Green Options

Most teenagers are busy texting their friends or playing video games. Not Angela Primbas. This teen is taking matters into her own hands when it comes to pollution. She and two friends of hers have formed Save Our Streams (S.O.S.), and new group dedicated to stopping the pollution of their backyard streams and the entire Lake Erie Watershed.

Says Angela,

When I was a kid, I can remember seeing a sign that was

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Yesterday, TIME magazine reported that pollution isnt just bad for your health - it is also linked with lower IQs in children. The study, which was published by the journal Pediatrics found that mothers who gave birth after living in places with high pollution have, on average, children with IQ scores that are four points lower than mothers who are pregnant in a clean environment.

“A difference in four points could

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You could say that Ecovolunteer is a travel agent. But the trips we organize are not your average holidays. They bring you to places that are not accessible to tourists. Where you get the possibility to protect nature and its inhabitants.

A friend told me that she was planning an eco-vacation, so I did a little research on the subject. As it turns on, a lot of eco-tourism [...]

Most people committed to going green have switched from using bottled water to reusable water bottles, but that’s not the only disposable product you can eliminate from your life. Earlier this month, Jennifer Chait posted a long list of ways to replace your disposables. Some of my favorites:

Instead of store plastic produce bags use cloth produce bags.
Instead of ice pops from the store choose reusable ice pop molds and [...]

Wyndham Worldwide’s new headquarters in Parsippany, N.J. is all about renewable resources. According to Green Lodging News, the new facility is powered 100% by wind energy. The building opened in 2009 and they expect to receive a LEED Silver award.

According to Environmental Leader,

Faith Taylor, vice president, sustainability and innovation for Wyndham Worldwide, told the news site, “We really wanted to walk our green talk. We took the LEED initiative to

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Need a reason not to litter? How about this: just one piece of trash can create a life-threatening problem for wildlife. From JeffBridges.com:

Bill Driver, who lives in Wichita, KS, saw a ball bouncing around kind of strange in the lake and went to investigate.

It turned out to be a flathead catfish who had obviously tried to swallow a basketball which became stuck in its mouth!!

The fish was totally exhausted

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Recently, TotalBeauty.com readers rated commercially (non-salon) available shampoos, proving that you don’t need to pay salon prices for great hair. Topping the list:

No. 1: Herbal Essences Hydralicious Reconditioning Shampoo, $3.99, rating: 9.7
No. 2: Got2b Hottie Deep Repair Shampoo with Heat-Active Silk Proteins, $6.99, rating: 9.7
No. 3: Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Frizz Control Shampoo, $5.99, rating: 9.5
No. 4: Organix Nourishing [...]

According to reports, McDonald’s is beginning to explore electric car charging stations at their restaurants. Starting on July 14, one of their locations, in Cary, North Carolina, will give drivers the option to charge their cars as they eat.

Says Environmental Leader,

The charging stations feature:

Secure, authorized access to charging, which helps eliminate energy theft and cord theft.
Networked ability for drivers to find and navigate to open charging stations.
Control functions

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Most people who are interested in going green know that it’s better to eat local foods and grow your own fruits and vegetables. You probably already have reusable bags and you may even have a compost pile. There are other ways to go green, though. Check out these seven little-known ways to go organic in the kitchen:

1. Use smaller pots and pans.

Whenever you heat up water in a pot or fry food in a pan, it uses power to distribute the heat. If you use a smaller container, you won’t have use as much heat to cook your food. As an added bonus, smaller pots and pans also take less water to wash when dinner is over.

2. Choose organic drinks.

You may have already cut bottled water out of life, but what about beverages for special occasions? There are actually a number of wineries and beer manufacturers that make organic alcoholic drinks. They’re better for the environment, and you’ll be supporting a smaller business. If you can find a local bottler, even better.

Starting this weekend, a five-block stretch along Broadway in NYC will be a pedestrian-only zone. From Newsday:

One of two new no-car zones created along Broadway by Mayor Michael Bloomberg (the other promenade will stretch from 33rd to 35th streets on Broadway at Herald Square, near Macy’s), the usually clogged stretch from 42nd Street north to 47th became a place for tourists and locals alike to meander along the

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