Doesn't get much greener than this--

John Wells, a former Manhattenite & Upstate NYer has migrated to the desert in West Texas.

IN October 2007, Mr. Wells bought this land — a 40-acre parcel — for $8,000 in cash, adding a 20-acre tract for $5,000 a year and a half later. It took nine days and $1,600 to build the shell of his one-room house, the first structure in a compound that now includes four shipping containers under a soaring arched roof planted on a lacy framework of metal trusses, all of which he made himself. He gave it all a fancy moniker, the Southwest Texas Alternative Energy and Sustainable Living Field Laboratory, but you can call it the Field Lab for short.

He is truly living off the grid--makes me wish I could build things--a disadvantage in attempting this kind of life--I can cook, make soap, sew & knit--but building structures & systems is way out of my skill area. If you have to hire people to build your set-up you are spending big bucks, alas.

Anyway, check out his blog--he's an entertaining writer-

http://thefieldlab.blogspot.com/

also, make sure you look at the slide show of the Field Lab in the NYT article--just gorgeous!

WoW! It's really ok to drink bottled water.....

Well, not really--although Poland Spring is working hard to convince us that it is. Don't get me started on the whole bottled water thing.

The US has (or, maybe had, unfortunately, but that's a long and sad topic for discussion at another time) a wonderful , safe system for supplying water to its citizens. Just turn on a tap and you get safe drinking water.

Why anyone would buy bottled water has long been a mystery to me. The power of advertising is great.

But now, at long last, after billions of plastic bottles have been manufactured, filled, transported, bought, used and discarded, there's a bit of a backlash against bottled water.

So Poland Springs has apparently hired Nick Naylor (Thank You For Smoking) to do some explaining.

They now have --

A better bottle for you and our environment!

Our Eco-Shape® Bottle...

• is made with an average of 30% less plastic versus comparable size carbonated and non-carbonated beverages.*
• features a label approximately one-third smaller.
• is more flexible so it's easier to crush for recycling.
• is easier to carry.

I really like the term eco-shape(R)---what does this mean? the shape is good for the ecology? or maybe it's shaped to look like it's good for the ecology...so ambiguous.

(sent by Sylvia)

CLEAN COAL?

The image says it all, doesn't it? Just dreamy.....no fuss, no muss...plug it in, plug it in....

http://www.cleancoalusa.org/


The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity is committed to the idea that America can have the affordable, reliable electricity we need ... with the clean environment we want.


I don't know--sounds good, doesn't it?


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022903390.html


This writer doesn't think so--and he's a descendant of coal miners, not an effete lefty.