As alluded to in this post, distinctions about the “green” factor of various consumer choices can be downright confusing. Slate’s Green Lantern series looks to parse some of these sticky situations. Aluminum foil or plastic wrap? How green is your pet food? What about dry cleaning? Glasses versus contact lenses?

OK, second beer post in a row.
I just read this story on TheAtlantic.com about the rise of high-end, dinner-party-ready beers. This paragraph annoyed me:

I'm sure that in places like Portland and Denver, it's common for people to bring a four-pack of your favorite microbrew to a dinner party. But here on the East Coast, I've

Last night I tried a local beer that I really loved. I had some time to kill before my bowling league (yeah, you heard me right), so I sidled up the bar at Standard Tap for a pre-game tipple. They had Manayunk Brewery‘s Hive Honey IPA in a firkin. After asking the bartender if it

No, McDonald's will not be moving away from battery-cage eggs:

The board of directors of McDonald’s has recommended that the company’s shareholders vote against a proposal to require that 5 percent of the eggs purchased for the chain’s restaurants in the United States be the cage-free variety.

I guess the company feels like if they budge, its a slippery

If you’re already counting the days till your favorite farmers’ market comes to town, bearing gifts far better than any fat man in a suit, then here is yet another reason to be checking your calendar—especially if you live in West Philly. Ever since my schedule changed—and I’m no longer a mere five minutes away

Photo: Keith Bedford, New York TimesCilantro haters aside, there are two interesting ag stories in The New York Times right now. The first examines Wal-Mart’s foray into India, and the company’s relationship with farmers there. The second story addresses the use of genetically-engineered crops in the U.S.—the downsides might be starting to outweigh the upsides.

In the pantheon of people I hate—Cowboys fans, tall people in front of me at concerts, mutants who don't respect bike lanes—eaters who shun cilantro are pretty central.
Well, turns out it might not be entirely their fault. From the New York Times:

Some people may be genetically predisposed to dislike cilantro, according to often-cited studies by

Rigatoni with Arugula PestoIn some ways, April is the cruelest month for seasonal eaters. The sun is shining, bars are reopening outdoor seating, upper arms are freshly exposed—stuff should be popping out of the ground, right? Well, not really. Stuff is going into the ground, and, for the most part, we're still stuck with apples,

Tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m., enjoy a screening of 5-minute films about sustainability, presented by MiND TV, the Nature Conservancy and the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.
This is all part of MiND TV and The Nature Conservancy's month-long celebration of the environment, happening through April 30. More than 22 new, community-submitted programs will premiere on MiND TV on

A study was released on Monday that addresses the energy inefficiency of the American South. (Here's New York Times' Green Inc. on the subject; here's Grist.org.) From the study:

Relative to the rest of the country, the South consumes a particularly large share of industrial energy, accounting for 51 percent of the nation’s total industrial energy