Green Daily

How did Thanksgiving get here already? It's right around the corner, but if you're one of the many (like me!) still putting your plans together, here are some resources from around the internet to help you make it a Green Thanksgiving!

The center of attention for most of us is the turkey. The Sierra Club recommends "heritage turkeys." Most of the turkeys you'll find in supermarkets are Broad-breasted Whites, which have been industrially bred since the '60s to produce a big breast quickly and cheaply. "Heritage turkeys" is a collective name for several breeds which take longer to raise, but are reputed to taste better. Plus the biodiversity of the breeds makes for a healthier, more environmentally-friendly bird.

If you're having a meat-free Thanksgiving, there's always a Tofurky® Roast! Created in the '90s by Turtle Island Foods in Oregon, this ingenious vegetarian dish is the graceful compromise between tradition and strong "no food with a face" beliefs.

If you are a dedicated recycler and composter like I am, you've probably experienced the maxi-green level of waste management guilt: plastic wrap remorse.

It's what happens to The Eco People when we remove all of the recyclables and food waste from our trash. The only things left are dirty ziplock bags that no one will ever convince me to wash our and reuse, and a bunch of the flexible plastic that covers things like paper towels and toilet paper. When waste is segregated like that, you get a very visual understanding of what you use, and how much you're sending to landfill.

Kimberly-Clark (fresh from their lovefest make-up with Greenpeace) is teaming with "upcycling" geniuses TerraCycle to save us from this guilt, and more importantly, to divert all of that plastic wrap away from a pit in the ground.

The holiday season is just weeks away, the days are getting shorter, and the weather is getting chilly. Between wanting to save some money and trying to keep our carbon footprints in check, many of us are thinking about investing in Snuggies instead of turning up the thermostat -- blankets with arms in the name of energy-efficiency!

Keeping the thermostat low is a good place to start, and there are lots of other easy things you can do to make your home as energy-efficient as possible. Even if you've seen many of these steps, sent out by Plastics Make it Possible, it's is the perfect time for a refresher -- before the truly cold weather sets in, and all of your time gets eaten up with holiday projects.

Take a moment to look around and run through this quick list to see what DIY improvements you can make for a more energy-efficient winter!

There are some super-organized people out there who already have their holiday gift lists prepared and half-bought. For the rest of you (and by you I mean "us"), take a deep breath and relax: there are loads of great, green and affordable gifts out there!

One easy and always well-received present is the beauty gift set. With so many new green and eco-friendly beauty products on the market, there's always a fresh product to try out. Also, some of these lines are pricey, so gift sets let you sample without breaking the bank, plus the travel sizes let you experiment without committing to a product that could go to waste if it's not right.

You'll find some of the best product ranges and prices on the internet. Natural and organic beauty care site Beautorium carries well-loved green brands, like Dr. Hauschka, Pangea, and Juice Beauty. Some of their best gift sets include:

Over the weekend, President Obama and other world leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Singapore, announced that they will not be able to reach a binding agreement on stopping global warming during the the Copenhagen Climate Conference (COP15) in December.

Instead, Obama and Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that COP15 should focus on accomplishing political cohesion as the first part of a two step process. They want to use the conference to agree on a basic framework for an agreement, including how to finance carbon-reducing activity, and wait to try to create a binding commitment to global carbon caps at a later date.

So ... they want to agree to agree that they will put off doing the work until later. Which would be fine if we could put climate change on hold. Since doesn't seem to be an option, I think a lot of activists are going to be really upset that global leaders, led by Obama, are watering down the goals of the conference.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a charming video for Honest Foods baked whole food granola bars, created by and starring the brand's marketing manager, Mariel Shaw.

It turns out that Ms. Shaw is a quadruple threat -- in addition to being a talented singer, dancer and actress, she's a smart enough marketer to track me down and send me a few bars to try. Which were absolutely delicious, at least the one I was able to grab away from my husband, who ate one and snuck off with a second before I could catch him.

This excitement over granola bars made me examine whether we were in a granola bar rut. The Honest Foods bars were such a hit that I decided it was time for a new round of completely unscientific taste test of baked granola bars:

Admit it, we're all suckers for cute, smart kids. And when they're saying things like "really cool animals like polar bears and walruses will lose their habitat" and "we have to be brave right now" -- ahem, could some pass a tissue? I think some future hope for our planet just got caught in my eye.

The World Wildlife Fund made this video, which stars the kids of WWF staffers making a personal request to President Obama to go -- and lead -- the Copenhagen Climate Conference next month.

In the video the kids review the widely acknowledged fact that climate change will have catastrophic impact on the environment, and that the effects are already being seen, with weather changes and habitat loss.

The holidays really do come flying at you this time year. I can't believe it's already America Recycles Day, "ARD", on November 15th. That's this weekend! My friend Erin over at Holidash had a giggle at the idea of an annual holiday celebrating recycling, and sure, I can totally laugh about it with her. Come on, it's about taking out trash. That's a chore, not a celebration!

On the other hand, having spent some time lately visiting my sister in North Carolina where they don't have curbside recycling (my San Francisco "we made composting the law" sensibilities continue reel!) I can definitely see the need to raise awareness in parts of our great country. People don't recycle, and they need Recycling 101!

This is the 12th year of ARD, a day dedicated to educating yourself about recycling, and making the choice of buying recycled products. You know you look at that empty orange juice carton every single time and think, "Wait, is this trash, or recycling, or maybe compost?" -- this is the day you actually sit down at your computer and find the answer!

Alpha Green Al Gore has invited those of us who want clean energy technology (yes, personally -- get on the mailing list and he'll write to you, too) to participate in a new communication channel called The Wall.

It's a pretty amazing display of the passion behind the grassroots RePower America campaign. People post a comment, photo or even a video to The Wall, explaining why they believe clean energy is the way to save the environment and the economy. And the whole world can see and hear the public consensuse -- this is what we want, and we want it now!

One great thing about this collection of voices is that it uses the internet to amplify the message of people who have deep convictions, but perhaps prefer not to participate in a naked formation of the number 350 on the side of a mountain. Sure, those in-person, occasionally naked, demonstrations are fun and meaningful, but way too cold for some of us!

This year the Dread Swine Flu has even the most chemical-aversive of us displaying big pump-topped bottles of hand sanitizer on our desks and stashing mini bottles of it in our bags and pockets. I even have a new routine at the gym that involves swinging by the hand sanitizer dispenser multiple times during my workout. And again when I'm done!

This renewed love for water-free germ killers doesn't change the fear that many of us have about what the heck is actually in them? Are they dangerous to use on kids? Do they really contribute to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and viruses? And what about production processes? Good or bad for the environment?

Before you get into an H1N1 prevention-fueled tizzy (like I almost did), check out the Best Hand Sanitizer list from the Good Guide.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.