Kids’ Lemonade Stand Shut Down by County Government..

This is a crazy story. Another one of these “overreaching government” stories that seem to be all the rage (for good reason). Before I get into it, I’ll note that a $500 fine imposed on the children in this story has been waived and the kids have been granted permission to re-open their lemonade stand. But before someone in power came to their senses and decided that they didn’t want to whole nation looking at them for such a ridiculous action. (I’ll also note that these are kids of some very rich, “Washington power” families, the Marriotts (yeah, the the family behind the hotels) and the Augustines (of Lockheed-Martin). Anyway, here’s the story….

Father’s Day Ecards

It’s another big card-giving holiday. And, for those who want to be a little greener and save some trees (and ink), ecards are the clear way to go. That’s even more so at this time anyway since it IS Father’s Day & you probably don’t have much time to go any other route.

Well, to help you out (if you need it), I’ve got a handful of favorite ecard companies. I think these are my 4 favorites, and why

Solar Panels: Father’s Day Gift?

Generally, I try to keep an eye on the most popular Google searches in the U.S. For one, I think this is important for my job, to see if something I’m interested in is hot at the moment (and why) or to find out about something important I might have missed in my normal news channels. Additionally, doing so just gives me an idea of what’s happening or what’s popular at the moment, in general.

USDA Doesn’t Follow USDA’s Own Advice on Dietary Guidelines

Becky covered the USDA’s new system for conveying its updated dietary guidelines to the public nearly two weeks ago. The USDA has move from a food pyramid to a food plate.

The food plate clearly shows that we should be eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, and not too much meat and dairy.

However, as at least one insightful climate action and healthy living advocate has recognized, the USDA doesn’t follow its own advice.

New Bike-Sharing Program in Wrocław, Poland! {Videos & Pictures}

New Bike-Sharing Program in Wrocław, Poland! {Videos & Pictures}

I’m a bicycle lover. In particular, I’m a huge proponent of bicycling for transportation purposes. Bicycles are super efficient (perhaps the most efficient transportation option out there), meaning they are very environmentally friendly and also save you and the city a ton of money. They are also a ton of fun to ride, good for your health, good for your mind, and highly accessible. But, in some cases, using your own bike for transportation purposes is impractical. For, this reason, from the first time I heard about bicycle sharing programs (like the huge one in Paris, Velib), I fell in love with them.

New York Times, Oxfam, & Others Pick Up the Climate Change–Food Insecurity Story

You may be getting tired of my stories on climate change and food, but I think this is a critical topic already significantly affecting the lives of tens of millions of people (or more) that will become increasingly important in the years to come (if we don’t do something to address climate change NOW).

I’m not the only one trying to draw a little more attention to this critical topic, but not many big media agencies have been doing so (yet). This weekend, though, the New York Times published an above-the-fold, 4000-word, front-page story on the matter! The title: A Warming Planet Struggles to Feed Itself.