• Stimulus Bill Targets Mine Cleanups – msnbc
• How many analog tv’s are there out there? Backlog Still Large for TV Converter Box Coupons – usa today
• Rising Ivory Demand Threatens Asia Elephants – reuters
• We have dumb grid.  Making America’s Electric Grid Smarter – npr
• Will they learn to avoid them? Turbines’ Impact on Birds Probed – bbc
• Meerkat Spotted – in Wales – ananova

Over 600 people have been sickened and several have died in the recent peanut salmonella outbreak.  I just scanned the FDA’s recall list of 2183 peanut containing products, and yes, your favorite Keebler Oatmeal Raisin cookies are on there. What do all these products have in common?  Peanuts and related peanut by-products from the American Peanut Corporation.  Seems there may have been a tad too much rodent excrement, bird feathers and dead rodent remains in the processing plant.  (more…)

stuff to dream about but not necessarily buy…(copy appears below each photo)

• adrere amellal eco lodge – maybe not this year

• alabamachanin.com – dreamy, high end threads
  

• tesla – not your mother’s Prius

• Tsi-La mini quartet collection – a luxury we can afford?

• iWood sunglasses – a vision in green
  

above, L to R

Being from temperate, often “partly cloudy” Massachusetts, I’ve often pondered the practical viability of solar power generation in New England.  No vast deserts to provide mile upon mile of non-arable, sun-drenched land upon which to build massive solar power installations and a climate that, though beautiful, doesn’t immediately conjure up a landscape speckled with solar panels.

Well, perhaps necessity and a government mandate will overcome the challenges presented by climactic conditions and land availability to get renewable solar energy flowing in my native Bay State.  (more…)

• Ah…do I hear the twitter of special interests…CEA Warns That ‘Buy American’ Provisions in Stimulus Package Will Hurt U.S. Economy – businesswire
• The rolling hills of West Virginia won’t be quite so rolling…Court Overturns Ban on West Virginia Surface Mining – reuters
• CO2 Reduction Treaties ‘Useless’ – bbc
• Perhaps headline seeking should be a crime? Phelps Arrest Backfiring on Sheriff, Local Publisher Says – the raw story
• It can cost just a little more to rent ‘green’ car…Rental Car Companies ‘Green Up’ – cs monitor
• Bird Brain? Animal Smarts Surprise Experts – msnbc
• My kind of title…Infectious Super Bug Invades Beaches – livescience

Though it may be a little late for a Valentine’s gift idea, it’s never too late for a little family planning. This decoupage pendant from HomeStudio will make a dramatic announcement to that now, even-more special, someone.

Pendants come affixed with all manner of imagery. Buy a bunch, they’re interchangeable. Chains are sold separately and come in a variety of styles.

$7.95 @ homestudio’s store

Winter in Wyoming can be a cold, windy season of drifting snow and slippery roads; hence the erection of snow fences to stop drifting snow from piling up on the state’s windswept highways.

Wyoming-based, Centennial Woods harvests Wyoming’s snow fence before it needs to be burned or thrown in a landfill and replaced.  Beginning in 1999 Centennial Woods has repurposed more than 5 million feet of beautifully weathered snow fence, saving the state $9 million and preventing 9,000 pounds of CO2 emissions.  The reclaimed fencing is made of sustainably harvested, fast-growing Ponderosa Pine and Lodge Pole Pine from the Rocky Mountains.  Unlike most barn wood or salvaged building boards — it has never been treated, may remain totally natural when reused and emits no harmful off-gasses when it make its way into, or onto, your home.

Centennial’s one hundred percent recycled wood products and vintage hardware have been used in the building of Mountain Living’s Natural Dream Home in Colorado, Southern Living’s Idea House in North Carolina, and is a central design element in Whole Foods Markets and Bass Pro Shops across North America.

contact info:  centennialwoods.com

If you build the green infrastructure they will come…

Sanyo has announced that they are setting up a “solar bicycle parking lot” at the Tokushima Prefectural Government Office in Japan to test its solar cells and rechargeable batteries.  The off-grid, sustainable parking station should be operational by March 2009.

The combination of solar panels and Li-ion battery storage will make it possible to charge electric bicycles without using a commercial power supply even at night or on rainy days.
source: techon

Big Hug Harry is here to store that stash of Valentine’s Day bling you’re about to receive.  Reclaim2fame has created a series of sculptures, like Harry, primarily from recycled material (Harry is 80% recycled stuff).  Harry’s top comes off to store your gems.  He stands 13.5″ tall and 8″ wide with a 4.25″ wide jewelry compartment lined with vintage velvet cushion.  find Harry @ reclaim2fame’s etsy store

Buy stuff from real people!