Organic Living

Food vs. Fuels Debate Continues
by Andrea Millar
In a report by the United Nations Environmental Program-funded International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), researchers insist that biofuels must be quickly stuck on the backburner...READ MORE

Smart Sponges Make Cleaning Up Drains a Cinch
by Andrea Millar
Runoff from construction sites, industrial zones, and gas stations can be a huge problem in cities' water cycles. Hydrocarbons, solid wastes, and bacteria end up draining out into the nearest...READ MORE

Get On the Bike!
by Andrea Millar
Good sirs and ladies: if you live in a northerly clime, now is just about the time when balmier temperatures start weaving their way into your weather patterns. With longer...READ MORE

Politician Stoking the Green Hearth
by Andrea Millar
Between Hilary and Obama, McCain and...those other guys, 2008 has already been a great year for political bombast. And I suppose there is a certain sense of sport in watching...READ MORE

Greenwashing
by Andrea Millar
Yesterday, we reported on greening up your wash, but you may also know about the entirely different concept of greenwashing. In an age of information onslaught, consumers need to be...READ MORE

A Greener Wash
by Andrea Millar
When I think of laundry, I think about all the stereotypes of the lazy American. It's almost as easy as falling off a log, and yet we put it off...READ MORE  |  COMMENTS (2)

Biofuel Scapegoating: Not That Simple
by Andrea Millar
A while back, we reported on the quandary presented by continued biofuel production vis-à-vis the food shortage. The theory is this: basically, the wheat that could feed millions of people...READ MORE

Kenya Jail Models Sustainable Wastewater Treatment
by Andrea Millar
Enn.com reports that a Kenyan jail has confronted the issue of its waste production by creating a sustainable wastewater treatment facility staffed by inmates and designed by both local and...READ MORE

Viva the Electric Car!
by Andrea Millar
People who have seen the oft-discussed documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?" (answer: it was YOU, apathetic American consumer!) may remember footage of a slew of brand-new Ford Th!nks awaiting...READ MORE  |  COMMENTS (2)

Sturm und Drang: MPG and Safety
by Andrea Millar
So, big question: do you give up safety for mpg? The answer is--boy, I really do not have the unquenchable lust for car specs really necessary to answer this question....READ MORE

A Certain Slant of Light
by Andrea Millar
Did you know that energy-efficient buildings have an optimal orientation? The best sun-catching is done by structures with a longer east-west axis. Environmental construction news site has it all diagrammed...READ MORE

Cellulosic Fuel Condenses Millions of Years of Processes into Two Minutes
by Andrea Millar
Well, I didn't know we were waiting for a breakthrough in cellulosic fuels--I sort of thought that had already happened. But just to show how little I know, a bunch...READ MORE

Good Riddance Grocery Bags--Hello Fanny Pack?
by Andrea Millar
I was pleased to hear that Whole Foods is no longer carrying plastic bags, and that San Francisco's mayor had banned the bags within the confines of the city. If...READ MORE  |  COMMENTS (2)

Gentlemen, Do Not Start Your Engines
by Andrea Millar
OK, not everything has to be a contest. But it's sort of fun when it is--don't just live on an island with a bunch of strangers, maneuver to vote them...READ MORE  |  COMMENTS (1)

Say What to Soy?
by Andrea Millar
Soy is one of those products, like hemp, with applications far beyond its original form. With uses in biofuel, oil for cooking, paint, candles, food, pharmaceuticals, and clothing, to name...READ MORE

Green Collar Workers Cultivate the Economy,
Part 2
by Andrea Millar
Good luck to those willing to speculate about the actual timetable for withdrawing American forces from Iraq or Afghanistan. If it is anytime soon, more than luck is going to...READ MORE

Green Collar Workers Cultivate the Economy,
Part 1
by Andrea Millar
Back in December, President Bush uttered official recognition of climate change from sources of pollution and signed a bill that directed development of biofuels and mandated automakers to improve their...READ MORE

It's OK to Have a Little Steak With Your Veggies
by Andrea Millar
It's a strange fact of human psychology that if we feel powerless to fix everything, it just seems easier to let go and fix nothing. I sometimes feel this way...READ MORE

Edison Puts Roofs to Good Use
by Andrea Millar
Although solar power presents practical challenges, it remains an extremely compelling avenue of producing clean energy. Once you start thinking in solar terms, a sunny day can seem like a...READ MORE

Kids Ride to Snap You Out of Bad Habits
by Andrea Millar
A 10-year-old riding her bike 5400 miles across the country might be enough to make some people consider taking a bus to work a few days a week. That's the...READ MORE

Earth Hour Saved Electricity--Now, Let's Do It Again
by Andrea Millar
Perhaps March 29th you reached up at 7:59 and flicked your lights off, and kept them off, for the 60 minutes of Earth Hour. This international event of energy conservation...READ MORE

Alternative Fuels and the Food Supply
by Andrea Millar
This is a predicament. Prices climb as we continue to guzzle fossil fuels, but now that the quest to perfect a source of biofuels is finally being addressed seriously by...READ MORE

Ants Taking Over Even After Asked Very Politely to Leave
by Andrea Millar
I've lived in three different parts of the country, and ants were always a problem to some degree. Sometimes it was because somebody left something out--once, a single orange M&M...READ MORE

Let Your Web Site Make Tiny Footprints
by Andrea Millar
There are a number of ways to green up your technology use. From the simple but oft-neglected light switch regulation exercise (that is, turning your lights off when you leave...READ MORE

Want to Save Tibet? Scrap the Lithium
by Andrea Millar
It may not be blessed by the Dalai Lama, but your laptop may have a little piece of Tibet in it. The Environmental News Network reported this week on Tibet...READ MORE  |  COMMENTS (2)

Electronic Book Readers: What About Now?
by Andrea Millar
When I was a kid, we had a Texas Instruments Speak and Spell with some truly awesome features. It talked to you! It had a handle for easy portability! It...READ MORE  |  COMMENTS (1)

Greening Up Your Sex Life
by Andrea Millar
Are you eco-aware? Would you say that concerns for the environment affect a significant portion of your decisions morning, noon, and night? If sex comprises any part of your regularly...READ MORE

Solar Gourmets
by Andrea Millar
Imagine you're stuck in the desert. No stove, no firewood. You have a backpack with a couple of eggs, some flour, and some water in it, maybe a little salt...READ MORE  |  COMMENTS (1)

Brown Gold: Methane Digesters and You
by Andrea Millar
There are many ways we're adapting ourselves to the current energy concerns. Car makers receive subsidies for new leaps in fuel economy. Corn farmers are throwing themselves into the ethanol...READ MORE  |  COMMENTS (2)

Sounds Good
by Andrea Millar
Instrument makers (and, under other circumstances, competitors) Martin, Gibson, Fender, Taylor, and Yamaha have collaborated with Greenpeace and Alaskan loggers Sealaska to formulate plans for more ecologically balanced culling practices....READ MORE