If you're ever in the New York Hudson Valley area, visit the Franklin Delano Roosevelt historic site but also stop by Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill. It is the only U.S. national historic site dedicated to a First Lady. Shop at the Val-Kill Fair Trade Store which sells items such as bags, shirts, wallets, jewelry made by women all over the world. It is a continuation of Mrs. Roosevelt's legacy of social change and commitment to peace and human rights.

My cheap umbrella finally fell victim to the vicious wind and rain in New York City this past weekend. I trooped to Target and found this Eco'brella from Totes. Its cover is made from 100% recycled PET plastic bottles and the frame is from 70% recycled materials. The handle is bamboo. My favorite feature is of course the auto open and close.

From Environment New York:

What if every new building built in America was a green building?

What if every new home, new school, new office and new factory used no more energy than it could generate itself through solar panels or another source of clean, renewable energy?

Now -- and this might really strain your imagination -- what if our leaders in Congress had the audacity to require all new buildings to be green buildings within a generation?

The good news? A few leaders on Capitol Hill have the guts to push for this remarkable goal. Now you can supply a dose of courage to the rest of Congress -- and at just the right moment, a few short weeks before an incredibly critical vote for our environment.

President Obama has called for a clean energy revolution. Reps. Henry Waxman, Ed Markey and other leaders in Congress are working to deliver on that promise through the American Clean Energy and Security Act, the bill that we hope will drive the creation of a clean energy economy and cap the pollution that's causing global warming.

The bill isn't perfect. But it does reduce the pollution that's fueling global warming and it includes a breakthrough provision that could do more to usher in a clean energy revolution than anything we've seen before: A plan to get every new building to meet a "zero-energy" standard within a generation. [1] Through this single step, we can help America:

• Reduce our country's carbon footprint by a third by 2050, cutting global warming pollution by 250 million tons per year -- the equivalent of taking 50 million cars off the road.
  
• Save families and businesses $25 billion a year -- and more money as time goes on.

The challenge, of course, is that a few big home builders and shopping mall developers hate this provision. They're putting the screws to our members of Congress to get them to kill it before it comes up for a vote on the House floor in a few weeks. Together, we can stop them.

Tell your members of Congress that you want all new buildings in America to be green buildings.

Click here to take action.

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Today, we can't exactly have everything we own made out of wood, but it's still becoming a more popular and fashionable material to use in the electronics scene. If laptops can be made with wood (not exactly THE best idea, but oh well), why not smaller gadgets? This flashlight's casing is made from beech wood and makes use of an LED bulb. What do you think: green or not?

Best Buy has always had an electronics recycling program, but I was pleased when I saw that they not only accept CD, DVDs, ink cartridges, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, CDs, PDAs/smart phones but gift cards at their recycling kiosks in-store. GIFT CARDS! I remember using up the balance on a gift card at a store which shall remain unnamed. I was giving the cashier the old card and they said they don't take it back. I incredulously asked if they don't recycle their gift cards and she said no.

I picked up a set of photo prints at Walgreens the other day, and saw a sign that they refill printer ink cartridges. The Philippines has always had such services, but this was the first one I saw here in the U. S. $10 for black ink, and $15 for color. So kudos to Walgreens. (Not available for Canon and Epson printers.)

From Environment New York's Anna Aurilio:

"Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has finally heeded our call to protect our pristine national forests from imminent logging and roadbuilding.

Yesterday Vilsack issued a directive which requires his personal approval for any new logging, drilling, or roadbuilding in nearly 50 million acres of these treasured forests.

Of course, requiring the Secretary's approval for destructive logging is no ironclad guarantee that he will never give it.

Please take a moment urge Vilsack to personally keep chainsaws and backhoes out of our last pristine forests and to thank him for saying "the buck stops here."

What does this victory mean for our forests? For example, Vilsack's directive covers the 8.5 million acres of roadless areas in Alaska's Tongass National Forest -- the largest temperate rainforest in the world, which features cool, clear streams for spawning salmon and trout and is home to 300 types of birds. The Bush administration had stripped the Tongass of protection in 2005, and several timber projects have been nearing approval at the Forest Service. Now those chainsaws will never rip -- unless Vilsack himself says so.

Sign our message to Secretary Vilsack today -- saying thanks and asking him never to grant permission for destructive activities in our national forests:


Secretary Vilsack's action marks the first key step toward President Obama's pledge to restore permanent protection to all roadless areas in our national forests.

And that's another reason to email Vilsack today -- to make sure his temporary protection becomes permanent."

Last year, Lynn wrote this article about having a green period. To complement it, I share this eye-opening article from Seventh Generation about the dangers of using tampons, cleverly titled Tampontification.

"Tampons are typically made from a variety of materials including conventional cotton, rayon, or a blend of both fibers. Conventional cotton is one of the "dirtiest" crops in the modern world. According to the USDA, in 2003 U.S. cotton farmers applied an eye-popping 55 million pounds of pesticides to their fields. And global cotton production also uses high levels of pesticides.

Many of these agricultural toxins are classified as "extremely or highly hazardous" by the World Health Organization. In addition to polluting groundwater and soil, seven of the 15 most commonly-used cotton pesticides have been identified as possible human carcinogens by the EPA. (Others are known to damage the nervous system and are suspected of disrupting the body's hormonal system.)

When we buy tampons made with conventional cotton, we are contributing to these kinds of environmental pollution.

Rayon also needs further scrutiny. The wood pulp that forms a base material for most rayon is typically treated with chlorine-based bleach. This manufacturing process results in the creation of chlorinated toxins, which can accumulate in the environment over time.

Conventional tampons can also contain any number of other ingredients that women might not want to be intimate with. These include absorbency enhancers, synthetic deodorants, and artificial fragrances.

Add it all up and the term "feminine protection" becomes a bit of a misnomer. An alternative is to use 100% organic cotton tampons. These products are made from pure natural cotton that hasn't been grown in a soup of pesticides. They don't contain rayon or synthetic additives, and most have been manufactured using a chlorine-free process that doesn't create chlorinated toxins."

Share this story with the women in your life for healthier periods.