Green Daily

Sad but true: there are lots of endangered animals out there. Climate change, deforestation and habitat destruction are all powerful forces working against wild populations of, well, most wild animals.

So you know it has to be pretty bad when the World Wildlife Fund singles out a species for particular attention. This week the conservation organization called for urgent action to save the tigers. In addition to surviving the three challenges above, these regal striped beasts have been brought to their collective knees by poaching and "parts trafficking".

Yep. A whole species brought down by the Tiger Penis Trade.

Did the production footprint of "2012" help bring about a real life climate apocalypse? Is your mayor a low-carbon crime fighter? Are your baked beans trying to kill you? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Eco-Thriller "2012" Goes Green on the Set Though his blockbuster movies may terrorize the planet ("Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow," etc.) Roland Emmerich's a big green softie underneath. Generators on "2012" were biodiesel-powered and sets were recycled or donated to Habitat for Humanity.

London's Mayor Becomes "Knight on Shining Bicycle" Fanny Armstrong was walking home late one night when she was attacked by three hoodlums. She cried out to a passing cyclist for help and, lo and behold, it turned out to be London's biking mayor Boris Johnson -- aka the "knight on shining bicycle."

He Hates These Cans! You know I'm no alarmist (I plan to watch the apocalypse unfold on my porch with beer in hand). Still, I'm not one to take unnecessary risk with my thyroid or reproductive functions. Consumer Reports recently found BPA in the linings of many canned goods.

Low-Energy Laser Etched Fruit Labels Good news! Those annoying little labels on your lemons may soon be replaced with low energy laser etching. I'm not sure whether I'm more excited about the waste reduction or the fact that I'd no longer have to struggle with those maddening stickers.

Bob Barker Donates $1M To Animal Rights Studies In honor of his wife, Bob has awarded $1M to Drury University to establish an Animal Rights professorship. I know it doesn't seem like an Animal Rights degree would get you a good job in this economy, but PETA has sure been raking it in.

Green in a Flash:

• The age of lamps is over. Long live the LED sculpture!
• Bears at a German zoo are mysteriously going bald.
• Looking of a new, scratchable, eco-friendly cat bed?.

Yes, what I'm asking is if it's okay to eat a baby animal if it had a good, albeit short life?

Proponents of pasture-raised "rose veal" say that their veal is fundamentally different from the nightmarish image of animals kept in pens so small they are unable to move, and pumped full of antibiotics to stave off rampant infection, a.k.a. "white veal."

For years chefs have been complaining about the bland taste of pen-raised white veal, which are kept in crates so small they can't turn or lie down, and fed a diet of artificial milk. The main appeal, if you could get past the cruelty issue, was tenderness: you can cut it with the side of a fork. Rose veal has a more developed flavor because of a mixed diet of milk and grains, and the milk often actually comes from its mother. This kinder veal is growing in popularity with foodies, especially those who espouse whole animal, sustainable practices.

Many of our friends at PETA, and other animal-rights organizations, believe that we shouldn't be eating meat or drinking milk in the first place, but if you are, it's unspeakably cruel to take animals away from the mother at such a young age. Generally they make little or no distinction between pink and white veal.

Wanna ride to work like the pros? Need some help justifying your next big-ticket Gucci purchase? Are you a secret raw milk junkie who'll do anything for a sip of illegal, unpasteurized moo juice? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Bike Commuting Tips from the Pros Ever wished you could ride your bike to work, but can't stomach the spandex? Do those bike shorts really help get you to work on time? You can get answers to these questions and more at the Sierra Club's Climate Crossroads Bicycle Group.

Ready to Party FOR the Turkeys? If you're looking for some outstanding vegan tofurkey and you're going to be in the NYC area on November 22nd, you can still snag a seat at Farm Sanctuary's "Celebration FOR the Turkeys." The guest of honor will be Jonathan Safran Foer.

Gucci Ditches Rainforest Paper Good news for designer label junkies, The Gucci Group (which includes Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, and Balenciaga) is now pledging to help save Asia's rapidly shrinking forests by shunning all paper harvested from Indonesian rainforests.

Meet, Greet, or Heckle Captain Paul Watson in NYC You've seen him get harpooned in the head on South Park, now meet him live in person. Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson will be at Manhattan's Moo Shoes for a Sea Shepherd Conservation Society fundraiser on November 11th.

The Raw Milk Underground Did you know that it's illegal for an independent farmer to sell farm-fresh raw milk? There are people who do, of course. These evil "milk pushers" operate in dark alley ways and rural crossroads in the middle of the night, where wolves howl eerily in the background. I'm kidding.

Green in a Flash:

• Europe has launched satellites that can predict droughts/floods.
• Check out this map of potential green energy per US state.
• Next year's CES in Las Vegas will have 40% more space dedicated to green gadgetry.

Have you always dreamed of costarring in a film or video with an animated partner, like Paula Abdul and that dancing cat in "Opposites Attract"? And do you have a message for the world about saving the rainforest? If so, The Prince's Rainforest can help you achieve both of these dreams.

HRH Charles, the Prince of Wales, created The Prince's Rainforest Project to simply raise awareness of the connection between deforestation and climate change. The campaign has a frog mascot who appeared in a video with Prince Charles, as well as Princes William and Harry, Daniel Craig, Pele, Harrison Ford, and perhaps inevitably, Robin Williams.

One of the coolest things about the campaign is that you can make your own video, with the frog, urging world leaders to take bold action to address climate change at Copenhagen. It's hard to imagine that world leaders haven't heard this message yet, with all of the activism going on practically every day, but if anything will catch the attention of the last few resisters, I'm betting the frog is it.

Why did Alicia Silverstone so unkindly cancel her "Kind Diet" book tour? Wanna see what a fat, unshaven Captain Planet looks like? Has Dancing Butterflies produced the worst eco-song of the modern era? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Alicia Silverstone Cancels Stops on Tour The final three stops on Alicia's book tour have been abruptly scrapped, and thus far no explanation has been given. Fans hoping to meet the "Kind Diet" author in St. Louis, Detroit and Atlanta are out of luck. Hope you caught her on Craig Ferguson during the blackout.

Captain Planet Is Disgruntled The greenest superhero of them all has been unemployed for over a decade and it's not doing favors for his attitude, personal hygiene, or his formerly rock-hard abs. Still, he's fighting the good fight with world leaders in Copenhagen; check out the video.

"Let's Save Our Environment" Worst Green Jam Ever? When it comes to enviro-rock, there are mountains of epic failures and only a few truly listenable earth-conscious songs. "Let's Save Our Environment" is not one of them. The video, however, is so bad it's good and with any luck it'll go viral.

Can I Recycle My Stack of Holiday Receipts? As you shop your way through the holiday season, you're almost certainly going to amass a hefty pile of ridiculously long receipts -- but don't recycle them. Not only might you want to make a return, the vast majority of receipts are printed on non-recyclable thermal paper.

Gold is Green at Vancouver Olympics Silver and bronze are too. Each of the medals at the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver are made from recycled materials harvested from old electronics and are etched with West Coast Native American designs by artist Corinne Hunt. Awesome.

Green in a Flash:

• Recycled bowling lanes make the best retro-chic tables.
• Would you drive a pro-ped: The propane powered moped?
• Al Gore may one day become the first carbon billionaire.

University of Kentucky Uses Innovative Recycled Plastic Decking at the Solar Decathlon from Plastics Make it Possible on Vimeo.

Last month students from around the world gathered on the National Mall in Washington D.C. to compete in the Solar Decathlon, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Twenty teams designed, built and operated solar-powered homes, which were then opened to the public, both to get votes, and to educate people about the latest uses of energy-efficient building practices and materials.

The first, and hardest, part of the competition actually happens before they get to D.C., when the teams design their structures, raise money to build them, and supervise contractors to actually raise them. Then they take them apart -- very carefully! -- and transport them to the National Mall, where they are reassembled on site. The final phase includes the judging, where they are evaluated on 10 different areas:

Do you consider Mother Earth in your family planning? Should gift baskets become an un-environmentally-conscious thing of the past? Is the new "Avatar" trailer making you concerned about the environmental plight of planets we haven't even discovered yet? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Evangeline Lilly Talks Babies and Overpopulation As an environmentally-conscious individual, do you feel compelled to adopt, rather than have a child of your own? Evangeline Lilly thinks she can allow herself one biological child, then she says her eco-conscience would dictate that she adopt.

How to Green That Corporate Gift Basket Ah, corporate gift baskets ... that obligatory cornucopia of stuff that nobody really wants. According to Grist, 83% of adults report getting gifts that they don't want. Is it better to give gift certificates? You could always pull a Costanza and make a donation in somebody's name.

Avatar Trailer Hits the Web The trailer for James Cameron's heavily anticipated sci-fi adventure flick dropped yesterday, and surprise -- it's awash in eco-themes. "Avatar" takes place on a distant planet where the Marines have been called to relocate an indigenous culture to extract a very valuable mineral.

The Best Little Chinese Wind Farm in Texas? Here's a curve ball for you: Is a wind farm still green if the turbines are manufactured in China and shipped to Texas? It gets better; the Chinese developers are applying for US stimulus money. I guess green energy is green energy ... right?

How-to Recycle Your Gadgets Need to make room for some new techno-gadgets this holiday season? Recycling your old phones, laptops, etc. has never been easier ... especially now that Engadget has a breakdown of how-to recycle your old devices, listed by manufacturer.

Green in a Flash:

• Beijing's unusually early snowfall yesterday was man-made.
• Check out these bus shelters made from salvaged buses.
• The Prius won Japan's "Car of the Year." Now, the Insight has won Japan's "Automotive Hall of Fame Car of the Year." Huh?

I'm sure a few of you will agree with me that the Eco/Green Movement can be a bit lacking in the sense of humor department. But two men -- two Yes Men -- have made it their mission to remedy both corporate wrong doings, and the dearth of laughs in the discussion.

Mike Bonnano and Andy Bichlbaum are the Yes Men -- or at least, those are their stage names. The two activists/performers/pranksters/identity thieves -- although they call it "identity correction" -- star in the new documentary "The Yes Men Fix the World," which showcases some of the big "Borat"-style hoaxes they've played on corporate world, all in the name of drawing attention to the way things should be.

The film opens with Andy Bichlbaum preparing to appear on the BBC as "Jude Finisterra", a representative of Dow Chemical. He is endearingly, and understandably, nervous, because he's about to tell a whopper of lie to the entire world: that Dow accepts all responsibility for the Bhopal chemical accident and ragedy, and plan to sell off subsidiary Union Carbide to finance $12 billion in reparations.

Did Captain Watson mind being harpooned in the head on South Park? Still looking for last-minute DIY costume ideas? Are you headed out to wreak some low-carbon havoc on Mischief Night? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Captain Watson Responds to South Park As usual, South Park's "Whale Whores" episode was an equal opportunity offender, lampooning both the Japanese whalers, animal rights activists and especially Paul Watson. He was a good sport about it though, saying that he's just glad to get some publicity.

Reduce Your Family's Halloween-Print Halloween is finally upon us, and of course I'm going to load this EB up with as much green trick or treating tips as I possibly can. To check out a smorgasbord of green Halloween tips -- including healthy treats, non-treats, and DIY costume ideas -- check out Inhabitat.

Greener Mischief Making Watching Rainn Wilson's guide to Mischief Night, I realized something: vandalism can be mighty wasteful. For a greener Mischief Night, skip the TP and try some eco-friendly tricks, like: ding dong ditching or jumping out of the bushes to scare people. Any other ideas?

Eat Your Pumpkin! The majority of the orange pumpkins we associate with Halloween are bred purely for ornamental purposes, thus, they're far from ideal for cooking. Bummer. Buy a food-grade pumpkin or butternut squash that allows you to have your jack-o-lantern and eat it too.

Natalie Portman's Controversial Veggie Comment In honor of "Vegetarian Month," Natalie decided to throw in her two cents on ethical eating. Unfortunately, she managed to offend non-veggies by equating meat-eating and table manners with rape ... somehow. I'm a big fan of table manners, thank you very much.

Green in a Flash:

• LG is the first electronics company to get certified by UL Environment.
• Michael Pollan retracts statements about the vegan H2 driver.
• According to scientists, exaggerated reports about climate change can undermine the goal of reducing emissions.

Back in the 70s, I remember nuclear energy being discussed in the same breath as geothermal and solar power. But then the partial core meltdown happened at Three Mile Island in 1979, giving the American public a huge scare about the safety of nuclear reactors.

It didn't help matters when the film "Silkwood", starring Meryl Streep, came out in 1983, showing how workers who were exposed to plutonium had to be literally scrubbed raw -- those decontamination showers are burned into the brains of a generation!

But the climate crisis has created the urgent need for a power source that doesn't produce CO2. There are already several nuclear power-plants online in the U.S. In 31 states there are 104 reactors, which provide about 20% of our energy -- and 70% of our emission-free energy.

Why did Michael Jackson listen to audio recordings of distressed chimpanzees? Need a strategy to cut down on your child's snack time food waste? Why is everybody talking about "Super Freakonomics? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Michael Jackson: Behind the Music Did you know that MJ's song "Heal the World" was inspired by the plight of African chimpanzees? It's true. Apparently, Michael met with chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall and their exchange inspired the song, although it never specifically mentions chimps.

Wanna Reduce Your Kid's Foodprint? Kids can be pretty fussy when it comes to eating. OK, a lot fussy. No matter how many times you tell them to clean their plate, you're going to end up shoveling some food into the trash (or better yet compost bin). Check out LilSugar's tips for maximizing your grocery budget.

Al Gore on David Letterman Now that the controversy set off by "An Inconvenient Truth" has mostly subsided, Al Gore has written a second book "Our Choice" with the hope of depoliticizing the climate change debate ... good luck with that. Check him out on "The Late Show" next Tuesday.

Jon Stewart Talks Geo-Engineering and Freakonomics Author Steve Levitt's latest book "Super Freakonomics" has drawn a lot of fire from environmentalists, and Jon Stewart doesn't quite understand why. Check out this video of Jon and Steve discussing the controversial schemes to cool the planet with climate engineering.

Start Planning for "Give Your Stuff Away Day" Formerly known as "Curb Day," enthusiasts are working to raise awareness for America's national day of hauling unwanted stuff (not junk) to the curb to give away. Planners are hoping to inspire block parties, etc. It's set for May 15th, so you've got plenty of time to plan.

Green in a Flash:

• Check out this map of America's solar installation progress.
• Generation Y wants big, energy-efficient, gadget-filled cars.
• Wouldn't it be nice of all cell phones used the same universal charger? Maybe one day ...

I'm not the only one who thinks traditional Halloween candy is more trick than treat. There is an actual grass roots movement called Green Halloween, started by Seattle-area mom Corey Colwell-Lipson in 2007.

A few years ago, while taking her then six- and two-year-olds out trick or treating, Colwell-Lipson was impressed and inspired by the houses that provided treats like bubbles and stickers as an alternative to candy. She thought it would be great if there was a way -- like a sign -- for parents to know which houses had healthy treats, so they could steer their children accordingly.

As she talked to other parents about the idea, it grew into a whole program. In addition to parents, local merchants started to ask for a "Green Halloween" logo to show that they supported the initiative. Soon everyone involved decided to make a local non-profit the beneficiary of their efforts.

You already know Edward Norton is a darn cool guy. After all, who else could have made "The Hulk" even greener? But now, he's doing more than just speaking out. He's even going beyond putting his money where his mouth is. Norton is running a marathon!

Though he might have occasional super powers on-screen, it turns out that, when it comes to running, he's just like everybody else and is experiencing common running ailments. But there's no way he'll quit -- he's running for a cause.

Norton is running the New York Marathon to benefit Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, an organization that seeks to protect the ecosystem in the area with which he became acquainted with 10 years ago on a trip to Kenya. His 30-person team is an eclectic mix of celebrities (Alanis Morrisette, David Blaine) and Maasai warriors (some of whom are still deciding whether to run in shoes or sandals.

To learn more about the cause and Norton's commitment to the race, check out the exclusive interview at AOL Health!

Did the Governator send a piece of brilliantly-crafted, obscenity-laced, water reform poetry to the California Legislature? How could I have missed the Climate Action Day supermodel striptease? Could handing out green treats actually increase the size of your Halloween-print? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Arnold Might be a Water Reform Poet Apparently, Governor Schwarzenegger is really ticked off at the state legislature for not tackling water reform in the session that just ended. Upon closer examination, his letter to legislators appears to have a hidden message that starts with "F" and ends with "U."

Supermodels Perform the Part Per Million Striptease Taking a page out of PETA's playbook, 350.org hired a group of models to grab our attention by stripping down. It totally worked (of course), but near the end of the video I started thinking: "Geez, these models are scary thin." For me, it sent kinda mixed signals.

Leo and Ellen Page Go Eco House Hunting They're not moving in together or anything. At least, I don't think they are. Leonardo brought the co-star of his new film "Inception" to inspect the earth-friendly features of LA's Evo South condos. Leo's becoming quite the green real estate tycoon.

More Eco-Friendly Halloween Tips Your green Halloween efforts may have unintended side effects. For example, Grist suggests that you hand out "non-treats" like acorns, polished rocks, etc. While that is green advice, you might be inadvertently creating waste by encouraging kids to TP your house.

Junk Food is as Addictive as Heroin Not only does junk food make you fat, provide little or no nourishment, and come with a heavy carbon footprint, now researchers have found that it actually produces a similar neurobiological reaction to heroin -- which explains why I'm eating Hot Fries right now.

Green in a Flash:

• Recycled Vespas make awesome office chairs!
• Dell HQ has planted solar trees in its massive parking lot.
• Depending on how you do the math, illegal logging makes Indonesia the third largest greenhouse emitter.