"typepad micro is built for this growing form of blogging, making it easy for people to curate compelling content from the web – be it text, photos, or videos – and share it in real-time with people on their blog and to facebook and twitter."

we all know it's happening and it's easy to find the proof. that said, sometimes scientists are even paid by lobbyists to hide it.

but i often feel like, "well, what can i do though?"

here are five simple ideas:

1. be a vegetarian. "university of chicago researchers estimate that each meat-eating american produces 1.5 tons more greenhouse gases through their food choice than do their vegetarian peers. it would also take far less land to grow the crops necessary to feed humans than livestock, allowing more room for planting trees."¹
2. park your car. "carpooling, using transit, walking, bicycling, or telecommuting - just one day a week for a year - can save typical commuters about 1,200 miles on their vehicles and reduce their co2 emissions by over half a ton per year."²
3. compost. "sending food to landfill is a loser...it creates methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than co2."³ i've been worm composting since 2005 and it is extremely easy and helps your garden grow. read my post about it.
4. eat locally. "if you shop at a supermarket, the food you buy may travel in a plane from the other side of the world, burning fossil fuels the entire trip. shop at...local farmers markets"⁴ instead. i took the eat local challenge before - why not join in the challenge that takes place this month?
5. switch it off. "turn off electronic devices when not in use. simply turning off your tv, vcr, computer and other electronic devices can save each household thousand of pounds of carbon dioxide each year."⁵

1 biello, david. "10 solutions for climate change." scientific american. 2007. scientificamerican.com. 15 oct. 2009 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=10-solutions-for-climate-change&page=3
2 "10 simple steps to reducing climate change." united states department of transportation - federal highway administration. april 2009. fhwa.dot.gov. 15 oct. 2009 http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/climate/tensteps.htm
3 "let the grubs break down your grub." bbc. 30 April 2008. bbc.co.uk. 15 oct. 2009 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bloom/actions/composting.shtml.
4 "climate change: what you can do." the nature conservancy. nature.org. 15 oct. 2009 http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/activities/art19630.html
5 "what can i do to help prevent climate change?" earth 911. 2 april 2007. earth911.com. 15 oct. 2009 http://earth911.com/blog/2007/04/02/what-can-i-do-to-help-prevent-climate-change/

via www.examiner.com

how great is this dog? as the owner of an almost 11-year-old golden, i would love to have her help people like this!

check out his site for more baxter!

image credit: moments with baxter blog.

i like the idea of this biodegradable party kit for a few reasons:

1. made from renewable materials, including bagasse (residue from sugar cane stalks), that you can recycle or compost
2. comes with compostable bags for easy clean-up
3. includes everything you need for 50 people - unbleached, sturdy cutlery, hot + cold cups, plates, bowls, platters, napkins
4. under $50

it's perfect for taking to an outdoor concert, beach day or picnic at the park.

image credit: branch.

from $15.99.

i have sort of an unhealthy obsession with chip board, kraft paper and the like. i just love the natural look and texture it brings to my designs. i was pretty excited to receive a press release from pinball publishing touting their pocket-sized scout books, "a sustainable, and customizable alternative to moleskine notebooks," as they put it.

the kind folks sent me some samples to check out and they are adorable. i love the rounded corners and sweet size. they just beg to be taken on a picnic or down to the beach for a quick sketch or brainstorming session.

what's better? they are made from 100% recycled paper and are printed using soy ink in the us of a. even more, they cost only 70 cents each based on a quantity of 1000. that's a sweet deal.

if you're a consumer, you can find scout books by a variety of artists, including one of my favorites, jill bliss.

designers can find more info and order samples here.

image credit: aaron schmidt.