From Toilet Makers to Walking Off Thanksgiving Dinner - It's Eco-Smart News Clips!

The Office of Environmental Education's Informed Consumer Initiative seeks to highlight some of the issues surrounding our consumer choices. The information and resources provided are not meant to advocate for any particular choice, but rather to let folks know what choices are out there and the costs and benefits associated with them.

Topics covered include: Food, Lawn & Garden, Energy, Water, Waste, Household Products, Personal Products, Product Distribution, Green Development, Farm News, Recreation and Global Climate. On our Web site, current new articles relevant to North Carolina are posted so that you can continue to be an Informed Consumer!

· News Items are bulleted
>> New resources are marked with an arrow

Consumer News Articles Posted in the Last Few Weeks Include...

Global Climate
>> Climate Classroom: What’s Up With Global Warming from the National Wildlife Federation
· Most Ready for ‘Green Sacrafices’
· Warming Worries Coastal Officials
· How Do You Ski If There Is No Snow?
· Warming Risks Are Real, Panel Warns
· Sea Level’s Rise to Bring Issues for N.C.
· U.N. Panel Gives Dire Warming Forecast
· Millions of Jobs At Risk From Climate Change: U.N.
· When Seas Rise, Who Owns Shoreline?

Energy
· Schools Brew Biodiesel Success Story
· Green Building: Staying Warm, Saving Energy Go Hand In Hand
· Solar Savings: Energy From the Sun Can Lead to Cheaper Utility Bills
· Switching to Renewable Energy, Conservation
· Only Cree’s LEDs Will Light Its Buildings
· Longer Daylight Time May Save Energy – But Stats Are Stale
· Government to Explore Coast’s Alternative Energy Sources
· Garbage Plus Gas Equals Green
· GE Hopes To Cut Mercury In ‘Green’ Light Bulbs
· In Farm Belt, Ethanol Plants Hit Resistance
· On Mileage, Car Makers Offer a Hybrid Message
· Chevy Hybrid SUV Wins ‘Green Car of Year’
· Alternative Fuels’ Future Debated· LEDs Gaining Allure

Food
· The Greening of Thanksgiving
· Battle Over ‘Natural’ Food Designation
· Target Seeks to Label Treated Meat
· Organic Produce ‘Better for You’
· Pa. Bans Hormone-Free Milk Labels
· In Eco-Friendly Factory, Low-Guilt Potato Chips
· USDA Revokes OK For Tyson Chicken Labels

Waste
· IBM Can Recycle Microchip Scraps
· Turning Trash Into Treasure
· Businesses In a Bind Over Recycling Bottles
· Recycling Cuts Arena’s Waste Stream
· U.S. Electronic Waste Ending Up As a Danger Overseas
· Freecycle Computers Get a Second Chance

Personal
· Study: Chemicals From Household Plastics Found In Volunteers’ Blood
· Target Will Reduce PVC Use
· Don’t Flush Leftover Meds – Mix With Kitty Litter
· Alternative Funeral Services Include Cremation and Green or Natural Burial

House
· Sustainability In the Global Paint Industry – Performance Technology That Is Also Better for the Environment
· FSC’s ‘Green’ Label for Wood Products Gets Growing Pains

Water
>> U.S. Drought Portal and the NC Drought Management Advisory Council
· Check Drought Status At New Site· Reuse of Water Often Illegal
· Drought Council: Water Supploes Could Be Tapped Out Next Year
· Drought Has Conservationists Scrambling To Get Hands On Rain Barrels
· Residents Get Creative While Conserving Water
· Recycling Water? It’s a Gray Area
· Waste Not Water: Toilet Makers Respond On Conservation

GrEEn Development
>> GreenBizGreenBiz is an information resource for how to align environmental responsibility with business success. It provides valuable news and resources to large and smallbusinesses through a combination of Web sites, workshops, daily news feeds, electronic newsletters, and briefing papers. These resources are free to all users.
· Build-Green Rebate Propsed
· Green Building: How Green Is Your Plumber and Your Plumbing System?
· Commissioners OK ‘Green’ High School Construction Method
· ‘Green Park’ May Be Model For State
· Lessons On Green Building Take Root
· ‘Green Roof’ Browns As Drought Drags On
· North Carolina Business Park Weighed For 2 Kinds of Green· Engineer’s Work Grows Greener Army

RecrEEation
· How To Get Fit and Save the Planet
· Weaving a Web of Trails
· How Do You Ski If There Is No Snow?
· Stay Fit With Parks and Rec
· Guidebooks Show Travelers How To Go Green
· Where to Walk Off Dinner

General
>> The Green Guide – “the green living source for today’s conscious consumer”
· Check out “Consumed” from American Public Media which asks if our consumer society issustainable
· Most Products’ Green Claims Exagerated, Study Finds
. What Happened to Thrift?