Catch the green buzz from here, there and everywhere.

• Toxic America Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s 2-part special, tonight and tomorrow  — Toxic Towns and Toxic Childhoods — dangerous chemicals in our environment – (8p EST) on CNN.
• Now through November 10, 2010 NYC’s Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology – Eco-Fashion: Going Green.  Museum Hours:  Tu-Fri 12n-8p; Sat 10a-5p; closed Sunday, Monday and legal holidays.  FREE.
• From city slickers to upstate NY farmers, meet Josh and Brent as they reach greener pastures – premiers June 16, 9p (EST) The Fabulous Beekman Boys on Discovery’s Planet Green.
• Calling all cars…Today Ford announced that it’s partnering with Coulomb Technologies to provide nearly 5000 free in-home charging stations for some of the automaker’s first electric vehicle customers.  Residents in 9 designated markets could receive a free ChargePoint America Charging Station with the purchase of a Ford Transit Connect Electric vehicle.  Austin, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Sacramento and the San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area, Redmond, WA and Washington, D.C. are the designated markets. The Ford Blue Oval ChargePoint Program is part of Coulomb Technologies’ $37 million ChargePoint America charging station infrastructure project made possible by a $15 million grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Department of Energy. (phew) That’s a mouthful, but it also sounds like a step in the right direction.

• One of the first pop music artists to step up to the plate and donate toward the debacle in our Gulf of Mexico is singer-songwriter and Grammy nominee, Sophie B. Hawkins.  She will be donating 100% of the net proceeds from her new single “The Land, the Sea and the Sky” to benefit  waterkeeper Alliance.  More from the press release:  “Sophie wrote the new single “The Land, the Sea and the Sky” about the human need to connect with nature and when she saw the disaster unfolding in the Gulf immediately knew that she wanted to try help with the clean up. The song will be available exclusively for download on Sophie B. Hawkins website sophiebhawkins.com and on iTUNES.  It will be available for $1.29 and all net proceeds will benefit the Waterkeeper Alliance’s work in the Gulf of Mexico. To learn more about clean up efforts, visit www.saveourgulf.org.”

Designer Edgar Blazona and his company, Modular Dwellings, created this little prefab home for those with simple needs and a taste for clean, no-baloney design.  This tiny 208 square foot structure packs a bedroom, living space, full kitchen and separate bath – under a space-enhancing, 9-foot ceiling.  The whole deal fits on one truck and can be delivered with ease.

If you’re a clutter junkie this little guest house or backyard office probably isn’t for you – no room here for two cars, 3 kids, a dog, 4 pet turtles and a 4,000 piece Hummel figurine collection – for those trying to downsize, commute to work on a bike, consume less or build an inexpensive guest house, this just might be your eco-friendly solution.

Related:  previously on altCon

take a peek at our Prefab Category

The Gulf Oil Spill has been utterly depressing to read and follow up on every morning as BP’s plans continue not to work.  Some of the first and most visible victims of the seeping oil include the oil-coated birds who are in dire need of help.

While “tough on grease” dish-washing liquid is commonly used by animal rescue teams to gently remove the grease and oil from feathers, fur, and skin of oil-covered animals, what most of us don’t know is that the cleaning process can take up to 2 hours to completely clean just one bird from an oily start to a dry, clean finish.  This time consuming process also puts a lot of stress on the animals.  But there is a  “bird washing machine” now available that can clean an oil-soaked bird in just 7 minutes.  It sort of looks like a mini clothes washing machine. This approach would obviously decreases the amount of stress a bird may have to endure during the cleaning process, and increase the number of cleaned birds that are released more quickly back into the wild. It’s also less toxic for the person actually cleaning the birds. Check out the below:

The question is — will we actually see the implementation of this bird washing machine at the gulf oil spill site?

Related:  previously on altCon

(5.8.10) Gulf Oil Spill Threat Looms Large
(5.10.10) Gulf Oil Spill Spell End of Big Oil’s Reign?
(5.11.10) Gulf of Mexico Oil Disaster

Any owl lovers who love to entertain, or freeloading house guests out there?  These handmade coasters caught my eye — a thoughtful little gift for your wise host or hostess. (Don’t forget to pick up a bottle of their favorite libation.)

Set of 2, ($7) @ greenbeansnstrings on etsy.

It hasn’t hit dealership lots, but it’s already a hot item. According to Nissan, it’s all-electric Leaf sedan has sold out thanks to the nearly 13,000 pre-orders that have piled up from U.S. drivers. The car, which is expected to appear on roads in December, runs for roughly $33,000 but with federal and state credits will cost consumers closer to $25,000. Of that, $100 was required to plunk down on a pre-order.

So where will you see the LEAF, first? California tops the list of deliveries, since it’s the state best set up to accommodate the plug-ins at this point in time. Don’t fret, however. Last week, Congress introduced two bills that will spend up to $10 billion boosting the infrastructure for EVs in the U.S.  The proposed dollars would go toward prepping community grids, investing in further research, boosting the EV tax credit for cars like Leaf and the Chevy VOLT, and possibly, creating a $10 million award for the first manufacturer to develop a battery that allows 500 miles of travel on a single charge. Another factor addressed in the bills: disposal of EV batteries in places other than landfills.

Related:  previously on altCon
(8.3.09) Nissan unveils all-new, zero emissions LEAF

(4.28.10) Reserve a LEAF today, for tomorrow