The good folks at the Organic Wine Company feature "Dr. Pat's Pick:" Three bottles of organic wine from OWC founders home region in France. Here's what Veronique and Michel have to say about this special collection: "Taste our famous Château Bousquette, a typical blend of Languedoc's region with Carignane, Syrah and Grenache, bold and spicy. Marvel in front of your glass of Cabernet Sauvignon from Mas de Janiny, deep and powerful. Enjoy the elegance, the subtelty, the complexity of the Limoux created by Bernard Delmas, 100% Chardonnay in a southern expression of that varietal."

The NY Times reports on two new studies which back the link between global warming and stronger hurricanes. We know that warmer surface temperatures of the ocean cause stronger storms, but scientists have been reluctant to complete the circle and verify that climate change causes stronger hurricanes. These studies from Purdue University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology help close the gap.

As the founder of earthscreen, I want to apologize personally for problems some people experienced with the initial launch of our invitation system last week. You have my personal assurance that we went to work immediately addressing the problem when it was identified. We are a very small start-up organization and we are bound to make mistakes. But we will always address them as quickly as possible and respond promptly to suggestions and feedback. First and most important, I want to promise you that we never send spam. We hate spam just like everyone else, and would certainly never, ever send spam. We strictly enforce our privacy & email policies, which include the following: 1. we never send spam 2. we do not know or keep email client details 3. we do not know or store any emails from invitations that are sent 5. we will unsubscribe and/or cancel any membership when requested 6. anyone can contact us directly from our web site at any time We have made changes to improve the system so that our members don't accidentally send out emails that they don't want to send. In specific, the we made the following changes immediately after the problem was identified: 1. The copy has been changed on the email client page to notify members that they can select the recipients on the following page. 2. The copy has been changed on the send page to make members aware that clicking "send" will automatically send invitations to earthscreen to their selected contacts. 3. The "continue" button has been change to a "send" button. 4. The default view displays the selected contacts (instead of having to click on a link to display them). 5. We have run full testing cycles in all of our supported OS and Browser combinations (Windows, IE and Firefox; Mac, Firefox and Safari) to confirm that the system is working correctly. To use our invitation system, a member has to take the following seven steps: 1. join earthscreen by entering their email 2. click "sign up" or "join" 3. select their email client 4. log into their email client 5. click continue 6. review and select/deselect recipient email addresses 7. click send Members can also customize their own invitation by copying and pasting a customized link into their own email to send to friends. Again, you have my sincerest apologizes for any problems you may have experienced. Please feel free to contact us directly by clicking here if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you, Jay Haynes founder & ceo

We have made significant improvements to our invitation system and I will be updating everyone tomorrow with the details.

Last week, Nick Aster blogged on Treehugger about the Chicago Carbon Exchange. I'm picking it up here because it is a concise explanation of something that is baffling to many. The big question: Is it simply an administrative "fix" or does it provide a real, if partial, solution? "One of the most effective methods of reducing a particular pollutant is to create a cap and trade program. This means that an authority such as government states that only some amount of the pollutant will be permitted, per year, and that each company in the country or state is permitted some amount, generally a bit less than their historical norm. After that, if a company manages to reduce its emissions by a greater amount than they were legally bound to, they may sell the "right to pollute" to other companies who have been unable to meet their target." Click here to learn more.

Last week, the Kansas-based Elk River Wind Power Project provided power to Empire District Electric Company at a cost that was 64% lower than other sources. From Renewable Energy Access: "The Elk River wind power plant represents a major step forward in the development of renewable energy in Kansas," said Raimund Grube, vice president of PPM WindPower. "The benefits of projects like Elk River are immense -- contributions to rural economies, jobs, and above all, clean, cost-competitive wind power." "With the completion of the Elk River Wind Farm, Kansas became one of the top ten states in the U.S. for renewable energy generation capacity." The Elk River Wind Farm receives support from earthscreen partner, Carbonfund.org.

The GreenNest website is chock-full of tips and tools to help identify toxins in the home. They do a great job of outlining potential trouble spots with an audio message from founders Ron and Lisa Beres identifying symptoms and solutions, an interactive Healthy Home Quiz, and links to media segments featuring Ron and Lisa. All of these features can be found on the GreenNest home page. Something I learned from the site: "The US Federal Code of Regulations exempts manufacturers from full labeling of products if used for personal, family or household care."

Yearly, on May 22, The United Nations celebrates the adoption of the Convention on Biodiversity. The full title is The International Day for Biological Diversity. The UN uses this day to get the word out that our current use of biological resources is unsustainable. This year's theme is Biodiversity: Life Insurance for our Changing World. One of the five main points the UN committee makes is: "Our activities have lifted many people out of poverty, but at the price of a loss of biodiversity. If we continue down this road, we will reduce biological diversity, with life-threatening consequences." Citing the conflict between alleviating poverty and protecting biodiversity, the UN calls upon able nations to reach target goals by 2010.

For Mother's Day, I wrote about pink and peach colored flowers for Mom's dining table. Now its my turn. I just updated my dining room placemats and napkins with orange and yellow Indian cotton. This Organic Spring Lily Collection from Organic Bouquet will go perfectly. You can never have too many Lilies. They make the whole house smell like a special occasion.

We are very excited to announce that earthscreen has grown to over 30,000 registered members. We have been working hard over the past few months to add benefits and rewards for our members. Green Nest, Organic Bouquet and The Organic Wine company are new partners in our earthscreen rewards program. Our new invitation system makes it easier for you to create your own group of friends to save the world and to get additional entries into our eco adventure to Belize contest. And the latest version of the earthscreen meaningful media screen saver is now available for download. Thanks to all our members for helping the earthscreen community grow. We will continue with our mission to make saving the planet simple and rewarding for you.

This week, Ideal Bite puts eco banking in the spotlight. "Business is anything but usual at some major investment and commercial banks these days. A growing number of money houses have finally made the connection between long-term environmental sustainability and profitability." The largest bank on the list is Bank of America. But other smaller companies and programs are mentioned as well, including Shore Bank Pacific's EcoCash(tm) card. If you are an EcoCash card holder and you write more than 5 paper checks per month, they will charge you 3 bucks for each check over 5 and spend it on sustainabllity projects. Tres cool.

Silicon India reports today that Prodipto Ghosh, India's Secretary, Ministry of Environment, believes that tackling poverty must take precedence over funding to reduce global warming. He also said that India is so poor, with 35% living on less than a dollar a day, that it can not be expected to reduce fossil fuel use until the country meets "minimalist" development goals. This poses an interesting conflict between the need to reduce poverty by increasing development and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to stabilize the climate: further evidence, I believe, that a market-based solution is the key to solving both problems Clean energy must be available to all countries and all economies. First-world nations and corporations must lead research and development in order to reduce the cost to developing nations.

The Organic Wine Company has a great new feature on their site: Organic Wines: 101. Its an audio lesson recorded by OWC founder Veronique. Also included are 9 of Chef Yves's Private recipes. The site is also running a spring special which includes 2 reds and 1 white from the Languedoc Region of France. Orders are limited to one per customer for $49. Click here for additional savings.

National Wildlife Action, sister organization to the National Wildlife Foundation, operates a website focused on lobbying for wildlife conservation and targets hunters and anglers as members. TargetGlobalWarming.org is: "... a place for hunters and anglers to voice their concerns about the impacts of a changing climate on America’s outdoor heritage." One of the useful tools on their site is a clickable map of the US that guides users to "Impacts In Your State." By clicking on California, I learned that the local climate impact may reduce wheat yieds by up to 60%, increase El Nino weather patterns, and reduce fishing stocks all along the coast.

American International Group (AIG Insurance) is the first American insurer to adopt a comprehensive policy on the Environment and climate change. AIG further acknowledges that climate change is most likely caused by human activity. This is a three-page read that I highly recommend. Here are some excerpts from: AIG’s Policy and Programs on Environment and Climate Change: -AIG is actively seeking to incorporate environmental and climate change considerations across its businesses, focusing on the development of products and services to help AIG and its clients respond to the worldwide drive to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. -AIG will continue to dedicate resources to the development of market-based solutions that address climate change. -AIG is exploring an investment strategy to leverage both the financial value derived from reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other incentives for lower emissions and to develop products and services that facilitate emissions reductions for clients and support the emerging market for tradable carbon credits.

Treehugger blogs today about an MIT Technology report which tempts a solution to the conflict between expensive coastal property and wind farms. Folks who pay zillions of dollars for an unobstructed view in Nantucket have put their power behind limiting wind farms directly in their view. This may be the solution everyone has been looking for. From Treehugger: (Jeff McIntire-Strasburg) "We US-based Treehuggers have been following the battle over the Cape Wind Project in Nantucket Sound for several years now, and the fight between wind energy advocates and homeowners determined to keep the Sound free of offshore wind turbines continues to drag on. MIT's Technology Report notes that such battles may quickly become irrelevant as GE and the US Department of Energy have announced a partnership to develop larger wind turbines that will be able to not only generate more power, but may be able to do it offshore at distances that wouldn't bother even the most diehard NIMBYist."

From Grist: Eric de Place "Amusing column in the Washington Post today. (And I mean "amusing" in a bitterly ironic sort of way.) The U.S. has spent roughly $300 billion on the Iraq war, with the final figure estimated to be in the ballpark of $500 billion to $1 trillion. Implementing the Kyoto Protocol, on the other hand, is estimated to cost the U.S. somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 - $350 billion (though those figures are speculative and, some would argue, inflated). By the way, the Kyoto Protocol was rejected by U.S. lawmakers because it would harm the economy too much. My comment on the Grist piece is that while the cost of the Iraq War comes straight out of taxpayers pockets, the $300 billion price tag for implementing Kyoto would be spread across the entire economy. Of course there would be subsidies aplenty, but the impact would not be as painful as the debt we are racking up to pay for the war." (photo from Grist.org)

Up close, the stamen of this rainforest flower looks like it could be an alien from another planet. Rob Rosenheck took this photo for earthscreen in the Choco Rainforest in Ecuador.

Treehugger blogged today about an update to the David Suzuki Nature Challenge. This time, he turns his attention to the office. David Suzuki is Canada's most famous environmentalist. He heads the David Suzuki Foundation. The challenge has five parts: 1. Reduce office paper - use recycled paper, and print on both sides. 2. Bike, Carpool, or take public transport to work 3. Turn off the lights and use compact fluorescent bulbs 4. Buy Energy Star Certified Appliances 5. Take action (basically, just do the things on the list.) I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you how earthscreen measures up to the challenge. 1. earthscreen is, indeed, a paperless office. The only uses we have made of paper in the past year were for legal matters where we had to send something in the mail, and for our FSC Certified business cards. In the past year I have purchased one 500 sheet package of recycled paper and I still have more than half a ream left over. 2. We commute to work via fiber. None of us drives a car to work. 3. I have one lamp in my office with a compact bulb and its only on when I'm working at night. Both Jay and I use primarily natural sunlight in or offices. 4. The only appliances we use in our offices are our computers which are set to sleep if left idle. 5. Take Action. Leave us a comment if you have a carbon footprint-reducing tip!

Reuters reports that new data show that the mammoth died off due to climate shifts. Previously, it was thought that humans hunted the mammoth to extinction. Though humans may not have caused this extinction, we are on the brink of causing mass extinctions due to human-induced global warming. The irony is that climate is the culprit in this past and possible future extinctions, but in the future we really may be to blame. From Reuters: "Radiocarbon dating of 600 bones of bison, moose and humans that survived the mass extinction and remains of the mammoth and wild horse which did not, suggests humans were not responsible. "That is what this new data points out," said Dr Dale Guthrie of the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. "It is not that people weren't hunting these creatures. But climate would have reduced the numbers considerably," he added in an interview.

Too many times I have forgotten Mother's Day until the Thursday or Friday before. Though a telephone call is nice, it is not quite a gift. This year I'm ready, thanks to Organic Bouquet. They have a beautiful collection of Mother's Day arrangements. I'm going to go with the Fragrant Garden Bouquet (pictured at the right) because Lilies smell amazing and the colors match mom's dining room.

On a recent trip to Home Depot, I was pleasantly surprised to see several product lines marketed toward ecologically minded consumers. I have just finished renovating my guest room and found the perfect baseboard and casing material from a company called Timbron International. This is amazing stuff made out of post-industrial polystyrene. Now, before you say "Ick! Styrofoam," I must tell you that it has the same weight and feel of wood. There are also many other benefits: termites have no interest in this stuff, and it can not be damaged by water or mildew. Timberon says: "The team at Timbron is dedicated to producing decorative non-structural wood-alternative products that will minimize the consumption of natural resources. Timbron products exist for the purpose of providing consumers with a premium composite material that works, in many cases, better than wood. We feel that our products offer the features of wood yet add the significant benefits of a composite. More importantly, no trees will ever be cut down to produce a Timbron product. The primary material utilized by Timbron is recycled post-industrial polystyrene. This is a low-cost industrial shipping material that, when disposed of, occupies tremendous volumes of space and is not biodegradable. The US Plastics Council estimates that the annual global production of polystyrene exceeds 6 billion pounds of which only 5% is ever recycled. To put this in perspective, 1 billion pounds of foam polystyrene would fill a football field and rise 4 miles into the sky!"

This is a very sexy story for those who follow the State of the Science regarding Climate Change. Foot-dragging, nay saying politicians greased with industrial lobbying money have for a long time used the existence of conflicting temperature and satalite data to justify their lack of action on the broad spectrum of climate issues. Today, US Government Scientists at the U.S. Climate Change Science Program have deflated those justifications and excuses. The U.S. Climate Change Science Program released the first of 21 reports on Climate data, "Synthesis and Assessment Report 1.1," which corrects errors that have been identified in the satellite data and other temperature observations. Contained in the report are the following conclusions: "Research to detect climate change and attribute its causes using patterns of observed temperature change in space and time shows clear evidence of human influences on the climate system due to changes in greenhouse gases, aerosols, and stratospheric ozone." "[T]he observed patterns of change over the past 50 years cannot be explained by natural processes alone, nor by the effects of short-lived atmospheric constituents such as aerosols and tropospheric ozone alone." Thomas Karl of the NOAA National Climatic Data Center said of the data reconciliation: "The evidence continues to support a substantial human impact on global temperature increases. This should constitute a valuable source of information to policymakers."

The EPA notes: "Studies have found that levels of several organics average 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoors. During and for several hours immediately after certain activities, such as paint stripping, levels may be 1,000 times background outdoor levels." I attended a Green Building tour of the NRDC in San Francisco, and the tour guide talked about the paints and building materials used. The bottom line: if you can smell it, its probably bad for you. That "new house smell" is caused by Volitile Organic Compounds (VOCs). And just because the word Organic appears in the acronym, don't be fooled into thinking there is anything natural about these off-gassing oders. Green Nest sells zero VOC paint. Banish the smell and the hazard.

The AP reported today that a Tennessee school district canceled classes because of the high price of diesel fuel used to run the school busses. This is the second day in a row the schools in Rhea County have closed. Though this round of closings have not been authorized by the State, a spokesman for the State Department of Education says they have authorized using un-used snow days to cancel classes if the price of fuel continues to pose a burden to the local districts. At first blush this may not seem to be an environmental story, but it does not take too much imagination to extrapolate that the benefits of alternative fuels and alternative technology not only counter climate change, but also provide a solution to the pinch of peak oil. Conservation and the development of alternate fuel technology is vital, whether one's interests are ecological or economic or both. It is a single beast threatening our environment and threatening the education of our children. Alternative fuel is the single vanquisher.

According to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP): In Brazil, It is estimated that only 43 per cent of the original area of the Cerrado and 8 per cent of the Atlantic forest region in Brazil remain, and much of these areas exist only in remnant patches of various sizes. "When large forest blocks are broken into smaller ones, not all species are included in all the remaining patches. Rare species and those requiring large areas of habitat are especially vulnerable. Among tree species, because of differences in seed dispersion, slow growing species are lost, while opportunistic species become more common. The life span and reproductive capabilities of mature specimens are affected, along with flows of biomass and dead organic matter, mainly plant litter (Tabarelli and others 2004)."

Treehugger suggests repurposing the Victory Garden for modern times. Though the Victory Garden was a tool of sacrifice, the benefits of growing your own food are many fold. There is nothing as tasty as a homegrown tomato, and the aroma of a yard full of Rosemary is intoxicating. "TreeHugger thinks it’s time to re-invent the Victory Garden. In the WWII period of US history, a “Victory Garden” …largely a matter of growing your own food in the backyard…was a government promoted way for citizens to get fruit and veggies that were unavailable due to fuel shortages and from diverting commercial production to the troops overseas. A half–century later we are entering another global crisis: Climate Change and fuel shortages caused by Peak Oil and rapidly growing consumption. Growing your own food is personally redeeming in the same way that recycling is. More than that, it tastes better than store-bought, can save you money, and reduces your potential exposure to pesticides."