• Rare Northwest Grizzly Gets Twitter Following – msnbc
• Good news…Evacuated New Mexico Residents Can Go Home, but Firefight Continues – cnn
• Rising River Complicates Exxon Oil Spill Cleanup – yahoo! news
• Put some kelp in your tank…Seaweed May Prove a Viable Future Biofuel – sciencedaily
• Chemical reaction in body creates marijuana-like chemical…Study Finds Why We Crave Chips and Fries – livescience
• Big Agri doesn’t like the word ‘downsizing’. Small Farms Key to Global Food Security, U.N. Says – reuters
• Wayward New Jersey Baboon Captured – myway

• Keep your event’s size manageable. Invite only guests who still use the term “global warming.” 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.
• Instead of throwing another slab of meat on the barbie, take the kids to a petting zoo or local farm so they can connect with some of the critters they’re not eating.
• 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 all fireworks before you start imbibing any organic wine, beer, vodka or tequila.

4th of July is a time for celebrating and often goes hand in hand with imbibing in beer, wine and distilled spirits. Though we don’t promote overdoing it, why not follow a greener path while enjoying the festivities? It’s healthier for both you and Mother Nature. Here are some of the top USDA-certified organic spirits:

Crop – Vodka
It claims to be the cleanest vodka. I must admit their farming and distilling practices are impressive. What is even more impressive is that they are not only organic but keeping up with the times in making flavored vodkas as well. Crop currently comes in Artisanal, Tomato and Cucumber. Although I personally haven’t had the pleasure, see what our taste testers have to say.

Tierras – Tequila
Their motto is “Warming planets…Check. Ice Caps Melting…Check. Economies of Chaos…Check.  It’s time for change!” and they were the first to do it with Tequila. There are 3 grades, made in small batches, using 5 generation old methods.  It has received mucho kudos and won awards. If you’re a tequila fan like I am, you need to try it!

Momokawa – SakeOne
This is Oregon-crafted sake. They make the filtered, Junmai Ginjo and the non-filtered, Nigori. What I like most about this company is that they have started putting Sake on tap. No more running through glass bottles! It’s a whole new green direction that I totally support. What organic liquor is next to be tapped?

Thatcher’s – Liqueur
They come in 11 different flavors and are essential for anyone really interested in mixology. Mix some organic vodka with the Elderflower or some whiskey with the Apple Spice Ginger and you have a new martini or manhattan in your hands.

We’re also mad for Modmix for mixing flavorful libations.

If you can’t find any of these brands, ask your local liquor store or bar. Most likely, they’ll order it for you. The demand for change starts with you.

Related: previously on altCon

Organic Vodka Taste Tests and Organic Tequila Taste Tests

There are many different ideas in the works to design a more sustainable car, but relatively little is said about the tires we use on those cars. Since all vehicles (even hybrids) need tires, wouldn’t it make sense to design a tire that provides environmental benefits as well as enhanced performance? Toyo Tires delivers with their new eco-friendly tire, the Versado Eco.

The Versado Eco is engineered using a combination of the latest in automotive technology and eco-friendly materials. Designers put their heads together to think of a way to reduce the rolling resistance of a car, thereby adding to the car’s gas mileage. What they came up with is a tire with a high silica content and a naturally derived material called Green Powder that disperses the silica. Using these two components, the Versado Eco is able to reduce friction and rolling resistance while driving. The tire also uses recycled Eco Circle Fibres in its casing. Toyo Tires has also added an optimized tread profile, which gives the tire a very long tread life.

Related: more articles on sustainable car technologies

One of the biggest names in biking, Schwinn, will be introducing the world’s first flax fiber bike in July. The Vestige is manufactured out of lightweight flax fiber, which is recyclable and possesses similar performance characteristics to a carbon fiber frame with a much tinier carbon footprint.

The Vestige features high phonic insulation with the advanced ability to absorb and dampen vibration. The bike also has a great night-safety feature — pedal-powdered translucent tubes in the frame that illuminate at night and require no batteries.  More eco-friendly features include: bamboo fenders and grips, puncture protected recyclable rubber tire inserts and a 9-speed Shimano drive train with custom designed Schwinn components. Earlier this year the Vestige won the Eurobike Gold Award.

related: sustainable transportation

The evite responses have come back by now and you know for sure just how much many people will be coming.  Now that you are ready to shop, here are some green ideas for your party…

Napkins – Dare to try reusable cloth napkins instead of paper.  If it is a messy barbeque maybe a white wash cloth and red cloth napkin. Both can be used again, keeping all that paper out of the landfill. (more…)

Are your plans heating up for the long holiday weekend? Whether grillin’ or chillin’, take a peek at our curated collection of cool sustainable threads and accessories, all made right here in the USA.

(above) A throwback to the fun-loving 60′s for sure, but short denim cut-offs have legs. These babies are from the Premium Vintage Collection by True Religion Jeans. The hardware is recycled and the premium factor kicks up the price tag, but the quality of the soft Japanese denim and fab fit make them well worth all the happy wear you’ll derive. If you’ve got it, flaunt it. ($251) (more…)

You should really get outside this holiday weekend – - but if the weather, social overload, or a fear of fireworks keeps you inside, we’ve provided a few ‘green’ viewing options:

• A variety of animal ‘odd couples’…Nat Geo’s ‘Unlikely Animal Friends’ – tonight at 8 + 10pm.
• If you’re exhausted from barbecuing on the 4th, you can always watch ‘Dual Survival’ on Discovery for more outdoor, odd couple action. A series of episodes starting at 7pm on Independence Day.
• Everyone loves gorillas…Sunday night at 8pm you can catch ‘The Gorilla King’ on your local PBS station.
• Also on Sunday the 3rd…I don’t think this show features a shirtless Valerie Putin, but Planet Green is featuring the otherwise very impressive ‘Wild Russia’.
• In theaters now — for those who prefer a big screen viewing experience and/or need to find something for the kiddies — bicycle over to your local theater to catch Cars 2 — which packs an underlying eco-friendly message.