L.A. Green Bean

The New American Dream has joined efforts with LetsGoGreen.com to promote and sell environmentally friendly products, including non-toxic cleaners, recycled paper products, water saving products, and kitchen trash bags.

The items are affordable, some prices beating those found at standard retail stores. And the website is easy to navigate.

An approximate 30 million people are expected to spend an hour in the evening tonight in pitch black. That's right, no lights.

Beginning at 8 P.M. today, March 29, in ChristChurch, New Zealand, people across the globe will participate in Earth Hour, a tradition which began last year to show how humans are connected to climate change. The event will begin at 8 P.M. in New Zealand, make its way westward to Australia, Manila, Dubai, Dublin, New York, Chicago, and end in San Francisco.

A House committee opened an investigation Monday into potential conflicts of interest in scientific panels that advise the Environmental Protection Agency.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee cited the case of eight scientists who were consultants or members of EPA science advisory panels assessing the human health effects of toxic chemicals while getting research support from the chemical industry on the same chemicals they were examining.

Sick? Sneezing? Coughed out lungs? One culprit is breathing in too many fumes from toxic cleaners.

Green Living at Care2.com listing ten reasons to leave the bottle of bleach and instead use vinegar the next time the house needs a scrubbing.

Drugs in the city's water? You betcha. The Environmental Working Group explains that and more in its recent article.

According to the Environmental Working Group, at least 41 million Americans are drinking water contaminated with pharmaceuticals.

Senate OKs Tougher Overseas Toy Checks

By LAURIE KELLMAN – 20 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Responding to record recalls of products that sickened children, the Senate passed legislation Thursday that would toughen inspections of toys and other playthings made outside the U.S.

The bill calls for a public database of consumer complaints, bolsters the Consumer Products Safety Commission to help it certify the safety of overseas products, bans lead in children's goods and sets new standards for safe toys.

Washington, D.C.—The renewable energy industry is stepping up its meteoric rise into the mainstream of the energy sector, according to the REN21 Renewables 2007 Global Status Report. Renewable energy production capacities are growing rapidly as a result of more countries enacting far-reaching policies.

The Environmental Working Group presents nine more reasons to go organic and invest in socially conscious companies. The organization compiled a list of nine toxic ingredients to avoid on its Skin Deep website. Among the ingredients are cow placenta and lead, which can be found in common cosmetics and skin care products. Culprits include L'Oreal, Paula Dorf, Sally Hansen, Aveeno, and Avon.

Running out of commercial fish stocks may come sooner than expected. According to the recent U.N. Environment Program report, the rise of global temperatures, environmental degradation, and overfishing can bring the end to the mass consumption of fish within decades.

According to the Associated Press, more than 2.6 billion people get most of their protein from fish.

At its February 26th hearing, the Santa Monica City Council is scheduled to vote on drafting an ordinance to ban plastic bags in the city. The ban that is being considered (which is recommended by the city's staff), is a far-reaching and comprehensive approach to the problem of single-use plastic and paper bag consumption.

The ban that is being considered (which is recommended by the city's staff), is far-reaching and the most comprehensive approach to the problem of single-use plastic and paper bag consumption than any other in the nation.

Santa Monica's bag ban would: