Green Daily

Why did Will Ferrell drink his own pee? Want a bendable, fold-able, kinetically-powered cell phone? Which celeb gave their Beverly Hills Mansion a $15m eco-makeover? Today's Eco-Beat has got the scoop on all of the latest awesome green news and tips.

Will Ferrell Learns About Survival with Bear Grylls Drinking (his own) urine, eating reindeer eyeballs ... it's all in a day's work for comedic superstar Will Ferrell -- who is now officially a lot harder to kill. He recently survived an episode of Man vs. Wild in Northern Sweden, where he got "urine drunk."

Kyocera Developing a Kinetic Folding Cell Phone The more you interact with this soft-ish folding phone, the more kinetic energy it harvests from its piezoelectric generators. Open it up for wide screen interaction, then fold it up like a wallet.

Eva Longoria Parker Designs HEB Shopping Bags Eva's teamed up with grocery chain HEB to design cute little bags for Earth Day. What's that? You already have reusable shopping bags? I don't care. Go buy some more. Do whatever this gorgeous woman tells you! Sorry, I just think she's hot.

Jennifer Aniston's House Gets Greenovated Jen's all about shrinking her eco-footprint. Her Malibu mansion recently got $15M worth of energy-conscious updates including solar panels, reflective roofing, and drought-resistant plants. She also traded in the Range Rover for a Prius.

The Cadillac Volt? Maybe? Rumor has it that GM's luxury brand may release a long-range hybrid based on the Volt in 2011. I'm trying to picture just how ugly the Volt would look in Mary Kay pink... ehhh.

Green in a Flash:

• The Obama administration is making the pitch for high speed rail.
• Study finds that only about, say, 98% of products that make eco-claims are greenwashing.
• Golden arches fall from sky and take out an SUV. Crazy.
  

There are only four days left to prepare for one of the most well-lit, smoggiest, most anticipated days of the year: Energy Wasting Day. After reports that last year's EWD might have been a factor in making a sizable dent in the icecaps, polar bear habitat, and snow pack, Dan Power is once again calling on your to make a difference this April 1st.

If you haven't already made plans for how to maximize your energy consumption/greenhouse gas emissions here are a couple of ideas:

• Burn those leftover candles from Earth Hour inside your freezer with the door open.
• Drive a Hummer to the local supermarket and buy up all of the reusable shopping bags, then use them to construct a sail to maximize wind drag.
• Run your A/C and heater at the same time and have them duke it out to keep you home at a comfortable 75°F

Use your imagination ... the possibilities are endless.

[via Treehugger]

Seattle city officials' decision to charge a 20-cent charge per plastic or paper shopping bag is up in the air, and scheduled to go to the voters in August, according to a recent article in the NY Times. Even an aide to a councilman who first sponsored the bill is doubtful about the outcome, due to the economic climate. In Portland, Mayor Sam Adams has said that he would not pursue such a fee, saying, "Now is not the time."

Even as support increased in pockets across the country, the economy has taken its tumble, and since then, no state has imposed a fee or a ban on disposable shopping bags, fearing public backlash.

Of course, across the country, paper and plastic bag makers have also been raising resistance. SaveThePlastic Bag, a group representing bag makers, offers these suggestions as opposed to taxes and bans: 1) Encourage people to reuse the disposable bags 2) Install more and better recycling receptacles 3) Publicize reuse at the checkout 4) Sell reusable bags at checkout.

While times certainly are tight right now, some argue that such a tax could raise much-needed tax revenues during this economic crunch. As long as the tax is small enough (20 cents, for example, might be on the high side), I don't see the problem.

What do you think? Do you think charging a tax per disposable shopping bag at this time is still a worthy pursuit, or that this is not the right time?

Bags on the Run offers basic, simple bags for a very reasonable price, with a ten-pack going for between $16 and about $20. The bags are made of polypropylene, making them very strong, and are also lead-free.

Bags on the Run come in a variety of colors and styles, from plain colors to "Going Green" logos. Out of the selection, the pink "G" bag is probably the cutest in my opinion, although knowing me, I would be inclined to go for the plain black.

You can't beat the price on these and they are especially perfect for grocery shopping. I have a set of similar bags and they are the first thing I reach for when I need an easy tote. Also check out their fundraising and corporate page, where you can order custom bags for your organization.

And hey, look how happy Rex Lee of Entourage fame looks.

I went to the store a few weeks ago and, as usual, put my reusable bags in front of all the things I was buying. The cashier sent them down to the bagger who promptly bagged them and put them in my cart while I wasn't looking. Then, when I pointed out to him that I brought the bags to put the groceries in he proceeded to put one or two things in each bag.

Of course, at another grocery store on another day, the bagger put as much as he possibly could into the one bag I had with me and apologized for using a plastic bag for the items that wouldn't fit. I could hardly pick p the over packed bag when I got home, but at least he tried.

My all time favorite was when I went to a big box store and handed the cashier my reusable bags. No, sorry, they don't work as well with the bag carousel system cashier but I'd still like to use them. She gave me the dirtiest look and proceeded to stuff everything into the bags in the most disorganized and messy way possible.

I don't get it. Why is it so awful to use my reusable bags? I put them up front so they are there right from the start, I don't nitpick the way they are packed, I don't have certain colored bags for certain items. Apparently, I'm not alone in this either.

So, cashiers and baggers, what's the deal? What is it I need to do to get you to stop giving me dirty looks and exasperated sighs every time I hand over my reusable grocery bags?

I know, I know, we all have plenty of reusable bags. But Flip & Tumble bags are so cute, and so compact, that I had to share them with you.

Flip & Tumble offers two styles of bags, created by Hetal Jariwala and Eva Bauer, graduates of the Stanford University Product Design graduate program.

The $12 24-7 bag comes in five different colors, has a single strap that fits comfortably over your shoulder, and folds down into a ball the size of a piece of fruit. It fits so easily into your bag that you will always have it with you.

The double handled Loopt bags are an equally convenient size, with an attached elastic band that makes it simple to roll up and stash in your bag, pocket or car. At $6 each, you'll want to get a few to have on hand all the time.

Get a jump start on your new year's resolution to avoid taking any bags -- paper or plastic -- with a new Flip & Tumble bag.

So, maybe all of you already figure this out, but I've just had an epiphany.

This year, I am going to wrap some of my Christmas gifts in reusable grocery tote bags. We are already planning on giving many homemade jams and jellies, breads and cookies. It would be perfect to pack them up in a grocery bag.

Everyone I know is trying to use cloth grocery bags right now. My Grandma asked me if I had extras (of course I shared since I had plenty) and I know some people who have four or five but always end up needing one or two more. So, this seems like the perfect wrapping.

Stores like Whole Foods are even offering bags that aren't just plain colors with the store name. You can also use drawstring bags or wrap things in fabric. What about a wooden box for a child that can later be used as a toy box or for presents in the future? Or even a backpack if a new one is needed for school.

If you take some time to think about it, you can probably find lots of wrapping ideas that are really cool and almost as useful as the gift itself.

I know I've mentioned before that I have a lot of reusable bags. Overall, I am usually pretty happy with the variety of bags I have. But a few weeks ago I spent some time with my sewing machine repairing bags that had handles that had come off, and seams that had frayed. I apparently am hard on my bags.

While I did feel very responsible taking the time to fix what I had instead of just buying something new, I felt frustrated that the bags weren't holding up all that well. I wanted a few that would be stronger. Tougher. Enter b. happy bags.

These bags are seriously strong. I bought 30 pounds of apples shortly after I got my bag and it was no big deal. The bags are made in the USA out of upholstery weight fabrics or fabric made from recycled water bottles. The handles are made from heavy-duty webbing.

Even better the bags are machine washable (and they don't shrink), made from fun and funky prints and fold up small enough to fit into your purse (or pocket). The bags stand up square and hold a ton of groceries but without any plastic insert in the bottom so they fold up perfectly.

I keep one in my purse all the time. It's lime green zebra print. It makes me happy just looking at it. You can also get holiday and seasonal themed bags. They have some great options for a reusable trick-or-treat bag that would hold a ton of stuff.

Compost your poop
Kelly tells us how we can all have our very own toilet and composter system.

Bush puts a halt to pesticide tests on foods
Bush puts a halt to a USDA program that tested the levels of pesticides in fruits, vegetables and other crops, citing the price...A whopping 8 million dollars.

Green travel in Oregon
Bruce talks to Dave Nissen, the owner of Wanderlust tours, an Oregon-based environmental tourism company. Wanderlust's programs sound quite cool with moonlight snowshoeing, a dinner canoe, and a "brews and canoes" tour.

Are you really using your reusable shopping bags?
'Fess up. Are you really using those reusable shopping bags? All the time?

Top 5 reasons to check out the new Jetta TDI.
Josh tells us all about his weekend getting to know the new Jetta TDI.

Lots of people are buying reusable shopping bags these days. Whether the bags are hip and trendy or just the 99 cent version from the local grocery store, reusable bags are everywhere.

If I open a new checking account at a local bank, I get a reusable bag. If I spend over a certain amount of money at my local quilt store, I get a reusable bag. One summer after reading a certain number of books at the library I got a reusable bag.

Here's the thing though. It costs more in energy and resources to produce those reusable bags. And the majority of them break down at a much slower rate if thrown away. So you have to actually use them to make a difference.

Find out the details after the jump.

With school starting back up I am guessing you are packing a few more lunches than you were at this time last month, well, if you have kids at least. When packing a lunch for school, work, or even a picnic or outing with little ones how can you avoid using all those little plastic baggies?

Well, you can pack things in reusable containers. I tried that for awhile and ran in to a few problems.

Invented by a little kid, the "Tee Bag" is a reusable shopping bag made by reusing an old t-shirt.

Why has nobody thought of this before?

Okay, maybe because at first blush it sounds a little scuzzy, worn looking, and even smelly.

But of course that doesn't have to be the case. After all, it's up to you what kind of t-shirt you use, and nobody ever said this idea was meant to represent the height of fashion. I think a Tee Bag is a great idea for kids to carry things like gym shoes and athletic clothes in, or it could be handy for lugging dirty garden tools around the yard or for collecting sea shells on the beach.

Find fully illustrated instructions on how to make your own Tee Bag here.

[via groovygreen]

My daughter begins preschool this fall. I got a brief list of items that she will need including a packed lunch. I consider myself an average parent with a certain degree of neurosis. I am trying to ween the family off plastics, especially when it comes to water bottles and cups. I am also interested in keeping down our disposable waste so sending my daughter to school with a bag full of individually packaged foods or Ziploc bags is out of the question. Unsure of my options, I checked out Reusable Bags for some ideas.

The website has a great history of carrying earth friendly products. They also have a great relationship with SIGG and will the one of the few internet companies to carry the bottles in the coming months. My only reluctance in ordering from them was the lack of free shipping (Amazon has me spoiled). However, I found a coupon code for 20% off the entire order and felt a lot better.

Check out the gallery below for a few of their lunchtime offerings.

I've seen and heard about the plastic bag recycling collections going on at local supermarkets and some of the big box stores lately. It seems like such a great idea, just bring your bags back and they'll take care of them, no need to worry about dragging those reusable bags around.

Well, this slideshow from the Pocono Record does a great job reminding us that reusable bags are still the way to go.

• Less than 1% of plastic bags are recycled each year and it costs more to recycle a plastic bag than to make a new one.
• According to San Francisco's Department on the Environment, it costs $4,000 to process and recycle one ton of plastic bags, which can then be sold for $32.
• Plastic bags account for more than 10% of debris washed up on the U.S. coastline, according to the National Marine Debris Monitoring Programming.

See the entire slideshow for a reminder of the havoc on wildlife that plastic bags can wreak. What you can do about it? Answer is simple, use those reusable bags!

Thanks to Earth Friendly Shopping for the link!

Rihanna keeps going up in my estimation. She is talented, winning a Grammy and has a gazillion hits, beautiful and totally fashion fabulous. All those recording sessions and wardrobe fittings take time, and for many young entertainers (she's only 20) that's would be enough to keep them occupied all day long. But Rihanna somehow finds the time to do good.

She's shown that she cares about others, like when she helped that mother in New York find a bone marrow donor. Back in 2006 -- when she was just 18 -- she founded Believe, a charity that works to benefit children around the world.

Now Rihanna's demonstrating that she cares about the environment. The trusty watchers over at People Style Watch report that she is carrying the My Bag Cares reusable tote.

The thing that makes this a great bag, beside it not being plastic, is that a tree is planted for every bag purchased. So Ri-Ri got a pine or something deciduous planted, plus she's making it cool for other young girls to get on the reusable bag bandwagon.

Yes, there are other celebs who carry this bag, like Joey Fatone and Rosanna Arquette, but Rihanna is the most, shall we say "youthfully relevant" name on the list, and I hope tons of girls all over the country will copy her on this trend, just like they did when she cut her hair.