Green Daily

(Photo by Target)

Okay, so I get that we shouldn't use leather, because it's (theoretically) cruel to kill animals for fashion, and the tanning and dying process is (definitely) an environmental nightmare that produces evil, poisonous sludge.

A fashionable girl can still turn to fun (and bonus: inexpensive) vinyl options from trendy bargain retailers like Target and H&M. No animals hurt here! Except, wait, the production of vinyl is sort of nasty. But did I mention, no animals hurt? Vegan? Please, can't I at least have a leather looking bag?

Apparently the answer is "No." A news alert from the Center for Environmental Health just released results from a study that found vinyl bags bought in the Bay Area have high -- dangerously high -- levels of lead in them. Great! That's where I live, and I'm carrying a fabulous H&M vinyl bag right now. Except I just dropped it like a radiation-hot potato.

Should you go green to score more celebrity dates? Are nudists the most eco-conscious travelers around? What's worse: mosquito bites or mosquito repellent? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

If You're Not Green, Celebs Won't Date You Eco-friendly habits are the new personal hygiene. OK, so maybe hygiene is still pretty high on some people's lists, but TV personalities like Spencer Grammer (Kelsey's daughter) won't even date you if you're not water conscious. Just FYI.

Traveling Nudists Pack Light Worried about your carbon-intensive vacation plans? To offset some of your impact, some nudists naturists would say 'leave the clothes behind.' Apparently, there's a whole culture of green naturists that preach the virtues of skipping laundromats and detergent altogether.

Composting: It's the Law SF Mayor Gavin Newsom signed the nation's first mandatory composting law yesterday. The city has set a goal to divert 75% of its landfill waste, and they're currently at 72%. I'm forecasting some stinky green compost bins baking in the heat this summer.

Should I DEET or Get Eaten? When it comes to mosquito repellents, DEET is pretty much hands-down the most effective chemical -- but there are some pretty serious concerns about its safety. DEET can cause fatigue, memory loss, etc., but of course malaria sucks too. There's got to be a happy medium.

Reducing Your Dishwashing Footprint Has anybody tried these Seventh Generation dishwasher pacs? From what I can tell, just pop these tablets in your dishwasher's soap compartment and whammy -- clean dishes. The box is recyclable, the only waste is the baggies where the tablets live.

Green in a Flash:

• A waterless toilet built from poo -- that also creates energy.
• A third of all sharks are facing extinction due to overfishing.
• Al Gore is headed to Capitol Hill to champion the contentious climate bill.

This was a pretty exciting week for me. I got a "personalized" email from Alpha Green Al Gore, asking me to support Repower America's efforts to convince Congress to pass aggressive climate legislation. I think he's the greatest! (And I hope/believe he's secretly doing something to get Laura Ling and Euna Lee released from that North Korean labor camp.)

You may remember Al's awesome speech to the Daughters of the American Revolution, when he challenged America to get 100% of our power from clean energy sources within 10 years. Repower America is the organization that grew in response to that challenge, with over 2 million members across the country.

The video above is the latest ad from Repower America, and it's just plain-talking awesomeness. The totally crusty, hardworking, traditional-seeming gentleman who stars in it hits all of the high points -- like how we're "held hostage by foreign oil" and "borrowing money to buy oil from dictators who don't like us" and "burning it in ways that kill God's green earth" -- using language that makes these ideas accessible and palatable to non-bleeding heart liberals. You know, like the majority of the country.

I don't know anybody who actively dislikes the farmers' market. However, I do know plenty of folks who don't take full advantage of markets near them. Are you one of them?

Don't be! This time of year is perfect for stocking up on fresh fruits and vegetables. In-season produce is often more affordable than you think. In fact, you might be surprised at how many meals you can make with just $20 worth of food from your local market!

Not sure what to shop for? Or maybe you're just not sure what certain fruits look like when perfectly ripe. This article has a few tips for not only choosing, but using delicious farmers' market fare. Additionally, you might benefit from these tips on how to save money when you go (who knew those quarters you've been saving could save you money?).

Why is Daryl Hannah wearing handcuffs? Is Michelle Obama turning the White House into a hippie commune? Should cash-strapped cities be hiring ad firms to promote their tap water? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Daryl Hannah Gets Locked Up Eco-warrior Daryl Hannah can't seem to steer clear of Johnny Law. She and about 30 other protesters got loaded into the paddy wagon after blocking West Virginia's State Route 3, which leads to a Massey coal plant. Rock on! Daryl's a repeat offender!

The White House has a Compost Bin Actually, make that three compost bins. After importing her compost from celebrity chef Dan Barber for this year's ridiculously successful planting season, the First Lady is taking her organic gardening up a notch with on-site kitchen waste composters.

Minneapolis Pays Big Bucks to Promote Tap Water In most US cities the tap water is not only safe, but it's just as pure as many bottled waters. The trick is getting a bottle-addicted populous to give it a chance. Minneapolis recently launched a controversial $180K campaign to encourage people to tap into city water.

Is it Ever Green to Eat Factory Farmed Meat? If you're at a dinner party and you notice that someone's going to throw out some perfectly good, factory farmed meat, is it greener to take it home and make meatloaf despite your anti-factory farm principles? Check out Grist's answer to this philosophical dilemma.

The Country by Country Water Footprint Breakdown I don't know why, but I just love maps, no matter what they're attempting to document. It could be radioactive monster sightings, I don't care. This one happens to be the various water footprints of the world -- an issue that's gaining more awareness these days.

Green in a Flash:

• Could massive geothermal power projects trigger earthquakes in SF?
• Apparently, America really likes the new Prius commercials.
• Cash for Clunkers scams are already popping up, and the bill hasn't even been signed yet.
  

(Photo by Getty Images)

On Monday Josh's Eco Beat included an item about Andy Dick dressed as a maniacal Ronald McDonald on behalf of our dramatic friends at PETA.

It reminded me that it's been a while I checked in with those masters of PR and media manipulation. So clicked on over to the PETA homepage and found, to my surprise and delight, that it's been a whole year since Leona Lewis and Anthony Keidis were selected as the Sexiest Vegetarians alive.

That's right, there's a new pair of Sexiest Vegetarians According to PETA! The big winner for the ladies is Kellie Pickler ("Pick Pickler!" -- I guess the fake boobs didn't disqualify her) of American Idol and country music fame. Representing Dude Vegetarians is Hayden Panettierre's ex-boyfriend, and Heroes co-star, Milo Ventimiglia.

Have Fatboy Slim and Jarvis Cocker joined the Blue Man Group? Looking for ways to look smart and save your office some money? Need an excuse to procrastinate mowing the yard? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Fatboy Slim Has the Climate Change Blues Blue is the new green for Oxfam protesters at Copenhagen's climate conference. To help roll out the new "Demand action until you're blue in the face" campaign, Fat Boy Slim and others are showing how easy it is to get the new paintjob on video.

Reduce Your Office's Footprint Energy Star and Danny Seo have developed a website to show you how to slash your office's energy bill and even create a "Green Team" of coworkers (not modeled after Will Ferrell's trash-talking Green Team). A penny saved is a penny earned, and that's job security, people.

But I like Coffee and Bananas! If you tend to obsess over your carbon foodprint, you've probably come across a startling revelation: most of our favorite food vices come from the tropics! Though there's no silver bullet, Grist has come up with some ways to help combat those food miles.

More Mowing, Mo' Watering Of all the suburban lawn farmers I've met, virtually none of them enjoy mowing the grass in the summer heat. Good news! Letting your grass grow a little longer will actually save you some water. Longer grass = more shade = recipe for laziness.

Coke's Trashy Art Installation In support of UK Recycle Week, Coca Cola commissioned a sculpture that sorta kinda blurs the line between art and trash. Artists built a Coke can sculpture that delivers a pro-recycling message to birds and UFOs flying over the English coastline, but looks trashy from the ground.

Green in a Flash:

• NYC taxi drivers won't get penalized for refusing to buy hybrids.
• Speaking of NYC, Moby's vegan restaurant burned down.
  
• Climate legislation working its way through Congress would cost about $175 per household.

(Photo by Getty Images)

It's time for Green Confessions. I was just cleaning my microwave and had an urge to toss it out and buy a new one.

It wasn't that dirty, it was just taking more elbow grease and energy than I had at the moment to get the mysterious dried stuff off the walls. And new stuff is shiny and pretty!

Don't worry, I finished cleaning it, with all natural biodegradable soap and water. But I have to admit, the temptation was there.

Is Andy Dick auditioning to be the next face of the McDonald's empire? Are we on the brink of a dot-eco revolution? Have you ever wanted to bathe in your favorite pilsner? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Andy Dick as Evil Ronald McDonald There are few things in this world more disturbing than seeing Andy Dick dressed up as Ronald McDonald and wielding a meat cleaver ... but that's the horrendous sight that greeted passersby during a PETA protest in Chicago. Check out the video.

Is Sparkling Water as Bad as Bottled? The general rule of thumb here is this: if it comes to you in a disposable container and rides on a truck, it's not eco-friendly. That said, slamming sparkling waters all day in place of Coke or Red Bull has to yield some kind of green benefit due to the health factor.

Succulent Tips for the Xeriscaper These hardy little plants have developed quite a following over the last few years, mostly because they look awesome, but also because, in terms of maintenance, they're second only to fake plastic flowers. Still, do you know how to ignore these plants properly?

The Dot-Eco Revolution Could GreenDaily one day drop the ".com" in favor of a spiffy new ".eco" domain name? A growing number of eco-geeks (including the inventor of the internet, Al Gore) are backing the idea of giving environmentally-oriented sites their own top-level domain.

All Natural Beer Soap Want to smell like you've bathed in a pool of your favorite beer without exceeding the legal limit? The Beer Soap Co. not only makes cleansing suds enhanced with your favorite premium beer, but you can even wash your hair with it. It's the bar of soaps (sorry for the pun).

Green in a Flash:

• Recycled tire materials could be the next big thing in heavy construction.
• They could also be poisoning our playgrounds.
• Why are all the Joshua trees disappearing?

(Photo by Getty Images)

Sure, electric cars and hybrids have their place in the green transportation hierarchy, but bikes are universally acknowledged as the greenest way to get around. Completely emissions-free, powered by muscles and sweat, they are the healthy choice for the environment and for you.

However, like so many good habits (or intentions,) biking your way around town can go from difficult to outright impossible when you're traveling. Bikes are a pain to transport on airplanes, and while you can rent in most places, you never know what kind of equipment you'll find. Plus, even if you are lucky enough to get a decent bike, it can still be hard to find important information like where you can safely ride or if there are bike racks at your destination.

Of course, a clever person named George Gill came up with a solution: RentaBikeNow.com. This site lets you research the available bikes in a city or town, see photos and rates, reserve it online, and then get information on the best and safest routes. You can also get accessories, like kiddie trailers, helmets and locks.

Are green babies the next big Hollywood trend? Why is Stephen Colbert talking about huffing smokestacks? Need some tips on how to green your dish washing routine? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Pregnant Ana Ortiz Plans Low Emissions Baby Ugly Betty star Ana Ortiz is planning to school her daughter the ways of a low-impact lifestyle. Says Ortiz: "My daughter's just going to be really hip! My goal is to be as eco-conscious as possible. There's so much out there for parents who want to do that."

Stephen Colbert Grills Clean Coal Guru Sure, "clean coal" sounds great, but as Stephen points out, cleanliness is relative. For instance, you can't put your head in a smokestack and huff the clean coal vapors safely. I think that's just good, practical advice for anyone to follow.

You Might Get Pulled Over by One of These If you live in LA County, you may soon see your local Sheriff's deputy cruising around in an all-electric Mini. I'm not sure how the Mini's compact style complements crew cuts or aviator sunglasses, but it doesn't exactly play into the intimidating, tough guy image.

Keeping Your Dishes Green and Spot Free So you got a fabulous new high-efficiency dishwasher, but it requires some kind of weird "rinse aid" potion. Grist has some tips that can help your family skip the mysterious dish-drying chemicals while keeping you glassware deliciously spot free.

The Bicycle Lifestyle Guide So you wanna start riding your bike on short trips, but you need a little pep talk? The Bicycle Lifestyle Guide is a short and sweet biking bible that will help you learn (and review) some biking basics. You can even save paper and read it online.

Green in a Flash:

• Morbid yet eco-friendly shelf doubles as a coffin in death.
• The 'Cash For Clunkers' bill is awaiting President Obama's signature.
• Like the National Debt Clock, there's now a real-time carbon counter in NYC.

(Photo by Getty Images)

You know how being "green" used to have a sort of, well ... wimpy reputation?

Hey, you know it's true. I don't make it up, I just report it!

Well, those days are over. Eco-friendly is so cool it's now badass. Ashley Braun and Katharine Wroth at Grist created a killer list of the 13 most badass greens, and there is not a wussy treehugger (not that there's anything wrong with that, we love treehuggers and Treehugger) to be seen!

The post has a poll for you to vote for your favorite Badass Green, but I seriously could not pick just one. My top picks include:

Why is Al Gore backing a non-hybrid car company? Are Michelle Obama's organic veggies dangerous? Need an eco-friendly way to de-stink your bathroom? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Al Gore: Auto Industry Tycoon? Doesn't it seem like a weird time to get into the car business? Al Gore doesn't think so. He's thrown his support behind V-Vehicle Co., a new car company moving into an ex-GM plant in Louisiana. Venture capitalists Kleiner Perkins and T. Boone Pickens are also on board.

The 5 Greenest Cities on the Planet (to Visit) Based on what criteria, I'm not quite sure (hotels? transportation?) , but Treehugger has put together a list of the "5 Greenest Cities to Visit." Some are also the greenest to live in ... I'm not sure I understand the difference, but I do want to visit all of these places.

It's Harvest Time for Michelle Obama Remember the organic garden that the First Lady planted in late March? Yesterday, she invited the fifth grade farmers who helped do the planting back to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor -- despite Big Ag warnings that she should have used pesticides.

CYA With Poo-Pourri Tired of nasty chemical aerosol fresheners? Now there's a environmentally friendly way to deodorize your bathroom with a self-deprecating sense of humor: Poo~Pourri. It's made from essential oils and you spray it directly on the bowl before you go.

Are Pro Sports Killing the Planet? Sure, the turf may be green, and sometimes, so are the jerseys ... but for the most part, pro sports organizations are lagging in their efforts to promote a sustainable business model. Grist is launching a sport by sport, in-depth look at what each league can do.

Green in a Flash:

• Are solar-powered cell phones just a gimmick?
• Kite-like wind turbines at high altitudes could completely power NYC.
• Cocaine smugglers are using dead sharks to ship their contraband.

(Photo by monstervintage.com)

"Recycle" and "reduce" get a lot of attention in the green world, but gloomy global economic conditions are making many people take a second look at "reuse." This thrifty attitude is great for the planet -- if something has already been created, it's better to get as much use out of it as possible before you spend more energy to recycle it into something else.

Clothing is one of the easiest and most fun things to reuse. Hand-me-downs get a bad rap, but when you call it vintage? Then it's cool! Even if you don't have good local vintage boutiques, the internet is now a fab place to find treasures. Monster Vintage has a huge selection of men's, women's and "cool stuff." Be warned, if you click through, you will browse through the merchandise for hours!

"Gently used" second-hand designer fashion used to be a guilty secret, but now we're wearing it loud and proud. Online luxury vintage retailer Marion Mercer offers pristine items from designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Valentino. While the prices aren't exactly thrift store cheap, they're still considerably less than buying the big names new.

Why are Naomi Watts and Liev Shreiber digging in the dirt? What's greener: Drip irrigation or xeriscaping? Does your legume habit amount to a hill of beans, ecologically speaking? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Naomi Watts Plants a Tree Teaching their sons about environmental responsibility and the joys of playing in the dirt, Naomi and husband Liev Schreiber took their sons to Galilee's Jewish National Fund Park to do some family tree planting. Sounds like fun, I hope they offset their travel footprint.

The Water Saver's Shower Ritual Rethinking your shower routine is an easy way to save H2O and, of course, shrink your utility bill. Sure, you've heard most of these ideas before, but it's way more fun to watch every water saving shower tip you've ever heard crammed into a one and a half minute video.

The Drip Irrigation Vs. Xeriscaping Breakdown Looking to make some water saving changes in the yard before sprinkler season? You've probably considered going with either drought-resistant vegetation, or a more conservative watering system. Now, how do they stack up in a head-to-head water conservation deathmatch?

Father's Day Procrastinator's Special So, you still haven't done your shopping for dear old dad and you'res starting to feel the shame ... Is he a tree hugger? An outdoorsy type? You may be in luck. You could sponsor a wilderness area, print out the official certificate, and you're done.

One for the Bean Counters Beans, beans, they're good for your heart, they're a musical fruit, and they're a great way to supplement your protein intake on meat-free Mondays. But, do you know which beans have the lightest energy footprint: canned or dried? If your a bean fiend, you've gotta check this out.

Green in a Flash:

• Harassing cyclists is now its own offense in Missouri. Go bikers!
  
• Jessica Alba isn't going to jail for her Oklahoma shark poster activism.
• What are the best makes and models to scrap if the cash for clunkers bill passes?