Green Daily

Does Alicia Silverstone qualify as one of the world's leading thinkers in your book? How's Kate Walsh helping to get sea turtles off the hook? Why should you turn those ceiling fans on this winter? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Alicia Silverstone is a Keynote Speaker Founder Nicole Sherwin describes Green Lounge as "a platform for the thought leaders of the world" in the areas of environmentalism and wellness. Bet you never thought you'd hear anyone describe Alicia as a "thought leader." The event is set for next week in Santa Monica.

Kate Walsh Speaks for the Turtles The "Private Practice" star is set to appear in a series of PSAs for Oceana's new project: Getting Sea Turtles Off the Hook. The purpose is to bring awareness to the fact that 6 of the world's 7 sea turtle species swim in US waters and all 6 are listed as threatened or endangered.

Turn Your Fan Upside Down Did you know that flipping that little switch on the base of your fan in the winter can save you 10-15% on your heating costs? Switching your fan from a counter-clockwise to clockwise direction helps circulate that warm air back down to where you can enjoy it.

Which Low-Flow Toilets Git-r-Done When it's time to upgrade your home's porcelain thrones, how do you know if you're picking out the right replacement? Of course, not all low-flow loos are created equal, but according to Grist most major brands do their duty. You can also do some research online.

Wooden iPhone Skins Aid Reforestation All year long, I think of the best gifts ever. Then, when it comes time to shop, my mind goes blank. Here's a eco-friendly gimme: A Vers wooden iPhone case. For each tree used to make these cases, 100 more are planted through The Arbor Day Foundation.

Green in a Flash:

• A Japanese fishing trawler was sunk by giant jellyfish, nobody hurt.
• Check out this amazing vertical bed, for space-conscious living.
• A proposed wind farm may get scrapped because the site's too windy.

Is Harrison Ford the new quarterback for Team Earth? Looking for an eco-friendly iPhone case? Was anybody a little bit offended by the NY Post's defeatist attitude yesterday? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Harrison Ford Refrains from Waxing Chest Hair You might remember when Indiana Jones decided to wax a portion of his chest to demonstrate deforestation. Well, Ford is back at it, but this time he's simple doing the inspiring, emotional video thing. Personally, I'm all about the gimmicks, what about you?

The Top 5 Greenest Mega Corps For all of you corporate cheerleaders out there wanting to know who to root for, Newsweek has ranked the S&P 500 according to their environmental impact, green policies and reputation. The top five in order: HP, Dell, Johnson & Johnson, Intel and IBM.

Dress Up Your iPhone in Cardboard Wanna look eco-savvy while also saving yourself the repair cost on your iPhone next time you drop it? What you need is a recession-chic cardboard iPhone case. It's only costs $.99, it's recyclable, and as a bonus, it has a built-in anti-theft fugly factor.

The New York Post "We're Screwed" Edition Yesterday, thanks to The Yes Men, New Yorkers woke up to this startlingly blunt headline: "We're Screwed." The paper itself was, of course, a prank in honor of Climate Week, but all of the disturbing information about the environment is supposedly accurate.

Are You the Master of Your Climate? Need a new, uncomfortable and energy-saving game to play with your roommate/spouse? It's called "Thermostat Chicken," and you play by challenging your opponent to see who can last longer without turning on the heat/AC. The problem: Some people prefer to lose intentionally.

Green in a Flash:

• Good News! E. Coli bacteria eats up nuclear waste, free of charge.
• Experts agree, a man in Washington might be living unsustainably.
• Michigan State researchers discovered an undisturbed, prehistoric sand dune -- on their campus!

Does Knut the polar bear need an attorney? Wanna watch Greenpeace scale and deface (re-face?) Mt. Rushmore? Looking for a new game to play while driving to work? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Update: Knut Stays in Berlin Everyone's favorite polar bear is at the center of an old-fashion zoo-on-zoo legal smack down. Knut's parents were on loan from another zoo when he was born and subsequently rejected by his mother. Since the Berlin Zoo saved his life, they get to keep him.

Mt. Rushmore Stunt Behind the Scenes OK, so you saw the banner hanging on Mt. Rushmore the other day, and it made you cheer/reflect/yell obscenities. Regardless of how you felt about the guerrilla banner action, you have to admit it took some major cojones. Watch the behind the scenes video.

iPhone App Makes for Blissful Driving An app called Bliss Trek uses GPS signals to gauge you speed, acceleration, etc. to turn your daily commute into a emissions-reducing game. The more efficiently you drive, the more points you get. You can even Tweet your score to show off.

An LEED Platinum Burrito They may serve burritos way too large for the average human, but at least one Chipotle restaurant is working to slash its carbon foodprint. With a wind turbine, rainwater catchment, and LED lighting, the Chipotle in Gurnee, Illinois just received Platinum LEED status.

Trees Get Barcoded In an effort to deter illegal logging, over a million hardwoods around the world have been given a plastic barcode. When harvested, the trees can be tracked from the forest to the lumber yard, even the stumps are barcoded. No barcode = illegal cut logs.

Green in a Flash:

• Mr. Postman's got a brand new eco-friendly ride.
  
• A man was gored to death at Pamplona's running of the bulls. Crazy.
  
• You know you want some crazy green sunglasses made from a recycled Sprite bottle.

Looking for an eco-crib in New Orleans? Is your iPhone your most potent weapon in the battle against climate change? Do you have water-friendly recycling habits? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Blueprints for Brad Pitt's Eco Duplexes Brad Pitt's "Make it Right Foundation" has unveiled a new set of designs for green, flood-resistant duplexes that will soon be cropping up in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward. Eight of these energy-saving bad boys are already under construction.

iPhone Your Way to Sustainability Want to find the greenest way to do just about anything? Not to quote the commercials, but there probably is an app for that. Since iTunes has yet to create an official "green" category, Grist has sorted through the melee of apps to find the hidden gems.

Guy Ritchie Wants to be a Farmer Madonna's ex-husband Guy Ritchie wants to make his 18th century estate self-sufficient, at least when it comes to produce. The Snatch director has applied to convert his historic Ashcombe House flower gardens into a haven for fruit and vegetables.

Beware the Green Police A new type of law enforcement agency is currently taking form in the UK. With uniforms that consist of green vests, these eco-cops will have warrants to search properties, review energy bills, and audit the carbon trading practices of businesses.

Is Recycling a Waste of Water? Do you rinse your recyclables out before you toss them in the bin? If you do an overly thorough job, you're probably using a lot of unnecessary H2O. Then again, recycling saves a bunch of water in the long run, so you're still coming out ahead.

Green in a Flash:

• Japan may mandate noisier hybrids.
• One UK retailer is offering free EV charging while you shop.
• Electric companies may hike rates to pay for programs to save energy.

Are you craving a Vegan alternative to McDonald's? Do Lay's potato chips fit your definition of buying local, even if the chip factory is just down the street? Are you part of the 24 percent of Americans who understand cap and trade? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all of the latest green news and tips.

Heather Mills' Cafe Gets a Name Considering the possibility for worldwide expansion, Mills has settled on the name "V-Bites" for her seaside cafe. The 100% vegan cafe in southern England is only the beginning. Mills envisions a V-Bites franchise across the street from McDonald's. Really.

Locavores Eating Lay's? Everybody's trying to be more conscious of where their food comes from these days. Seizing on that, Lay's is highlighting the fact that it's addictive potato chips are grow and produced in the gool ol' US of A. Does a bag of Lay's really qualify as local produce?

Farmers Get Paid to Go Organic The Obama administration and USDA have set aside $50 million for farmers who want to make the switch to growing organic crops. For farmers: This money won't last long, and the deadline to apply is May 29th. $50M just isn't what it used to be.

We're Over Gadgeting the Energy Supply Gadgets are the bomb dot com, we all know this ... but watchdogs are worried about what happens in 2030, when everyone on the planet has a iPod and a Blackberry. Apparently, we're going to need about 200 new nuclear plants to power it all. Gulp.

Cap and Trade: A Four Minute Lesson This week, we heard that 76% of American's don't know what in the heck this 'cap and trade' thingy is all about. Well, if you want a refresher, this geeky but helpful video can help you understand all the basics in only a few hand gesture-filled minutes.

Green in a Flash:

• Finally, a zero-emissions riding lawnmower!
• World's largest thermal solar plant planned for Arizona desert.
• Looks like the Obama administration is getting ready to pull the plug on hydrogen cars.

(Photo by Getty Images)

I've had my iPhone for more than a year, but I've been slow to load up on apps, mainly depending on my friends to tip me off to hidden gems.

Then last week I saw an Earth Day commercial for green iPhone apps (or a commercial on Earth Day for iPhone stuff ... it could have been a coincidence) and suddenly had an urge to find out more.

At this point there's no good way to search the iTunes store -- or if there is, I'm not smart enough/young enough to figure it out. Instead I did some internet research and read a bunch of reviews. These are some of the highest rated green iPhone apps, with the biggest buzz and in some cases the most potential to grow:

• greenMeter ($5.99) -- do you know how fuel efficient your car is? How about your driving? This app measures how much fuel you're using, and your driving style. Then it gives you feedback to help you reduce your fuel consumption and impact on the environment.
• Get Green ($.99) -- get daily reminders delivered to your phone every day.
• iGreen ($.99) -- all the green news, all in one place, right when it happens.
• GasBag (free) and GasBag Pro (a little faster, no ads, $.99) -- find the closest and cheapest gas station in your vicinity. Worth it if you've ever driven around outside of an airport, looking for a gas station before dropping off a rental car. It will also help you avoid the extra emissions and gas guzzling of making the rounds of your local gas stations.
• 3rdwhaleMobile (free) -- a location based directory that helps you find green businesses. You can also rate and add reviews. It's in beta, but it's the kind of app that has a lot of potential as it grows.

FYI, I didn't include any of those dumb apps that let you grow a tree on your phone, and they plant one (!) tree when you buy it. That just seems dumb. If you want to donate money to plant a tree, go right to the source and donate to something like the Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees. Your phone doesn't need to get involved.

Sure, iPhone apps are cool, but sometimes the old fashioned way still works best.

Looking for some timely tips about greening your Easter celebration, taxes, or even taxidermy? Today's Eco-Beat has got the scoop on all sorts of awesome green news.

Welcome To Solar City, Florida Wanna live in the first completely solar-powered city in the US? With the world's largest solar farm, citywide WiFi, and electric car chargers, this place sounds like an eco-topia.

The Egg Crate Lamp So, you just bought a ton of eggs for Easter and now you've got a five-foot stack of egg crates in your kitchen. No worries, you can use them to build a sweet upcycled light fixture.

Going Green on the Job Hunt New phone apps make going paperless a cinch. No more late night trips to buy printer ink and goofy paper with watermarks -- just BeamME your resume.

Taxidermy is Trendy A new wave of taxidermists are recycling animals to make eclectic home furnishings. It may freak out some animal activists, but artists say they're preserving animals they didn't kill. Stuffed squirrel lamp anyone?

$6 Solar Cooker: The Next George Foreman Grill? The Kyoto Box costs about $6 to make, and it can help stop deforestation in places where wood fires are the primary means of cooking. This design won the $75,000 grand prize in the Climate Challenge? And, yes, it's just a box and some tin foil.

Green in a Flash:

• Oregon considers making cyclists pay road taxes. How?
  
• Extreme water shortages cause officials to shut off the tap for two million peeps in Mexico City -- for 36 hours.
• Upgrade your home's energy efficiency and you can save some green on your taxes.

In addition to the ridiculous number of real time traffic and weather monitoring apps you can get on your iPhone, you may soon be able to able to add street by street pollution updates. As part of the MESSAGE project (Mobile Environmental Sensing System Across Grid Environments) researchers at Imperial College London have set up a network of pollution sensors in the town of Gateshead to demonstrate the awesome power of live pollution mapping.

The project, which combines the efforts of Imperial College, Leeds, Newcastle, and Southampton Univeristies, is aimed at helping city planners and average joes monitor pollution hot spots. And thus, rethink the way they travel. According to Professor Bill Blythe of Newcastle: "The sensors we've deployed in Gateshead are small and low-cost. Other cities in the UK and around the world, such as New York and New Delhi, are interested in replicating what we're doing here." Sounds like I might have a new application to obsess over on Google Earth.

As a biker/pedestrian, would you alter your route if you noticed that you were going to walk through a steamy cloud of fumes?

[via Earth2Tech]

Sure, the iPhone can boast a smorgasbord of sweet apps, but does it have a solar panel? While the Apples and Blackberries (what's the deal with the fruit references?) of the phone world duke it out to create the most fashionable "it" phone, Samsung has been quietly been developing the ultimate eco-phone. Wisely resisting the temptation to beat us over the head with the phone's greenness, Samsung has chosen to go with the name Blue Earth for the world's first solar powered cell phone.

As you can see in the photo, the Blue Earth is all business in the front, panels in the back. And despite that the phone is still very pocket-friendly, the panels can actually harvest enough energy to fully charge the phone. Like other eco-friendly phones on the market, the Blue Earth's casing is completely non-toxic and made from recycled plastic bottles. For those of you worried about practical stuff, the fully touch screen phone functions as a pedometer (to encourage walking), and has a battery saving "eco mode" that moderates things like screen brightness and Bluetooth.

More details will be released after Samsung unveils the phone during this years Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Word has it that the Blue Earth will hit the streets in late 2009.

[via Inhabitat]

As if we need another excuse to spend time on our cell phones, the University of Washington and Intel have collaborated to create an app for the iPhone called Ubigreen that tracks your eco-transportation efforts and motivates you to stay on track. The program is focused on travel and uses accelerometer data and cell phone towers to track when you're walking, riding in a car, or biking and will then ask you questions about the details. Based on how green you are (if you carpool or take the bus instead of driving alone) the little tree on your phone's screen will be bigger, have more leaves, and even bloom.

[via DVICE]

Random House and LexCycle have teamed up to provide free eBooks for iPhone users. Popular iPhone application, Stanza from LexCycle, allows users to download over 100,000 different titles to read on their phones. The process is easy and paperless. You can read new releases without having to wait for your favorite used bookstore to get a copy. It's guilt free reading.

Random house has offered nine titles to LexCycle for free downloading. Unabridged copies are available from authors Alan Furst, Julie Garwood, Charlie Huston, David Liss, Laurie Notaro, Arthur Phillips, and Simon Rich. The list of books include some recent releases like Simon Rich's Free-Range Chickens.

Amazon's Kindle has been pretty popular and has the potential to reduce paper waste -- though there are eWaste concerns. What is great about Stanza is that it's a program for a device that you are already using. There is no need to buy another electronic gadget like the Kindle for paperless reading.

If you are looking to add a little personal style to your iPhone 3G but are unwilling to settle for a plastic case in neon hues, you might want to check out JAVOedge's Cork Back Cover.

This new cover slips over the back of your iPhone to protect it from bumps and fingerprints. Cutouts have been made in the cork for easy use and access to the camera, volume control and audio jack. The non-slip material will keep your iPhone from sliding off your desktop and its slim design will feel comfortable in your hand.

The case is made out of cork which is a sustainable material as it can be continually harvested without killing the tree. Cork is also naturally insulating, durable and resistant to microbes so it should last you a while - or at least until the next iPhone comes out.

[via: iPhone World]

Using a stationary bike as an electrical generator is hardly a new idea. In fact we've seen quite a few pedal-powered bike lights, but this calories-to-electricity generator system is really something different -- and awesome. The Commuter Cyclist's Sustainable Energy Source, designed by Deco Goodman, harvests energy from "braking, downhills and even bumps on the road" and stores it all in a handy-dandy battery underneath your seat.

The system includes a headlight, tail light, battery storage system that allows you to charge your devices off the grid, and two generators to harness your bike's untapped energy. The first of the generators is placed on the back wheel and uses magnets to reclaim power during braking, similar to a hybrid car. The second generator is comprised of a series of piezo chips (don't ask me to explain how they work) stacked up in the bike's seat post. When the bike hits a bump, the compression of the chips create a charge that is transferred into the battery.

As usual, I will ask any willing venture capitalist to hurry up and get this awesome gadget into production -- because I want it for Christmas.

[via CleanTechnica]