Don’t let those freshly cut herbs wilt – keep them fresh and hydrated in simple Swedish style with this modern ceramic pot from Sagaform.

Three separate openings will keep fresh herbs both hydrated and aerated while providing you with a nice presentation piece.  Display them on a kitchen counter or window sill like a bouquet of edible flowers.  Water via the corner hole.  Easy to clean.
$36 @ huset-shop.com

Related: (3.8.08) – sagaform’s fresh herb pot

I just finished my first glass of Steaz Black Tea with Lemon and I have to say, wow, that was delicious!  Company founders, Steve and Eric have been brewing tea for the past six years; it’s all goin’ on — the perfect triple bottom line mix of product, planet and profits.

Steaz tea leaves are grown on an organic and certified fair trade farm in Sri Lanka, and their aim is to be the best tasting, most popular iced tea on the planet.  Straight from the can, here are the ingredients:  the finest organic black tea leaves, filtered water, organic evaporated cane juice, organic lemon juice and natural flavors.

find out where to buy, and experience their hip tea lounge @ steaz.com

We’ve tested the Eco Canteen and it works great as a cold beverage container.  This dishwasher friendly re-usable water bottle is constructed of non-porous, food-grade stainless steel.

The bottle’s cap features a handy carabiner clip so you can attach it to anything from a baby stroller to mountain climbing equipment.  Included is a sleek neoprene pouch, (with detachable straps), for insulation and ease in carrying. Note – be sure to simply rinse cap in mild soapy water, it’s not dishwasher safe.

26 oz. adult canteens go for a very reasonable, $9.99/each @ ecocanteen.com; the 16 oz. kiddie version goes for $8.95

• Chicago Promises Green Olympics – msnbc
• You gotta have the grid…Dutch Electricity System Can Cope With Large-scale Wind Power – sciencedaily
• Drought. Water Cutoff May Devastate Calif. Farmers – npr
• These things must be stopped. Beetle Attack - enn/the economist
• Google Dismisses ‘Atlantis Find’ – bbc
• Cool. Rare U.S. Jaguar Caught, Released in Arizona – reuters

While pharmaceuticals have become unintended regulars within our drinking water supplies, there’s a chemical that’s been deliberately added to the water solely for the purpose of medication. The drug is fluoride, and by this action, governments have denied us the right to choose whether or not a medication is something that we’d like to utilize.

While most Americans have come to believe in fluoride’s topical ability to prevent tooth decay, a recent flood of scientific studies and observations by dentists and anthropologists (without industry ties), have found there to be no difference between the amount of tooth decay in fluoridated and unfluoridated countries; as well as no increase in tooth cavities when fluoridation has been stopped. Once ingested, damages to: the brain (such as dementia and lowered IQ’s), thyroid gland, bones, and kidneys are possible.

Then why is this chemical in our water? Fluoride’s story begins with its tendency to rise up as a vapor through smoke stacks of the phosphate fertilizer industry when raw phosphate ore comes into contact with sulfuric acid. In the 1940’s, it would spread throughout the air for miles – burning plants, dwarfing their survivor’s size and yields, and causing a condition called fluorosis that inflicted cows with swollen joints, falling teeth, and pain until death. Technology solved this problem with the introduction of “wet scrubbers” that could be placed within the stacks to capture the chemical before escaping into the air. Classified “hazardous waste” it could then be transported completely unrefined to communities paying them for its use within their water supplies; “wasting” it while washing cars, flushing toilets, and doing the dishes.

Seems a bit outrageous, huh. Dr. J. William Hirzy, a Senior Vice-President of the EPA Headquarters Union agrees with you, stating back in 2000 that, “If this stuff gets out into the air, it’s a pollutant; if it gets into the river, it’s a pollutant; if it gets into the lake it’s a pollutant; but if it goes right into your drinking water system, it’s not a pollutant. That’s amazing… There’s got to be a better way to manage this stuff.”

Take action and learn more @ www.fluoridealert.org

Here’s a watering can for those who have gone all ‘Flintstones’ with their home decor; or, maybe you have some offspring you want to inspire to water those African violets.

Made of recycled HDPE plastic, this well-balanced, nature-inspired watering can holds 32ounces of H2O.

$14.99 @ perpetualkid.com

$18 @ sprouthome.com

This is the last post of a 10-part series on how changing ones eating habits may be the most accessible and impactful way to improve the world.

During this series, we’ve discussed how to avoid stealing Mother Earth’s longevity and resilience while seeking out your next meal. The harmonious mealtime method involves consuming local and/or organic foods as often as possible, cutting back on animal flesh, employing a compost bin in your backyard (or living room), and home cooking as many feasts as your occasionally frenzied life can accommodate. While it’s an incredible place to start, it’s not a place to rest completely secure due to the food system’s dynamic nature.

I am therefore providing you with various books, Websites and films to direct your intellectual hunger toward in the future.

(more…)

Travis the chimp goes ape in Connecticut, 2 young boys in the Bronx are surprised to find they’re sitting on a couch inhabited by a four-foot long boa constrictor, alligators in bathtubs and exotic fish swimming in non-native waters – all examples of people’s compulsion to possess something rare, exotic and alive.  Endangered species ranging from butterflies to komodo dragons are smuggled into the U.S. everyday.  Time to tighten import laws and sale and possession regulations for wild animals.  There are plenty of dogs and cats in the local animal shelter for those who want a pet or companion.  If someone can smuggle a giant lizard into the country, how hard could it be to bring in a shoe bomb?  Time to better protect both humans and animals.

• G.W. has left the building…EPA Poised to Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions – environmental leader
• Destroy the Amazon, lose your coffee. Payback.  Climate Change Threatens Brazil’s Coffee Crop – usa today
• They should double as powering stations for electric cars. San Diego Goes Green With Solar Powered Parking Meters – msnbc
• Hope for Peanut Allergy Cure – bbc
• If you have a ‘green’ Oscar obsession…Live Stream of Global Green Pre-Oscar Party Tonight – ecorazzi
• The return of the dragon monster…or photo hoax? 100-Foot ‘Borneo Monster’ Photographed – livescience