• Use a solar cooker to roast all your barbecued goodies.  Check the weather forecast and start cooking on July 3rd.
• Invite Al Gore over for a barbecue – make sure you have plenty of potato salad and corn relish.  Al’s such a big eater you may want to invest in carbon offsets to counter-balance his food intake!
• Take the heartfelt advice of my neighbor, Four Fingered Tony – lock-up any explosives or fireworks before you start guzzling any organic wine, vodka or tequila.
• Keep your event’s size manageable.  Invite only guests descended from countries that have adhered to the guidelines of the Kyoto Agreement.  This will guarantee plenty of room on the dance floor and ensure tons of leftovers.
• Create a menu of strictly local fare.  Avoid this approach if your patio is located next to a Nebraska cattle feedlot, your vegetable garden is regularly irrigated by run-off from the local coal mine, or your neighbor’s cloned sheep are known to sport a couple of extra, calorie-rich appendages.

July 12, 2009 UPDATE:  It’s official — Congratulations to our 3 winners: Jenna, Carol L. and April. Many thanks to everyone for entering, and following us on Twitter and Facebook.
(original post follows)

Summer’s here, and so is the rain.  Here’s a great way to help keep the wee ones dry while they make a splash.

French-based boot manufacturer, Aigle Boots, is providing 3 lucky kiddies with a pair of Baby Flac boots (sizes 19 to 27 Euro). (more…)

Designer Donna Edmonds makes these replica pooches out of recycled vintage buttons, trim and fabrics with her very own hands and sells them under her Leafpeople label at her Etsy shop.  She can also create a custom doll of your favorite pooch from a photo.  Just takes a couple of weeks.

The dog friend dolls range from $28 to around $75 dollars – but how can you place a price on friendship?

• I presume the corn lobby needs more time to bribe Senators…EPA Extends Comment Period on Biofuel Standard – reuters
• What kind of sound should they use? Japan May Add Noise to Quiet Hybrid Cars for Safety – yahoo! news
• Could I see that again? I didn’t catch how the life vest inflates…New Zealand Airline Issues Nude Safety Video – aol news
• Don’t try this at home! Pitcher Plant Doubles as Toilet – livescience
• What the Future of the Auto Industry Will Look Like – cs monitor
• Same one used by James Brown. I know you were wondering…Michael Jackson’s $25,000 Casket – tmz