» Care2.com: The Load on Laundry: Toxic Products, Safer Solutions. The story mentions concentrated cleaners, which I’m all about. The plant-based Ecover floor soap we bought two years ago? Because you only need a capful of detergent to mix up a large spray bottle of cleaner, the original bottle is still almost three-quarters full, so even though we paid more upfront, we’re saving a great deal more coin in the long run. (0) #

» French General (ooh la la!) fabric scraps, $25 per bundle (0) #

» Korea loves its dog meat, but Peru has a CAT-EATING FESTIVAL. It’s called Festival Gastronomico del Gato. Am I being a “western cultural imperialist,” as the author of article says, for thinking that cows are okay to eat but not fluffy kittens? Perhaps, although it’s worth noting that until my pregnancy, I was a devoted vegetarian who found the consumption of any kind of meat inhumane, and I only eat meat once or twice a week these days anyway, after MUCH badgering from my mother. (Also, I still don’t eat cows. Or pigs. Or sheep.) The story also notes: “Much of the outrage about dog and cat meat in parts of Asia arises because of the shockingly brutal way many of these animals are kept and killed. It’s not hypocritical to eat pigs that have been slaughtered to British animal welfare standards at the same time as being appalled by the fact that some cats and dogs are beaten to death or boiled alive before being served at the table in countries with no animal welfare legislation at all.” (0) #

» From The New York Times: “Pint-Size Eco-Police, Making Parents Proud and Sometimes Crazy.” Hey, that’s the kind of kid I want! (And to my parents, I am that kid.) (0) #

» From BusinessWeek: “The New Age of Frugality.” The mother of the family mentioned in the story blogs about their new frugal (and green!) ways at The Lean Green Family. BTW, the hub and I discovered that organic cereal and milk (even the branded kind) is several dollars cheaper at ShopRite than at Whole Foods or our local natural-foods store. Crazy! He now walks the extra few blocks to pick up our breakfast fixings. I’ve never been happier that conventional supermarkets have climbed aboard the organics bandwagon. (0) #

» Mysterious thyroid disease in cats linked to flame retardants? I’m officially freaking out, especially since Chekhov does have kidney problems, which the vet found odd because he was only 5 when he was diagnosed. (2) #

» I love this quote from trailer of the new The Day the Earth Stood Still for its obvious, barenaked truth. Keanu as Klaatu: “If the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the Earth survives.” (0) #

» If you still haven’t made the switch to energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs, here’s how to pick a better bulb for your needs. (0) #

» WW@PG: How to Go Green: Natural Skincare (0) #

» From Slate’s Green Lantern, “What’s the greenest way to drink coffee in your office?” In other words, that old disposables versus reusable cup argument, a question I wonder why people continue to struggle with. It’s a no-brainer for me. True, making a Styrofoam or paper cup takes less energy than making a ceramic one, and they don’t need to be washed, but they’re still use-and-toss propositions that will take up room in our landfills—which release methane, a greenhouse gas about 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. (Also, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t already own a mug, so that argument’s moot in most cases.) Then there’s the health issue: Polystyrene has been known to leach styrene, a possible carcinogen linked to increased risk of breast cancer. Here’s one Slate reader’s comment that makes a succinct case for reusables, after all the math’s been said and done. (0) #

» People are dieting less, learning to enjoy their food more. (0) #

» A must-read: “Unmasked: 10 Ugly Truths Behind the Myth of Cosmetic Safety” (PDF) from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Breast Cancer Fund. My favorite aunt—who was like a second mother to me—passed away from breast cancer seven years ago this month, and I believe that the cosmetics and skincare products she was so fond of played a profound role in this. She was only 44. (0) #

» More tips on creating waste-free lunches and why single-serving packaged foods are a complete rip-off. (2) #

» Scrap pack from freshlyblended, $2 (0) #

» Oh, check out the latest ish of Plenty (Oct/Nov 2008); I wrote an op-ed on the back page about “eco pregnancy guilt.” For my neighbors up north, grab the Sept/Oct 2008 issue of Alive for a story I wrote on sustainable feminine-hygiene products. (0) #

» WW@TH: My Little Pakora: South Asian Organic Baby Garb (0) #

» WW@TH: Aveda Kicks the Cap Out of the Oceans (1) #

» My friend Meredith on depression: “depression forces you to live small. it’s like living in a box that keeps shrinking. first there’s no room for the world, then there’s no room for other people, then there’s no room for the basic tasks of life, and finally there’s no room to move at all. that’s when the air supply starts to run out.” (I’m “terriblebeast” in the comments section.) (4) #

» Please support the Mental Health Parity Bill, which will require insurers to treat mental illnesses in the same manner as physical illnesses. (0) #

» Largest beef recall in U.S. history—animal cruelty also cited. (0) #

» These ladybug tape measures are too adorable for words. Also, I need something like this to keep Mir-mir away from my yarn. Right now, I’ve thrown a blanket over my basket, which doesn’t look very chic. (2) #

» My friend Summer redesigned her store BTC Elements—does it look superslick or what? (0) #

» So yeah, you know my friend Felicia? Girlfriend can WRITE. She makes the rest of us look like we’re sliding around alphabet blocks, the bitch! (3) #

» These baby bottles are so frikkin’ KEWT. I’m such a sucker for packaging. (0) #

» Edible gift ideas from The Martha (0) #

» A comprehensive list of recalled toys thus far. Crazy! (0) #

» I miss having the time to muck around on this site, but I’m up to my eyeballs in work and I want to get as far away from the PC as I possibly can when I’m off the clock. One pretty keen project I’ve been spending a lot of time on, however, is PlanetGreen.com, the site that is being launched in conjunction with the Discovery channel of the same name (sometime in 2008). It isn’t superofficially “live” yet, but check it out, tell your friends, and give the site some love! (4) #

» Ooh, I need to figure out how to knit this—out of organic cotton, most likely, because animal fibers make me break out in rashes. I know, sad, right? (1) #

» The Gap implicated in Indian child-slavery sweatshop (0) #