meal. I ended up baking the last of the sweet potatoes from our CSA and mashing the flesh with a little honey and ginger, and steaming some frozen broccoli along with the remainder of red pepper, which I diced up and sprinkled over the broccoli. I drizzled the cooked broccoli with sesame oil and topped it with a handful of sesame seeds. As for the chicken, once it had thawed, I sautéed it along with some leeks leftover from a weekend egg dish my husband had made, and deglazed the pan with a splash of white wine from a bottle we'd opened last week. Rather than having a thrown-together feel, the meal was one I really enjoyed preparing, and both my husband and daughter raved over everything. And the freezer and fridge were just a little bit emptier for my efforts. And finally, while I was at a yoga class and my husband was on dinner duty, he found some frozen hot dogs and buns, and used that chili we'd made a few days ago to make chili dogs. We were glad to finish off a Costco-sized bag of frozen sweet potato fries to serve alongside of the dogs. The freezer is getting more manageable, my grocery bills are blessedly lower, and both my husband and I are really getting into the challenge and the creativity of creating meals from the ingredients we fish out from the depths of our freezer. Come to think of it, maybe we have the makings of a good new reality show for the Food Network? If you want to play along at home, here are my tips for taking this month to clear out your own freezer, fridge and pantry: Don't get overwhelmed. Take small steps by incorporating one or two leftover items into your meals each week. And don't force yourself to make an entire meal based on leftovers or what's in your freezer; instead, plan to use up leftovers with just one dish. If in doubt, throw it out. It can be hard to tell if frozen foods are still good. But after you thaw it (or even after you cook it), if it smells strange or tastes weird, trust your instincts and don't eat it. You don't want to risk food poisoning just for the sake of being frugal!  Disguise freezerburn. Meat, bread or vegetables that have freezerburn are still usually safe to eat; it just means that frost crystals have formed on the food and, in the case of meat, the surface may be dried out in patches. This is usually because the food wasn't wrapped tightly enough before freezing. Use meats or vegetables in stews, soups or some sort of sauce to return moisture to the food and to disguise a dried-out texture. And you might be able to freshen bread by putting it in a warm (250˚F) oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until it is soft. Combine odds and ends. If you have a bunch of half-used bags of frozen vegetables, like I have, use them to assemble a vegetable soup, or in a casserole or a stir-fry. Make smoothies. Leftover frozen fruit can be combined with yogurt to make a delicious breakfast smoothie. Frozen fruit is actually better than fresh fruit for making smoothies because it will make a thicker, creamier drink. What are some of your favorite meals to make from leftovers from your freezer? Image courtesy stevendepolo.

The Vito E-CELL van. Click to enlarge.Mercedes-Benz is introducing the Vito E-CELL electric van. Production of a small series of 100 Vito E-CELL vans has already begun, and a further 2,000 units are planned from 2011. The van, targeted for inner-city operations and for particularly environmentally sensitive areas, is based on the long-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz Vito with a standard roof. The long wheelbase of 3200 mm provides the necessary underbody space for the traction batteries. With an operating range of around 130 km (81 miles), the Vito E-CELL meets average customer requirements for a daily van mileage of approx. 50-80 km (31-50 miles). Payload is around 900 kg (1,984 lbs) depending on equipment specifications, and the van has a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph), making it also suitable for short inter-urban stretches. The Vito E-CELL. Click to enlarge.The Vito E-CELL is propelled by a permanent synchronous electric motor that develops a continuous output of 60 kW and a peak output of 70 kW. Maximum torque is 280 N·m (207 lb-ft). As the full torque is inherently available right from the start in electric motors, the Vito E-CELL delivers performance at the familiar level of modern diesel engines. Power is transferred to the front wheels via a single-speed transmission developed specifically for the Vito E-CELL. To save installation space for the batteries, and in contrast to the other models in the Vito series, the vehicle has front-wheel drive. With the exception of a few suspension components adopted from the Vito 4x4, the front-wheel drive system was specially developed for the Vito E-CELL. Motor and power electronics are packaged under the hood. Click to enlarge.In addition to the electric motor, other components such as the power electronics, transformer and the grid charging unit are accommodated beneath the engine cover. The 12 V onboard network was also completely newly developed. The Li-ion batteries are housed under the load compartment floor, where the propshaft and fuel tank are usually located in the Vito. The batteries feature high performance and load capacity, a high energy density and a nominal voltage of 360 volts. Total capacity of the battery pack is 36 kWh, of which 32 kWh (89%) are available to power the vehicle. The battery pack of the Vito E-CELL consists of 16 modules with a total of 192 cells, each cell being monitored by a battery management system. To avoid unnecessary power losses and the risk of damage caused by unauthorized persons when the vehicle is parked, a safety system (“Watchdog”) deactivates the high-voltage network when not in use. The batteries, electric motor, converter and other electrical components of the drive system are water-cooled. For driver comfort during the colder months of the year, the Vito E-CELL is equipped with a heater booster. This is connected to the high-voltage network and the standard heating circuit in the instrument panel. The batteries are charged at charging stations provided to the pilot customers by the two energy providers EnBW and Vattenfall. These companies are participating in the customer trials as cooperation partners in the Berlin (Vattenfall) and Stuttgart (EnBW) regions. The charging stations are installed on the business premises of the fleets involved. The charging socket of the Vito E-CELL is connected to the station using a standard seven-pin charging cable. The batteries of the Vito E-CELL are charged at 380/400 volts; the onboard chargers have an output of 6.1 kW. Charging takes a maximum of six hours if the batteries are fully discharged. Using an additional charging cable with a conventional domestic power plug, the Vito E-CELL can also be charged from the 230 volt mains if required. In this case the charging time is doubled, however. The batteries are also charged by energy recuperation while on the move, i.e. by regenerative braking, on the overrun and when reducing speed. All this is in interaction with the new ESP system. The Vito E-CELL features a Smart Charge Communication Unit (SCCU) as standard, enabling smart charging. The charging units can be individually set at the multifunction steering wheel and in the instrument cluster to charge for times when low-cost electrical power is available. This can also be done centrally on a PC by the scheduler. The SCCU also allows parallel charging of several vehicles in a fleet, without overloading the grid. Vehicle availability can also be calculated depending on the charge status of the batteries. A scheduler is able to call up the charge status and therefore the available operating range of the Vito E-CELL on a computer screen, and determine whether a particular van is able to carry out an additional assignment at short notice. More than a dozen Vito E-CELL vans have undergone extended test drives both on enclosed test tracks and on the roads. Mercedes-Benz will deliver 100 Vito E-CELL vans to customers between August and December this year. Half each will be taken into operation in Berlin and Stuttgart, and further units will be used in the Basque region of Spain early next year. Although all densely populated, these areas not only differ in size but also in topographical terms, ensuring different operating conditions and therefore additional findings. Initial customers are predominantly fleet operators. The customer trials for the Vito E-CELL are scheduled for four years and roughly 80,000 km (49,700 miles) per vehicle, after which the 100 vans will be returned to Mercedes-Benz. For this reason the customers are not purchasing their vehicles, but rather renting and financing them by paying a monthly user charge which also includes all the servicing for the Vito E-CELL. Ideally the 100 Vito E-CELL vans will cover a total of around eight million kilometers (4.97 million miles) in roughly one dozen fleets during the customer trials, providing data and experience to support the further development of electric drive systems in light commercial vehicles. In parallel with the practical trials, Mercedes-Benz will evaluate data such as route profiles, operating ranges and other parameters in order to tailor electrically powered vehicles even more precisely to customer requirements.

In a little over a year, a Caterpillar plant increased its monthly recycling rate from 30 percent to more than 80 percent through a partnership with Waste Management, making recycling more accessible to employees and collecting more materials.

Environment ministers from India, China, Brazil and South Africa do not expect an upcoming climate change meeting in Mexico to produce an agreement, Reuters reports.

The following is a post by Paul Hannam of Bright Green Leadership (a 3p sponsor) – offering internet marketing strategies for responsible businesses. This tips and observations in this series are aimed at green entrepreneurs looking to understand how internet technology can benefit them more. For the last few weeks I have been writing about [...]

What can we do to make sure that disasters like Deepwater spill don't happen again? Green chemistry, a science that calls for eliminating hazards and waste at the design stage rather than at the end of the pipe, is among the many answers to the question.

JGC, INPEX and BASF have entered into an agreement to carry out joint demonstration tests on a new technology for effectively capturing and recovering CO2 contained in natural gas. The tests will be carried out at INPEX’s Koshijihara natural gas plant (Nagaoka city, Niigata prefecture) starting August 2010. A Natural gas often contains CO2 when it is extracted from the well. Whether the natural gas is transported via pipelines, converted to liquefied natural gas (LNG) or used in chemical processes, the CO2 has to be captured beforehand. Even state-of-the-art CO2 capture processes require a large amount of energy and the removal facilities account for a major part of investment and operating costs. JGC and BASF jointly began developing a new technology for a CO2 capture process called High Pressure Acid Gas Capture Technology (HiPACT) in 2004. Following basic research and a series of trials, the new technology enables high-pressure CO2 recovery by regenerating the solvent at high pressure and temperature. The newly developed absorption solvent is highly stable at high temperature regeneration condition, and delivers superior CO2 absorption performance and low corrosivity. An important milestone in this development is transferring the new technology to an operating gas processing facility. The advantage of HiPACT technology is twofold, the partners say: It reduces the overall power consumption of the facility and lowers investment costs. Because the CO2 is released from the solvent at well above atmospheric pressure there is a significant reduction in the amount of energy required if CO2 is used in high pressure applications such as chemical synthesis or sequestered underground. Going forward with information from the test results, JGC and BASF will focus on the commercialization of HiPACT technology in all relevant sectors, for example in natural gas projects with CO2 reinjection. INPEX will aim at further energy savings at its natural gas plants by using the HiPACT technology. Application of the technology in gasification processes is currently under development, according to JGC.

There are 30-40 million American households without a bank account, according to the Center for Financial Services Innovation, a fact that could either be seen as a sad statistic – or a tremendous business opportunity. Mango Money sees it as essentially both. The financial services company, launched in 2008, provides prepaid debit cards to customers [...]

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has ruled that Southern California Edison (SCE) should not be allowed to claim renewable energy certificates (RECs) generated from the Mountain View I & II wind facilities toward its Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goals during the period covered by the 2006 RPS verification report, reports the Center for Resource Solutions [...]

Energy Digital reports that Isolux Corsan will be responsible for developing a plant for producing bioethanol from sugar cane with a 2 million ton capacity. The Company has developed biodiesel plant projects for Infinita Renovables, with a production capacity of 300,000 Tn and 600,000 Tn.

Military Advisory Board (MAB) of CNA issues report on convergence of cleantech, the economy and national security.

It's already been making the rounds, but in case you missed it, here's a link to Jeremy Grantham's "Everything You Need to Know About Global Warming in 5 Minutes" that was a section of his Q2 investor newsletter. Do give it a read.  I especially appreciated the postscript, myself.

Its always nice to talk about a local company on SISG.  Toray Plastics whose American division is based in North Kingston, Rhode Island was honored by Frito Lay earlier this year for their work on the innovative new compostable SunChips bag.The new SunChips bag is something we've covered extensively and is being closely watched by the industry who are curious as to consumers reaction to the new bag.  Toray produces the film used to make the PLA bag for Frito Lay.  They were presented with Frito Lay's 2009 Supplier of the Year award.

Explore Edutopia's environmentally conscious teaching tools. Search for lesson plans, Web sites, and educational resources by topic, grade level, cost, or location, or add your resource to their Go Green database....

Open PR reports Gunter Brodl, President of Vogelbusch USA, Inc., was honored for his services to the global ethanol industry with the renowned FEW Award of Excellence. The award, bestowed by BBI International and the leading industry publication, Ethanol Producer Magazine, honors individuals who make particularly outstanding contributions to the ethanol industry.

Regulated utilities will be required to reduce electricity sales 22% by 2020.

It's 2nd down and about 10 yards to go, and Harry Reid decided he might as well punt. With today's news that any upcoming energy bill won't include climate legislation or even a renewable portfolio standard, cleantech entrepreneurs and investors are left scratching their heads.  Yet more uncertainty. I continue to see pitches from companies with smart, low-cost approaches to carbon emissions, but lacking more of a certain price and market for carbon credits, they're having a really hard time raising capital.  Ditto for anything related to carbon capture and storage.  And in many other areas of cleantech, the lack of certainty around energy and carbon pricing is a killer.  I'm even seeing smart grid companies include carbon emissions related savings in their sales pitches to utilities.  But if the utilities can't expect regulatory clarity, they can't value that. So what's a startup CEO to do?  Avoid mentioning carbon if at all possible.  Everyone knows the U.S. will have to deal with it sooner or later.  But no one knows if it'll be sooner, or later.  So try not to mention it at all.  And if you have to mention it, try not to make any assumptions about pricing.  If you send me a business plan which includes a price per carbon as part of your economic value proposition, I'm going to have to mentally reset that value to $0/ton and assess your value proposition through that lens. It sounds like HomeStar is still in, which is good for the residential energy efficiency retrofit industry, and perhaps some small other cleantech-focused programs will be included.  But basically there's not much in what's being discussed in the upcoming energy bill that will do anything to clear up all the uncertainty. And it's not just startups and their backers that are affected by this.  Large utilities and large energy consumers need more price certainty as well, and they're not getting it.  They can't do capital budgeting effectively, and they can't make affirmative decisions to invest in new technologies and systems if they don't know how to value it.  It's a weird situation where everyone pretty much knows SOMETHING will have to happen at some point, but lacking more information about what that something is, and when it will be, nobody can do anything significant.  Even the electric utilities sound like they're getting impatient for some clarity. If there's one thing the energy industry learned from the cyclical subsidies for the wind industry over the past decade-plus, it's that uncertainty is an absolute industry-killer.  Especially for young industries having to sell to large, slow-moving incumbent industries. Meanwhile, the U.S. industry exported about $7.7B in cleantech products and services last year, compared to China's $22.7B and Germany's $19.6B -- according to a US Senate report from January. Thanks, Harry.

07/29/2010 - Xtreme Power, a provider of Dynamic Power Resources (DPRs) for utility-scale power management and energy storage systems, recently announced the close of a $29...