What’s on tap? Here’s a quick and affordable tip for keeping your beer drinking eco-friendly. Invest in a half-gallon glass jug or two of what’s called, Growlers.

These reusable, refillable beer bottles are perfect for eliminating the usage of excess beer bottles. Available at many grocery stores and liquor stores, you can fill up the jug with any craft beer you’d like.

Growlers have been around for over 100 years but are just recently surging back into the market.

Whole Foods has set up a beer program on the East coast that includes over 1,000 beers.

Fill up your 64 ounce or 32 ounce growler to eliminate waste and enjoy your craft beers. Grab and go!

photo credits : nytimes.com and libertarianrepublican.net

• Only in New York…Human Wasps Build Giant Nest in NYC – livescience
• Has the time come to re-visit the term “global warming”? U.S. Midsection to Swelter Another Day in Merciless Heatwave – cnn
• BP makes another mess…BP Pipeline Leaks Oily Mixture Onto Alaskan Tundra – msnbc
• Cheap Trick interruptus…Tornado-Force Winds Topples Ottawa Bluesfest Stage - national post
• Voters fear ‘green’ policy will cost them cash…New Poll: Australia Voters Hostile to Carbon Policy, PM – reuters
• Plant a tree…Study: Forests Absorb Much More Greenhouse Gas Than Previously Known – csmonitor
• Chatty endangered primates…Community of Rare Gibbons Found in Vietnam – yahoo! news

Rising gas prices have many consumers reevaluating the car they currently drive. Fortunately, you don’t need to spend extra money on a new car if you’re looking to increase fuel efficiency – consider a used car. AOL Autos has come up with 10 green cars under $10,000. Here are a few highlights:

2009 Chevrolet Cobalt LT
Price: $9,992
 mileage: 43,913
The Cobalt is a great vehicle with strong fuel economy. It’s one of the few quality cars available in this recent a model year for under $10,000.  (more…)

Always striving to be a good green parent and set an example for my child, I did a little digging and uncovered a few good ways to pack my child’s lunch this school year … take a peek:

(above) Go Green Lunch Box Set
This set was created by a mother who was appalled by all of the waste she had been creating by packing her 2 girls’ lunches every day. The inside section of this Go Green Lunch Box is made of polypropylene and silicone and the set comes with a stainless steal drink container. The bags come in a number of different designs. My favorite feature is the white board inside the bag which allows you to write notes to your little tyke.
Set for $32.99 @ gogreenlunchbox.com

(above) Planet Friendly Stainless Steel Lunch Box
This was the most eco-conscious and still stylish set I found. The box is made of stainless steel. The carry bag is certified lead-, phthalate- and BPA-free. It is made of 100%-recycled fabrics derived from plastic bottles. The bag seems a little plain but the design comes with changeable magnets for the outside of the stainless steel container.
Complete set for $59.95 @ planetbox.com

(above) Lunchkins Sandwich and Snack Bags
These are great alternatives to Ziploc bags. Stylish, dishwasher safe, (more…)

The construction of modern buildings and houses has contributed vastly to our collective comfort, health, employment opportunities and overall quality of life. Even considering these highly positive effects, the reality of modern construction is that it also lends to environmental degradation. CompoClay, an eco-friendly company in Alameda, California, realizes these negative effects and is working to do something about them.

Whether it’s through deforestation, resource extraction, chemical usage or metallurgical processes, our environment pays a price for our need to create houses, buildings and products. CompoClay aims to offset these damages through the use of abundant and natural building materials.

Be it anything from wall panels and sculptures to mirrors and fireplace mantels, all of CompoClay’s products are fabricated from basic natural ingredients like water, sand grains, sea salt and minerals. The long-term goal of CompoClay is to find a sustainable and healthy alternative to large-scale resource extraction and the use of toxic materials in traditional construction and product design.

Another fave of ours from vers … not new to the scene, but worthy nonetheless … a smart and sleek iPod and iPhone dock:  this “hybrid” also serves double-duty as both am/fm radio and alarm clock – wake to either radio or iPod tunes … it plays and charges all docking iPods … delivers smooth sounds – perfect for bedside, office, kitchen or den – handcrafted shell made from sustainably sourced, walnut or bamboo. $220 @ versaudio.com

Here it is, mid July – that sweltering stage of summer – what to wear and how can we possibly stay cool? Today’s curated collection of chic sustainable style is designed to keep you feeling light and breezy, with fabrics and accessories that won’t drag you down or make you sweat.

(above L to R) Design house, Nixxi saves the (hot) day with sleeveless frocks made of lightweight, eco friendly material in mod-meets-classic styles: Breeze, $200 & Faux Wrap, $180 @ nimli.com

(above) The Dis-dress: an everyday LBD … an easy to wear, asymmetrical design with-neck and practical pockets – organic linen and organic cotton for total sustainable style and comfort; $110 @ nau

(above L to R) Add a glint of glam with beautiful handmade bling by designer Jeanne Kirkland of Austin-based Urban Posh – now on sale … Justine earrings $38 & necklace $68 (more…)

• Interesting on many levels…Calif. State Supreme Court Upholds Manhattan Beach Plastic Bag Ban – law.com
• We need more environmental protection, not less…House Committee Votes to End EPA Regulation of Toxic Coal Ash – washington independent
• Bad business…Tiger Poachers Caught on Camera…Their Own – msnbc
• Earthquake Causes River to Disappear in Costa Rica – yahoo! news
• These bacteria light up inside your tummy…Electric Bacteria Blink On and Off – livescience
• Shutting down its nuke plants will create energy shortfall…Fossil Fuels Can’t Save Japan From Power Shortage: Study – reuters
• The fox is very comfortable in the hen house…Whaling Meeting ‘Ignores Needs of Whales’ – bbc
• Ironically, harvesting trees to make products may lower emissions…Wood Products Part of Winning Carbon-Emissions Battle: Researchers Say – sciencedaily

The sale of CFL bulbs is taking another step back. A bad economy, concerns over mercury content, bulb disposal issues, funky bulb shapes and political forces all seem to have taken their toll on CFL market share.

NEMA, the association of electrical and medical imaging equipment manufacturers, publishes an index that tracks lightbulb shipments. The latest statistics show that compact fluorescent (CFL) lamp shipments retreated for the fourth consecutive quarter in Q1 of 2011, registering a decline of 16.8 percent on a year-over-year basis. The shipments of the vastly more inefficient incandescent bulb showed an increase of 6.4 percent over the previous quarter.

Incandescent lamps still dominate the marketplace, increasing their share to a 79.0 percent, while CFLs gave back market share gained over the last three years decreasing to 21.0 percent, their lowest share since the fourth quarter of 2007.

The traditional 60 watt incandescent bulb consumes up to 5 times the electricity as the same wattage CFL and needs to be replaced up to 5 times as often. When you add up the numbers CFL’s are much cheaper and way more energy efficient. Quality of light, cheap off-the-shelf pricing, traditional shapes and familiarity all keep incandescent sales going. Recent Congressional efforts to recall light bulb energy efficiency standards have also impacted CFL sales. Perhaps the longer lifespan of CFL’s has also reduced sales.

In the near future, design innovations in LED, CFL and incandescent bulb technologies will provide consumers a wide array of choices. Lower cost, comparable light quality and tremendous energy savings will be readily available without many of the current drawbacks…including that pigtail shape.