Proponents of the smart grid say that our energy infrastructure is costly, outmoded, and inefficient: The Northeast blackout in 2003, for example, cost the region $6 billion (for more figures, read The Smart Grid: An Introduction ). In a system as large and complex as the power grid, eve...

Americans love luxurious toilet paper -- sales for brands like Cottonelle Ultra and Quilted Northern Ultra shot up 40 percent in 2008. Basically, people figure, the more TP can resemble a cashmere throw, the better. Sadly, that whipped-cloud texture can only be attained by using fi...

Walking into a room, you probably flip on the light automatically. Even if you're concerned with energy conservation, it's hard to conceptualize how much you're actually using in such a simple task. That's where the SmartSwitch comes in. Designed by two Stanford students as a replace...

Downy makes dryer sheets that smell like a clean breeze because, well, people like their clothes to smell like a clean breeze. Why not go for the real thing? You can try, but America's more than 300,000 association-governed communities are going to give you hell for it. Millions of citizens are ...

A mailbox full of bills is already a bummer without the guilt of your paper trail's environmental impact. Consider ditching the endless hard-copy invoices this year in favor of electronic bills, statements, and payments to save around 6.6 pounds of paper. PayItGreen Coalition's Green C...

Escape to the movies with one of our Movie Review Friday selections. Each week, we review a film with an environmental or socially responsible theme that’s currently in theaters or available on DVD. Seen a good eco-flick lately? Send us a review of 100 or fewer words and look for your review in th...

Most of the green holiday tips that pop up in the blogosphere tend to focus on Christmas, so we'd like to dedicate this post to the eco-minded Jews out there. Whether you're celebrating Hanukkah, Chanukah, Chanaka, or Hanukah (or if you just like lighting candles), there are several ways to ...

To promote the release of their Horton Hears a Who! DVD (Dec. 9), 20th Century Fox’s PR people decided to send journalists a bit of crap. That is, some 1,500 reporters received double-sided press releases printed on recycled paper made of elephant dung. The company that manufactures the finely tex...