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In a recent article in The New York Times, Andy Revkin talks about the whiplash effect:

When science is testing new ideas, the result is often a two-papers-forward-one-paper-back intellectual tussle among competing research teams.

When the work touches on issues that worry the public, affect the economy or polarize politics, the news media and advocates of all stripes dive in. Under nonstop scrutiny, conflicting findings can make news coverage veer from one extreme to another, resulting in a kind of journalistic whiplash for the public.

An understanding of how science works sheds a lot of light on this problem.

Scientists work at the turbulent interface between what we know and what we do not know. At that turbulent interface, scientists are constantly putting forward new ideas to extend the scientific community's understanding. These new ideas are then tested by other members of the scientific community. Bad ideas wither and die while good ideas survive. Eventually, after an idea has survived replication and other testing long enough, it comes to be accepted (a scientific consensus exists that this idea is correct).

For example, quantum mechanics was put forward to explain puzzling observations at the atomic scale. After concerted testing by the scientific community, a consensus has grown up that quantum mechanics is a correct description of nature.

Once consensus has been reached on an idea, the turbulent interface moves on to the next unanswered question. Arguments about the fundamental correctness of quantum mechanics, for example, are no longer interesting, and the scientific community no longer works on that. Instead, the community is working on some of the unanswered details of quantum mechanics.

Moms can be many things, but one thing’s for sure, she’s your gene pool.

At the recent Step Up Women’s Health Panel: Our Mothers, Ourselves, we learned how mom’s health history + lifestyle choices = our future. We took notes:

• The skin-y from dermatologist Dr. Doris Day—genes do determine some of your derma-health, but lifestyle choices are key. Think in terms of “daylight protection” instead of “sun protection” (even cold, cloudy days require sunscreen). We learned: Look for sunscreens that are “photo stabilized” (they don’t break down in the sun).

• The heart of cardiologist Dr. Nieca Goldberg’s advice? Along with genetics and diet, daily stress can inflict major wear and tear on our ticker. We learned: Keep stress levels low with yoga and meditation.

• Let’s talk about sex with expert Logan Levkoff, who says ladies need to get comfortable talking to our OBGYNs about our sex lives. That imperative info gives them a “leg up” in examinations. We also learned: The panelists were all in favor of the HPV vaccination.

When it comes to going green, kids will learn best by example. Simple efforts that your kids can see and get involved with, like changing light bulbs, refusing receipts, and recycling as much as possible, are all great ways to get kids started in the right direction.

But another way parents can encourage green habits in their kids, other than reading books, is checking out Atlanta-based idBids, a company that offers cool eco-friendly starter kits that help kids take “iddy biddy steps for a greener world.”

It’s clear that many companies are jumping on a “green bandwagon” - creating eco-friendly products not necessarily because they believe it down to their very core, but because they know it’s popular and will sell.

Not idBids.

Read more of this story »

Part of back-to-school time means finding that perfect new outfit. One thing you may notice while shopping this year is more of an emphasis on eco-friendly clothing, whether it’s organic materials or recycled content.

In addition to checking the label, here’s eight ways to make sure that you look good in green this fall season.

1. Be Bag Practical

We use about 380 billion plastic bags and sacks each year, and they are light enough that bags in a landfill can easily be blown into water for birds and sea life to feed on. You can try bringing your own reusable bag(s) when you shop, or simply ask the clerk to make sure each bag is filled to capacity.

That will leave you with less bags to dispose of when you get home, and you can use Earth911 to find out where to recycle plastic bags when you’re done shopping.

2. Embrace the Vintage Look

Though not all used clothing is vintage, with a little work, you can get that perfect look from clothes on their second time around. Buying used clothing saves resources for making new clothes as well as disposing of old ones. You can also make new clothes out of second-hand fabric, such as a denim jacket made from torn blue jeans. Also consider donating clothes you no longer want for reuse; you can find clothing donation drop-offs using Earth911.

3. Repair Before You Replace

A needle and thread carry a pretty small carbon footprint, and they can be used for important maintenance on your clothing. A quick tutorial in sewing can help you:

• Replace buttons
• Mend holes
• Shorten/lengthen pant legs and waistlines

All of these options will help your clothing last longer.

Growing consumer awareness about the dangers of pesticides, which have been linked to birth defects, reproductive disorders and weaker immune systems, has led another big name in retail to invest in the health of our bodies and our planet. We recently celebrated when West Elm debuted a line of high-quality, certified organic home accessories for bed and bath. We were all admittedly quite taken with their color-block shower curtains, which come in three handsome color combinations and are reasonably priced at $49. Then we noticed that the vinyl liner was sold separately (in other words, totally unnecessary and icky). Nonetheless, their plush organic cotton towels and bath mats come in a bold selection of earthy solids and sexy prints and are made with non-toxic dyes. So, if you’re in the market for a housewarming gift or your towels and linens have outworn their wear, give your dollars a voice at West Elm, and hopefully they’ll just keep growing greener.

In Checkout Line, Lou Bendrick cooks up answers to reader questions about how to green their food choices and other diet-related quandaries. Lettuce know what food worries keep you up at night.

Hello Grist,

The food worry that keeps me up at night is how best to buy fish. Should I buy "wild caught," with the world's fishing fleets using giant nets that scoop up all sorts of sea wildlife in one fell swoop, drowning the fish they wanted to collect along with many varieties that they will just dump back in the water dead? Or "farm raised," with the many antibiotics that are required to keep the fish alive in close quarters, other injections, the waste that is often times released (either on purpose or accidentally) into the waterways, polluting them so the wild fish and other wildlife do not survive?

Any advice on which is better would be appreciated.  Thank you for starting a column just focusing on food, as this is a big issue for sustainability.

Karen Bograd
Dear Karen:

The next time you are up at night fretting, please know that you are in good company! At about 3 a.m., you are likely to find me staring at the ceiling, worrying about upcoming presidential elections, my sump pump, or if I'm getting enough fatty acids -- and how the heck acids can be fatty in the first place. (Tell me honestly now: Does this acid make me look fatty?)

About a quarter of the U.S. population lives in apartments or condos, according to the 2000 census [PDF], and most Americans will live in one or the other at some point in their lives. But apartment dwellers don't have to miss out on the joys of growing their own foo

 You don't need a yard to garden. All you need are some pots.

"Container gardening" makes it possible for just about anyone to grow their own tasty, fresh, organic, local food -- and save on grocery bills. If you plant several crops that are harvested at different times all in one pot, you can stretch a little space even further.

Container gardening has its quirks and some key differences from the traditional seeds-in-the-ground gardening style, but you just need savvy guidance and an open, experimental attitude.

A few tips to get you started:

• stick to dwarf, bush, or compact varieties of veggies, fruits, and herbs

• make sure your gardening spot receives four to eight hours of direct sunlight a day, depending on what you're growing

• pick the right size of container for your particular plants

• water frequently, as containers dry out more quickly than plants in the ground

Come on, ditch that finicky ficus and opt for tomatoes, spinach, or basil. You may surprise yourself. I found that I take better much care of my container garden than I do that wilting houseplant on my desk, and I have succulent, delicious zucchini to show for it.

The Weather Channel is providing 20 free trips to Washington D.C. as the prize for an environmental essay contest on the topic of what you’re doing to save the planet.

The trip is part of The Weather Channel’s Forecast Earth Summit, a conference for select future environmental leaders held December 5-7. During last year’s Summit, participants created a boat made entirely of recycled materials, including 200 plastic bottles.

Looking for ideas to help the planet? Learn more about all the products you can recycle, and find out where to recycle them using Earth911.

Have you ever found yourself burning with envy as you sit bumper to bumper while you watch other’s gleefully cruise down the carpool lane? Find your self inching into the next lane because it appears to be creeping along a 1 inch per hour faster than your lane all the while that diamond clad lane is as open as a high range prairie? There is a simple solution… pick up a total stranger on the side of the road or in a parking lot, and enjoy the the life in the fast lane.

The impromptu carpooling is called slugging, and it has evolved to a pretty streamlined system in some places, like DC for example. Because High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes require 1 or more passengers, lonely commuters have had to be creative to access the coveted HOV lane. Around the greater DC area 25 “Slug Lines” have formed in parking & commuter lots, serving 6,500 slugs/slug drivers a day.

Here’s how it works:

• People and cars line up in one of the designated areas.
• The cars pull up to the line and hold out a sign with the destination or shouts it out to the first person in line
• If that person isn’t heading to that destination, he/she shouts it out to the rest of the line and the first two people going that way jump in the car.

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