Minnesota Environmental News - Now Improved, with RSS Format! (tm)

* Minnesota Public Radio is worried that a proposed light rail line running right by its Saint Paul offices would be noisy. Read more from MinnPost.

image from MinnPost

* Nationwide - Obama's "green team" not so progressive? Read more from BeyondChron.

* 3M asks to throw out a lawsuit brought by 4 residents over leached PFCs found in groundwater. Perfluorocarbons were used in products like Scotchgard and Teflon. There is precedent: DuPont in Ohio was ordered to pay $300 million in damages in 2005 on a PFC case. Questions this case will attempt to figure out: When the company dumped leftover materials into landfills (legally), did it know that PFCs are toxic and bioaccumulate? Did it know the chemicals would leach into the groundwater? Do the 4 residents have a substantial enough claim of "subcellular" harm? Are PFCs as toxic to humans as they are to mice? Read more from the Pioneer Press.

* Minneapolis adopts environmentally preferable purchasing policy. Read more from MinnPost.

Keetsa - Green Mattresses, Green Blog

So Keetsa is a provider of green mattress and assorted accoutrements. They buy directly from the supplier and send via UPS. The theory goes, UPS is already in your neighborhood. Might as well make them take a mattress, eh?


While I have bought the only mattress I will be buying for the next decade or so, I do heartily enjoy Keetsa's blog. From solar iPod chargers to Leo DiCaprio's green habits, Keetsa's blog tells all.

Green Consumer Reports!

A dream come true! Bust those greenwashers with Green Consumer Reports.


The guide tells you what you should bother buying organic, including baby food, meat, eggs, milk, apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, and strawberries. It also says not to bother buying organic seafood or cosmetics.

It tells you how many dollars per year you'll save by shutting off the accent lighting (up to $28.65), or unplugging cell phone chargers when not in use (as much as $5.73).

I also tells you what chemicals to avoid when purchasing personal care products.

Planet Green Blog

My beloved TreeHugger has been bought out, now to be included as a complement to Discovery's new Planet Green channel set to launch early in 2008.


Tips from them include:

The Closet Trick
Turn all the hangers in your closet around so they point towards you. When you take something out and wear it, turn it back around so the hanger points away from you. In six months, go through and re-think everything still on a hanger pointing towards you.

myGreen Spark
Fundraising coupon books for green businesses in SoCal or nationally.

(Note: Sorry November's been a patchy posting month! It's been a patchy internet month. I'll go back and in-fill the dates so you still get your regular dose of green. Apologies for the delay!)