More Alternatives in Transportation Coming

Earlier this week USA Today reported that Honda is increasing its production of vehicles powered by compressed natural gas and that Toyota is considering returning to production of these vehicles.

Honda, which is currently the only manufacturer of these cars, plans to double the number of Honda Civics that utilize compressed natural gas or CNG available in the US.

Toyota is preparing to re-enter the CNG market if demand continues to rise. This November Toyota plans to reveal a concept version of a Camry that is a CNG/electric hybrid at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Another Perspective on Trash

Time.com features David Chameides in one of today’s articles. Mr. Chameides is the author of Sustainable Dave, a website showcasing a variety of sustainable topics. Read more

Book Review for ‘Bringing Nature Home’

This summer was hard on our yard. Several of our plants bit the dust and a few more are looking shaky. As a result, we’ve been thinking about replacements. We tend to plant native plants, but our reason for doing so has simply been that we aren’t willing to pay to water our yard. :) Then I read Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens by Dr. Douglas W. Tallamy and became committed to planting native plants on an entirely different level. Read more

Five Easy Steps to Reduce Food Waste (Without Going Insane)

I wrote earlier about our realization that we were wasting food, which meant we were also wasting money and natural resources as well as contributing to greenhouse gases.

To coin a phrase, once we admitted we had a problem we were able to start solving it. We’ve reduced the amount we don’t eat considerably and as a result have reduced our spending on groceries at a time when prices are rising. Doing all this knowing we are also helping the environment makes for a true win-win situation. Read more

Cut Your Grocery Bill by 27%!

Like many families, we have been concerned about rising food costs so have been taking several steps to keep our food bill down, or at least prevent it from rising further. We’ve talked about one of the steps here but want to discuss another that helps both to limit the amount we spend as well as our impact on the earth. Ready? All you need to do is eat all the food you buy. Read more

Exposure to Bisphenol-A Linked to More Health Problems

The results of a new study on Bisphenol-A were reported in today’s Chicago Tribune. This study, the first to examine the effects of BPA on a large group of adults, is discussed in the upcoming Journal of the American Medical Association.  (The study results were released early since the FDA is meeting again today to discuss the safety of BPA in products that touch food.) Read more

Lead in Toys May be Addressed

Today’s news included an encouraging article regarding lead safety. As reported by the Washington Post, it is anticipated that the Consumer Product Safety Commission will release a legal opinion later today stating even existing inventory must meet the new safety standards set forth in the products safety legislation discussed here. The lead limit applies to products for children up to age twelve so clothing, electronics, and toy manufacturers are affected.

It is important for parents and others shopping for children to note that companies have until February 10, 2009 to meet the new standard so be careful while shopping this holiday season.

Thinking Green? It Could Put Green in Your Pocket

The Economist has posted about several prizes available for advances in green technologies. The prizes range from the Progressive Automotive X Prize of $10 million offered for a car that gets 100 mpg to the Virgin Earth Challenge,  which will provide $25 million for a commercially-viable method to remove greenhouse gases created by humans from the atmosphere. The U.S. government is even joining in with $4 million for The Freedom Prizes, which will be awarded to “inspire Industry, Schools, Government, Military, and Communities to significantly reduce their use of oil.”

I hope one of these opportunities inspires your thinking!

Making Life Greener – Put Down the Plastic

Last week I posted on the latest report raising questions about bisphenol-A and mentioned that we’ve been making changes to protect our girls from exposure to this chemical. As promised, here is more about that topic.

Limiting our family’s exposure to bisphenol-A, also known as BPA, was important to us because it has been linked to several health issues. BPA mimics estrogen in the body and is a known endocrine disrupter. Increases in breast and other cancers, increases in insulin resistance, and early puberty for girls have all been associated with exposure to BPA. As I’ve mentioned before, the girls have inherited a strong family history of cancer so we want to reduce their exposure to carcinogens. Diabetes is also in their family medical history so we had multiple reasons for concern. Read more

Honda Reveals New Hybrid

Honda has released the name and photos of its newest hybrid vehicle. The new car is named the Honda Insight and is expected to be priced near $18,000. If the price estimates bear out, the Insight will be the least expensive hybrid on the market! You can read more about it in yesterday’s Scientific American.

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