If you want some free tea, and are tired of waiting for your free organic tea, then try out this link:

http://www.designatea.com/freesamples.php

I filled out the form and am waiting for my free tea now, mug in hand.

Edit: They changed the link a little bit, so I had to put up the new link.  Good luck with it.

It’s weird that so many students pack their lunches almost every day, but when they grow up and enter the good ol’ workforce, they pretty much stop packing their lunch. Most people do this because they say it’s more convenient than packing their own lunch. But if they stop and think about it, there are several great reasons to bring your lunch to work with you.

Bag Lunches Are Healthier

Many restaurants offer lunches with tons of meat and grease. There is nothing wrong with this occasionally. But when fast food starts becoming your normal lunch, your health will take a hurting. When you pack your own lunch, you can put in tons of vegetables, fruits, and other such healthy mess. Remember: packing your own lunch = getting your own six-pack.

Save Money

Unless you want to “take all of your money [and] give it up to charity”, you probably want more money. Packing your lunch is a great way to save money. Instead of spending $6-$10 on lunch, you can spend way less than that by packing yourself a sandwich and some fruit and vegetables. Plus, you will be saving money on gas, which brings means that you can also

Help the Environment

That’s right folks, by bringing a bag lunch, you will not only be getting healthier and saving money, you will be helping out Mother Earth. Less driving = less gas = less pollution. Plus, if you pack your lunch in a reusable bag, you’ll be cutting down on your waste.

So there you have it. If you want to save money, help Captain Planet, AND stay healthy, just pack yourself a bag lunch and bah-bam, you are achieving all three of those goals. So go home tonight and try it, and you’ll thank yourself tomorrow at lunchtime (unless you made a really bad lunch).

That’s my excuse for not posting much of anything for awhile. Me and Tiff just got back from there, and had a grand old time. Uruguay was almost devoid of tourists, so we were usually the only Americans around. But that was great, since I got to practice my Spanish, and also it meant that it wasn’t all touristy with trinkets and such.

Perhaps later I shall write more on this exciting excursion. But for right now, I shall sit back con mi yerba mate and contemplate el mundo.

Do you love camping, but hate sleeping on the ground? Do you envy the lives of acorns and pinecones, getting to hang from a tree all day? Well have I got an invention for you.

It’s called the Tree Tent. Designed by Dutch sculptor Dré Wapenaar, the Tree Tent is a 13-foot tall ball that you hang from a tree. Its hardwood floor and round mattress lend an air of dignity to the zaniness of the Tree Tent.

Luckily, it only costs $50,000 to buy yourself one. At that price, I think I’d rather just hang a bag on a tree and crawl inside, but if I was super-rich, I might be tempted to get me one of these. If your bank vault is getting full, you can buy a Tree Tent here.

Just last night me and me woman put up our Christmas tree. As I was hanging up the millionth ornament, I started thinking about Christmas in terms of environmental impact. Just think of all the packaging thrown away every year. All the trees cut down, screaming their silent tree screams that only Captain Planet and other eco-heroes can hear. As I started to silently weep, I clenched my fist with the determination that I would find a way to “greenify” this savage winter holiday.

Eco-Friendly Christmas Tree

• Most natural Christmas trees come from tree farms, so there is only temporary deforestation from their harvest. Plus, recent studies from my alma mater have shown that if Christmas tree farmers choose their pesticides wisely (or use organic methods), they can have a negligible environmental impact. Of course, once Christmas is done, most trees are just thrown out on the curb to be taken to the landfill.
• Plastic Christmas trees have a higher embodied energy; basically all of them are made from polyvinyl chloride. But they do last forever, so they can be reused all the way until the Earth finally blows up.
• I’d recommend looking around the inside of your house for a tree (real or fake) that you already have, and just decorating that.

Green Christmas Presents

• Skimp on the packaging. If you must wrap a present, do so by reusing some magazine or newspaper pages. ‘Tis the present that counts, not the packaging.
• Give non-material presents. Perhaps coupons for a massage, yard work, or the gift of friendship, if you’re really cheap.
• Make some food for them. “Wrap” it in tupperware or a metal tin that they can reuse.
• Give a green present. Perchance a low-flow shower head, a solar roll, or a nice compost bin.

Green Traveling During Christmas

• Carpool if you’re going long distances. This will cut your gas price, and give you some company on that long holiday drive.
• Ride a bike. Throw on your coat and hop on your bike if you’re just going a short distance.
• Sled or ski. If there is snow on the ground and you only have to go downhill, this is the tip for you.
• Ride a moped. Save money, use less gas, and spread holiday cheer as people laugh at with you.
• Hitchhike. Maybe Santa Claus will pick you up in his sleigh. What a story that’d be!

Don’t forget to save energy and money this winter by following these simple tips.

After thinking up these ideas, my eco-tears finally stopped, and I was able to resume hanging ornaments on our tree. Merry Christmas to everybody, and please give a hoot, don’t pollute.

Arsenic in water is a big problem in the developing world. It can cause death within 30 minutes. Worse, it is usually odorless and flavorless, so it’s hard for people to detect. Luckily, Dr. Vicki Colvin, a professor of chemistry and chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice University, has invented a very easy way to produce a “pollution magnet” that will pull arsenic out of water.

How to Make an Arsenic Magnet

Colvin’s process to make an arsenic magnet is very simple and cheap, which is great for developing countries. Here’s how to make an arsenic magnet:

1. Fry a teaspoon of rust in a mixture of oil and lye. This breaks the rust down into nano-sized pieces.
2. Use a magnet to pick up the rust dust.
3. Put rust-covered pollution magnet in water with arsenic.
4. Pull out arsenic.

The system is up to a hundred times more efficient than existing methods, and the simplicity (and cheapness) of its production means that even dirt-poor people can make these arsenic magnets.

Dr. Colvin’s arsenic magnet system could go global as soon as the next five years (if it passes governmental regulations). If her arsenic magnet is mass-produced, it could ease water (and arsenic) worries for millions of people in the developing world. For her invention, I have decided to award her the prestigious EcoJoes Eco-Hero award. Hear hear.

Wow, this seems like such a great way to reuse plastic bottles. Risha Sowa, an Englishman (and official EcoJoes Eco Hero), moved to Mexico back in the ’90s and built his own private island using around 250,000 plastic bottles and sand from local beaches. He had his own solar cooker, composting toilet, and lots of pets running around. Unfortunately, Spiral Island was beached during a hurricane, but Sowa is now building a new and improved version. Here’s a video of the original Spiral Island:

Bonus Fun Fact: The host of that video is none other than good ol’ Dave Lister (Craig Charles) from Red Dwarf, a great show if I do say so myself.For more information on Rishi’s past and present islands, I heartily suggest you check out his website: Spiral Islanders.