It seems like there's some disagreement whether or not freely-floating helium balloons in the sky are good/bad for the environment. Some say they harm both land- and water-based animals. Others disagree.

I'm inclined to think balloons can be harmful. Come on, helium balloons are clearly not made by nature. Some animals might think it's food once it lands back on the ground. Who knows what damage it can do?

Better to err in the side of caution. If you're attending a party or hosting one and you're having helium balloons, don't let them fly away. Dispose of them properly.

Ecofest 2007 is scheduled for 30 September at the Lincoln Center Plaza in New York City from 11 am to 6 pm. The largest environmental event in the East Coast, this free annual event is on its 19th year. Expect to see exhibits on alternative energy sources, an environmental education conference, even a fashion show. TV's Kelly Ripa hosts.

Being a non-cook myself, I tend to order out a lot. Ideal Bite says that if 10,000 people whip up a meal from scratch instead of ordering takeout once a week, in a year we can keep the weight of up to 7,722 orders of chow mein in trash out of landfills. Of the more than 15 million tons of polystyrene (Styrofoam) produced every year, less than 1% is recycled. Aside from being hard to recycle, Styrofoam is also made from cancer-causing benzene and the brain toxin styrene. So pooh-pooh the pupu platter. Eat healthy for yourself and for mother earth.

From Anna Aurilio, U.S. PIRG Legislative Director:

Over the last few years, U.S. PIRG members have helped pass new rules to cut air pollution from cars and diesel trucks and to stop the Bush administration from weakening the Clean Air Act. Now, we need your help to strengthen air quality standards for ozone "smog" pollution, which can trigger asthma attacks and harm even the healthiest lungs.

In June, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a slight strengthening of the national air quality standard for ozone. Unfortunately, EPA's proposal falls short of what its own scientific advisors said is necessary to protect public health. We need your help to urge the administration to strengthen the standards so that they protect public health, not polluters.

The EPA wants to hear from you about smog pollution, and we only have until October 9th, so send your comment today. To send your email, click here.

Patagonia has added their fleece, organic cotton t-shirts and Polartec fleece from other manufacturers to their Common Threads Garment Recycling program. You can mail your worn-out clothes to their Service Center in Nevada or drop them off at a Patagonia retail store near you.

(photo from Rotten Tomatoes)

Our mother and I went to Healthy Options yesterday. It used to sell mostly vitamin supplements, gradually branching out into healthier, well, options for food, beauty products, personal hygiene, etc. The prices are much, much higher than anything from regular supermarkets, but the occasional visit there won't hurt. I even got myself some free-range chicken broth.

What really pleased me though was the presence of reusable bags. The sign on top of the shelves holding the bags promised that, unlike other stores, there's no need to claim any extra points or make special purchases just to be able to use the bags, so that really makes it easier for people to use them. The bags cost P50 (presently $1.06) each.

America the beautiful...land of numerous national parks and forests. A great vacation would include hiking, swimming, seeing wildlife, camping out under the stars or just taking in awe-inspiring vistas. But the Bush administration continues to look for more places to mine, drill for oil and cut trees down. Sign the petition to protect roadless forests.

Love that new car smell? According to the AAA Car and Travel magazine September 2007 issue, this smell is created when chemicals used in automotive plastics and vinyls are vaporized after exposure to heat and light. Unfortunately, these released gases can be dangerous to your health. The Ecology Center rated the interiors of 200 models based on these interior compartment emissions. The most chemical free interiors belonged to the Honda Odyssey, Volvo V50, Chrysler PT Cruiser and the Chevrolet Cobalt. The Kia Spectra 5, Suzuki Forenza, Nissan Versa, Chevy Aveo and Scion xB fared the worst. You can go to Healthycar.org to see how your 2006 or 2007 car ranks.

• On a recent shopping trip to Stop n Shop, a bin for recycling plastic bags greeted me at the entrance. They continue to sell reusable bags.
  
  
• The Sony Take Back Recycling program gets underway on 15 September. The company has partnered with WM Recycle America eCycling centers. They will accept Sony products for free while a fee will be charged for competitors' electronic products. They plan to have one location in each state in the program's first year, and eventually have a dropoff center within 20 miles of 95% of the population. A complete list of WM Drop-Off centers can be found by calling 1-877-439-2795. If there isn't one near you at this time, you can mail it to one of the locations.

Seventh Generation has an official blog. Here's the link: The Inspired Protagonist.

I loved apples when I was growing up. Unfortunately, since living in the U. S., I have become allergic to them. People don't believe me when I say I get an allergic reaction to apples. I always believed it had something to do with the food supply and all the genetic engineering that's going on just so food would stay fresh longer or resist diseases and pests. I have a friend whose two year old has a peanut allergy. Even babies are developing allergies so early on. For more information, read this article about the link between food allergies and genetically modified foods. One more reason to go organic perhaps.

I lived pretty close to my university (20 minutes away from home), so there really was no point in staying in a dorm. I'm not sure it would have been easy to implement greener practices in the school's dormitories though! Some of you may be luckier, so check out Care2's easy tips for eco-friendly dorm living.

You've probably heard that buying in bulk saves you money. You've also probably heard/read how buying in bulk doesn't really save money.

I believe buying in bulk can save you money, only if you plan in advance what you're buying. It's easy to go crazy in a warehouse club. My husband and I buy some of our household items in bulk (paper towel, toothpaste, facial tissue, detergents, laundry soap - you get the picture) that we'll need in the future. Nonperishables, of course.

I tried to look for the environmental policies of the three well-known warehouse clubs - BJ's Wholesale Club, Sam's Club and Costco. I only found BJ's "environmental commitment".

I couldn't find anything similar for Sam's Club and Costco. I did read about Sam's Club "green" gift cards.

If saving money is not enough to make you bulk in bulk, did you ever think that buying in bulk is also good for the environment? You reduce the packaging materials to be recycled. Places like BJ's, Sam's Club and Costco do not use plastic bags. Customers can reuse the boxes and cartons used to transport the items in the warehouse. However, I also have to point out that some items in warehouse clubs are overpackaged. You can buy in bulk, but pay attention to its packaging. I wrote about reducing packaging waste before, so I won't say it again.

More developments in vehicles have been cropping up lately!

The Philippine LPG Bus and Taxi Co. Inc. will be pilot-testing 10 LPG-run buses from Chinese manufacturer King Long Buses by October, which will run the SM Fairview-Alabang route via C5, said company director Emmanuel Atienza. Read more.

Hopefully the test-run will go smoothly. This will definitely ease up on pollution in the streets. Although I am wondering if LPG is safe. Anyone care to enlighten me, please?

My husband and I are going on vacation in Utah next week. In my search for a place to stay in Moab, I came across The River Canyon Lodge which touts itself as an environmentally-friendly hotel. They even have a link in their website for Green Power.

We would've stayed there had they offered free breakfast. Sadly, we had a specific budget allocated for our lodging (which includes choosing places to stay that offered free breakfast). We couldn't decide for days where to stay. It was a good discovery though. Perhaps next time.

Nonylphenol ethoxylates(NPEs) are commonly found in detergents and other cleaning agents. They leave very little film behind, aren't easily deactivated by hard water and are cheap to produce. Unfortunately, the chemicals are being rinsed down the drain and break down into toxic substances. NPEs mimic estrogen, and disrupt the endocrine system. According to the Sierra Club, "these chemical compounds cause organisms to develop both male and female sex organs; increase mortality and damage to the liver and kidney; decrease testicular growth, the formation of sperm, and testosterone levels in male fish; and disrupt normal male-to-female sex-ratios, metabolism, development, growth and reproduction". The effects on humans are still unknown at this time. Read the Sierra Club's petition to ban NPEs.

(Source: Seventh Generation Newsletter July 2007)

MeetTheGreens.org is a new kids' guide to looking after the planet. Kids can watch THE GREENS' cartoon adventures and discover related green games, news, downloads, a blog, action tips, links, and much more. This innovative, Web-only project comes from WGBH in Boston, the producer of shows like ZOOM, ARTHUR, Frontline & NOVA.

I recently made travel arrangements on Travelocity. At check-out, I noticed an option to "Go Zero" by donating $10 to offset one person's carbon dioxide emissions for a flight, a one night hotel stay and one day car rental. The Conservation Fund will plant trees to zero out your emissions. I ended up not buying it for lack of any real information on the website. Many people apparently have questions about flying green because I found this article about Travelocity's and Expedia's carbon offset options.

Better World Club is the only earth-friendly auto club in the U. S. They not only provide roadside assistance to car owners, but to bicycle riders as well. Hybrid car owners receive discounted memberships. Other benefits include gas rebate coupons, carbon offsets, insurance, discounts at eco-friendly companies, including hotels and hybrid or biodiesel rental car companies, The club donates 1% of its revenues to environmental clean-up and other green causes.

We've been having a lot of much-needed rain here lately. Normally, the rainy season starts in June and by August, we are treated to torrential rains, but there's been so few of the sort that water levels are running low and there's a serious threat to the power supply. It's been raining for almost a week, but apparently it's still not enough to boost water levels.

Still, we're happy with the weather, although the rain has temporarily put on hold the launch of a solar car.

In an ironical twist, tropical storm "Chedeng" postponed the scheduled unveiling on Wednesday of a Philippine-made solar-powered car named Sinag (sun ray), designed to compete in a 3,000-kilometer race in Australia.

Newsweek offers some tips on how you can save water in every room of your house. Check them out.

See? Concern for the environment isn't just limited to the Western world. In Saipan, shoppers who are bringing their own bags get a chance to receive a nice reward.

The totebag (canvans) (sic) bag promotion is one manner shoppers can protect the environment and promote sustainable living by reducing the amount of plastic bags while grocery shopping. For each time a shopper uses a canvas or reusable bag for their purchases, the shopper will receive an entry form for a chance to win the weekly gift certificate prize, valued at $25.

Could this possibly get more people to go with reusable bags? It might make it a more attractive option, although we certainly hope that they're doing it for the chance to save the environment as well, not just for the prize.

(Photo from Natural Touch)

Dirty car? Keep it and your conscience clean with these tips from Ideal Bite:

• Turning the hose off between rinses.
• Using a non-toxic, biodegradable cleaner like Biokleen.
• Try a waterless wash kit.
• Better yet, go to a professional car wash that uses eco-friendly cleaners. When washing at home, chemicals from toxic cleaners can run off into storm drains and into waterways. Check if your local car wash recycles water. Pro car washes can save up to 130 gallons of water; drive through ones up to 70 gallons.

So goes former Manila mayor and new DENR secretary Lito Atienza's latest statement in response to attacks on his green cred.

Newly appointed Environment Secretary Jose Lito Atienza is so annoyed at being portrayed as a tree killer in the media, he has made a vow to plant up to 50 million trees in a fresh reforestation campaign.

All right, all right. Benefit of the doubt, then. This should be interesting to watch.