The Secret Life of Cell Phones

Seafood Watch Pocket Guides

It's hard to keep up with which seafood is sustainably harvested and which isn't. You don't have to, because the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program does it for you! Just order one of their FREE handy-dandy pocket guides so that you can make smart seafood choices. The guides are meant to empower consumers and businesses to make choices for healthier oceans. Options are broken down into three categories - GREEN - best choice, YELLOW - good alternative, and RED - avoid. But don't harvesting practices, aquaculture techniques and species populations change? Yes, and that is why the cards are updated twice a year! But aren't different options available in different places? Yes, which is why Seafood Watch offers guides specific to your region! But shouldn't health concerns also be considered? Yes, which is why the cards indicate which choices have health concerns associated with them! Quit asking questions and order your card already so that you can make smart, sustainable seafood choices. Go to http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp to learn more!

Eco-Smart News Clips

Here are your Eco-Smart news clips from the past few weeks!

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• Articles marked with a bullet

ENERGY

• Forests May Offer Energy Solutions
  
• City Eyes New Rate for Solar Power


• Officials: Free Energy Audits Save Money


• Study Boosts Switchgrass As New Alternative Fuel


• Ford to Unveil Eco-Friendlier Engine


• GM Eyes Breakthrough In Cellulosic Ethanol


• Auto Industry Shows Off Fuel Efficiency


• Study: Prarie Grass Can Produce Ethanol


• Biofuel Producers Launch State Trade Group


• Europe May Ban Imports of Some Biofuel Crops


• Variety Show: Hybrids, Gas Guzzlers Both On View
  

GREEN DEVELOPMENT

--> Green Builing Technology Database

--> North Carolina Solar Center

• Town Encourages Residents To Learn Smart-Growth Strategies


• 'Green' Insurance Policies Offer Home Upgrades


• Water-Absorbing Gardens Could Blossom In Region
  

WATER

• Keeping Clean With Less Water
  

GLOBAL

• Climate Talk's Cancellation Splits A Town


• 2007 Was Tied As Earth's Second-Warmest Year
  

WASTE

• China Launches Surprise Crackdown On Plastic Bags


• Bags Sold To Help Give Plastic the Sack
  

HOUSE

• Clorox Introduces Green Line of Cleaning Products
  

FOOD

• Woman Works to Create Bounty of Chemical-Free Local Produce


• Ocean Fish, Fresh From the Farm

WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?

• Triangle Family Will Eat Local

You DO Have a Choice (at least about catalogs)

Getting lots of catalogs in the mail that you have no interest in? Check out Catalog Choice, a free service that lets you decide which catalogs you want to receive. Catalog Choice is a sponsored project of the Ecology Center and is endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Its mission is to reduce the number of repeat and unwanted catalogs in your mailbox and to promote sustainable business practices. Each year 53 million trees worth of catalogs show up in American mailboxes. Go to http://www.catalogchoice.org/ to clean out your mailbox!

Vroom Vroom

This week is the beginning of the North American International Auto Show (formerly the Detroit Auto Show). So, what's so eco-smart about that you ask? Well, it turns out that this year there are many automakers showing off their new green technologies. Check out these articles to learn more about them!

• Automakers Tout Green Technologies
  
• A Power Trip With Green Detours
  
• 'Green' Grows From Trendy to Increasingly Profitable

Greenwash Brigade

Sound too good to be true? It might be... Don't be lured by environmental claims that aren't true! Check out the Greenwash Brigade, part of American Public Media's Public Insight Network. These environmental professionals examine the eco-friendly claims made by companies, governments, and other organizations so you'll know what's fact and what's just a marketing tactic.

From Greener Gadgets to Greener Bars - It's Eco-Smart Consumer News!

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:

Energy

• Asphalt Roads Providing Soalr Heat
• Energy Bill Phases Out Light In Favor of Greener Devices
• Airport Trying Hybrid Shuttles
• For Fuel, N.C. Looks Homeward
• Saving Energy, Money: There Are Simple, Low-Cost and No-Cost Steps To Make Your Home More Efficient
• Bioheat May See Surge of Its Own
• Energy Savers: Managing Resources Is Good Business
• Energy Savers: Biodiesel Helps Run Diverse Fleet
• Energy Savers: House Captures Warmth of the Sun
• Energy Savers: Greasing His Wheels
• Energy Savings: Myth or Money

Waste

• N.C. Businesses Must Recycle Glass Bottles, Cans
• Holiday Season Right Time to Recycle

Where Did You Get That?

• N.C. Leads Fight To Stop Tainted Food
• Shun Imports From China's Polluting Factories?
  Yes: U.S. Should Put Pressure On Bloated Chinese Industrial Base
  No: Boycott Would Hurt Chinese People, Not the Polluters

Consumer Main

• Cities Enticing Residents to Go Green

>> MapEcos

House

• Gadget Makers Edge Toward Going Green

Green Development

• NCSU To Unveil $20 Million Sustainable Neighborhood
• 'Green' Building to Gain Ground at Modest Pace
• Green Homes Mark Milestone In Region
• Southern Living Goes Green for WNC Idea House
• New Home Outlook: Green Is Still a Go
• Walking In City Gets a Bit Safer

Global

• Melting Ice Pinned On Man, Nature
• 350: The Number to Remember On Global Warming
• Scientist Drills Shrinking Ice For Clues
• Increased Carbon Dioxide In Atmosphere Will Kill More People

All About Biofuels

What is the difference between ethanol and biodiesel? What is E85? Should you worry that food prices will rise if corn is used for ethanol? Get answers to all of these and MUCH more with Fill 'er Up - A Grist Special Series on Biofuels! Learn why people are for it, why people are against it and then make your own informed decision!