Did EPA drop the ball with toxic chemicals in children’s products?

With little fanfare or media coverage, on July 21st the U.S. Inspector General of the Environmental Protection Agency issued an evaluation of the EPA’s Voluntary Chemical Evaluation Program pilot – and gave the program a thumbs-down.

Full Circle makes indoor composting easy

One of Full Circle's eco-friendly compost bins

For many, the idea of composting conjures up a picture of smelly, insect-attracting, decomposing food leftovers. And although more people than ever are planting home gardens, taking the next step into composting can still be daunting.

Full Circle – a two-year old company with an ever-growing line of top quality, functional, eco-friendly products made from sustainable and renewable materials – has created two new products that will make composting easy for everyone.

For more on these remarkable eco-friendly in-home compostors, see http://bit.ly/nvz4k2.

Breakthrough announced in electric vehicle charging technology

Most folks like the idea of owning an electric vehicle – no worries about the price of gas being a big factor. But the issue has always been the limited amount of miles per charge that their batteries can hold. No one wants to get stranded due to losing power on the road.

Canadian inventor Thane C. Heins, CEO of  Potential Difference Inc., seems to have solved this critical issue.

Conserve Smart AV cuts energy leakage from electronics

Conserve Smart AV lets you reduce the level of standby energy your electronics waste

As we fill our homes with an ever-growing array of electronics, we also increase the amount of energy we waste.

A large number of gadgets continuously “leak” small amounts of electricity when they’re plugged in but not in use. That accounts for hundreds of dollars added to our annual utility bills. Home entertainment systems are real energy hogs, consuming wasted energy 24/7 just by being in stand-by mode.

Now there’s a device that can automatically shut them down when they’re not in use. For more on this story see http://bit.ly/qJBKGP.

Charge it up – with a convenient solar charging station

The cost of transportation just keeps going up. No wonder we’re seeing more alternative vehicles on the road. From mopeds to bicycles,  Zipcars,to electric vehicles, all of us are looking for ways to get from our garage door at point A to our necessary point B a lot less expensively.

School kids create art with recycled bottle caps

Elementary school students created this mural from recycled bottle caps

Students at Central Valley Elementary School in upstate New York have created an eleven-foot by eight-foot butterfly mural made with colored recycled plastic bottle caps.

Paper Shower – the easy, eco-friendly way to stay fresh

Those of us who enjoy outdoor summer sun and fun know how hot and sticky you can get. And it’s not always convenient to shower before your next activity or meeting.

Realizing that using conventional wet wipes weren’t a great solution, dentist and avid biker Jim Bachall created Paper Shower, wet-dry combination packets meant to be used as a full body wipe for on-the-go.

Prestyl heating panels create green functional art

Good artwork enhances any room’s décor. PrestylUSA has taken this a step further, using distinctive artwork that serve as heating sources to efficiently heat both residential and commercial buildings.

New federal legislation could bring humane treatment to chickens and farm animals

American consumers generally has no idea where their food comes from or how the farm animals it comes from are treated.

It would shock most to know that of the 180 million laying hens that produce our eggs, tens of millions are starved for up to two weeks in order to force them to molt, ensuring that they’ll continue to lay eggs. Or that more than ninety percent of hens are kept almost immobilized in small, cramped, bare “battery” wire cages that are stacked on top of each other and contain no room to move, scratch or anywhere comfortable to nest.

United Egg Producers have agreed to support national legislation to improve the lives of industrial farm chickens

Stylish footwear meets affordable green with Okabashi

Happy Independence Day weekend! While you’re out enjoying the 4-day weekend and (hopefully) sunny weather, here’s a link to a fun, and yes green summer product I profiled in my newspaper column today.

Summer fun means days at the beach, playing in the lake and outdoor fun. And as much as some of us love going barefoot, it’s important to have go-anywhere, comfortable, stylish footwear.

Okabashi footwear is chic, fun and earth friendly too

Okabashi is a family-owned Georgia-based company that makes quality sandals, clogs and cross-strap fashionable footwear for men and women.

Everything about these shoes shouts quality and earth-friendly.

For more on this fun and colorful summer footwear, see http://3bl.me/689rve.