Photo credit: Tammy Fender As a recovering broke-ass grad student whose former idea of luxury was splurging on Bath & Body Works rather than St. Ives, I’ll be the first to admit that slapping down $130 for a skincare product is a little cray-cray. Then again, there’s truth in the adage that you get what you pay for—that’s what separates the Frédéric Fekkais from the, you know, Suaves of the world, after all—and I know women who wouldn’t think twice about hocking vital organs piecemeal to keep their faces slathered in Crème de la Mer. So your mileage, as they say, may vary. … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Tammy Fender Epi-Peel and Intensive Repair Balm Feed Both Body and Soul

Ecopreneurist does a terrific job of educating the public about green business, especially startups.  My own personal blog, EcopreneursGuide , has a variety of pages that also address this topic, though with woefully less information and diversity, since it is only my blog, and doesn’t have the wealth of writers associated with Ecopreneurist. But the interesting thing is that my blog gets a decent number of hits. Not, mind you, for any of the articles I write, but only for the resources I list.  The page that, overwhelmingly, gets the most attention, is the “Green Business Opportunities” page.  With Google Analytics, it is easy to see that most of the people who come to my blog do so because they are searching for this exact phrase. People want to change the world.  We need to make sure they have the resources to do so. Read more of this story »

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Green Business Opportunities for Aspiring Eco-Entrepreneurs

Image via: Author’s Collection To be honest, I didn’t really know what I was getting into when I signed up to cover the Wanderlust Festival . Billed as part yoga retreat and part indie rock festival, sure I’d seen the ads in the paper, but what did that really mean? Would people really be able to focus and center themselves with guitars wailing in the background? Would hipsters really be able to fit in at a place … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Wandering Through the Wanderlust Festival

Prior to the vote on the climate bill back in June, Congressman Tom Perriello (D-VA) received a a letter from Hispanic community group Creciendo Juntos urging him to vote against the bill — the trouble is that the letter was forged and sent on behalf of an undisclosed client by lobbyists Bonner & Associates . The Charlottesvill… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Forged Letters Urging Opposition to Climate Bill Sent to Virginia Congressman by Lobbyists

A lobbying firm has acknowledged forging anti-climate bill letters purporting to be from a local NAACP chapter and a Latino advocacy group to a Virginia lawmaker.

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Climate bill opponent sent forged letters

photo: Army.mil via flickr Last October, the US Army announced that it would be developing a 500 MW solar thermal power plant at Fort Irwin , California. At the time details as to who would be developing the project and when it might come online were lacking, but we now have more details on that (via Greent… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Army Plans 500 MW of Solar Power at Fort Irwin by 2022

Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, nature throws a curve ball, in the form of abnormal reptile and amphibians. From two-headed turtles and snakes to multi-legged frogs and much more, it’s safe to say that the following animal anomalies aren’t your everyday, run-of-the-mill creatures. With that said, casting these genetic castoffs as freaks or mutants would diminish the unique stories around their origins. Like Siamese twins, conjoined reptiles and amphibians occur when a developing embryo starts to split into identical twins but then stops. They may also develop multiple limbs when the embryo is damaged. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Don’t Compare (Images via: Flickr , Fisherwy , Kwami Nyamidie , Wasp ) Having two heads is not advantageous for most reptiles. However, of the rare reptiles that have two minds, turtles seem to respond the best. Both heads are able to eat at the same time and surprisingly cooperate very well. Even more surprising, these abnormal turtles tend to live for long periods of time, specifically 15-20 years. Snakes in the Grass: Multiple Personalities (Images via: Fire Retardants , Japan Probe , Ask A Biologist , Telegraph ) As opposed to two-headed turtles that are more adaptable to surviving in the wild, two-headed snakes aren’t so lucky. As these snakes share the same stomach, they often fight over the same prey. They also go different ways, making it difficult for them to survive in the wild if they needed to flee from a larger predator. With that said, two-headed snakes have shown promise when taken out of the wild. Specifically, one two-headed, king snake lived for 17 years under the care of researchers at Arizona State University, according to National Geographic. Conjoined Crocodiles: A Very Rare Sight (Images via: Jack of Spade ) Earlier this decade, a pair of conjoined crocodiles were hatched at a gator farm in Bangkok. Named Chang and Eng (in honor of the world’s most famous Siamese twins), the conjoined crocodiles shared the same body and had four legs each. Unfortunately, the conjoined crocodiles only survived for a week. These Frogs Have No Chance with Miss Piggy (Images via: The Sun , Pegasus News , Flickr , Flickr ) Over the years, more and more frogs with multiple limbs have been discovered in North America. One researcher has linked this development to a runoff of nitrogen and phosphorous from nearby farms and ranches. As a result of these nutrients entering the water supply, parasitic flatworms develop and often form cysts in tadpoles. This attachment of the flatworms to the tadpoles can lead to wild deformities, including legs sprouting out from the strangest spots. Hardly the Geico Lizard (Images via: Wunder Kabinett , World of IQ 90 , LH3 , Flickr ) Developmental deformities are not just limited to the turtles, snakes, crocodiles and frogs mentioned above. Some lizards have also been plagued by two heads, including at the front and back of the body. Amazingly, the condition of having more than one head (polycephaly) is nothing new to reptiles. The first-known reptile with two-heads was named Hyphalosaurus and lived 120 million years ago when dinosaurs ruled the earth during the Cretaceous period. Like the two-headed crocodile, Hyphalosaurus did not live long.

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20 Amazing Reptile and Amphibian Anomalies

This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of Proforma Simonetta Freelance, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy (see proformagreen.com ). John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry. Pacesetter Awards caught our attention at the Proforma 2009 Convention in Denver with their range of award plaques made from eco-friendly materials. Not only is Pacesetter Awards working with some new materials; the actual finishes, plus the multiple sizes and shapes of their products seem to place them ahead of their peers. Unfortunately none of the new line is yet on view at the Pacesetter Awards website or virtual catalog . Read more of this story »

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Pacesetter Awards Sets The Pace For Eco Award Plaques

Image via: Getty Images Part Green Drinks , part non-profit, part educational organization, the new Ecofficiency aims to bring together both the green community and the green curious in Los Angeles for good times and good causes. Their launch party is tomorrow night, and you’re invited …. Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Ecofficiency Brings LA’s Smart Consumers Together

The money to fund an extended Cash for Clunkers program could come at the expense of renewable energy companies. The House on Friday overwhelmingly passed a bill to extend the program which gives consumers up to $4,500 for trading in old cars for new, fuel-efficient ones with an additional $…

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Cash for Clunkers could raid renewable-energy loans