Welcome to magazine – your one-stop resource for practical advice, inspiration and ideas for families and individuals who lean green. We cut through the confusion and clutter to bring you a broad range of earth-friendly alternatives that encourage you to live well and make a difference. You can be sure if you read it in green*light it’s a choice you can live with.

If sky-rocketing gas prices have you singing the blues, a hybrid rental may be just the cure. It's an inexpensive way to test drive and find out what the hybrid fuss is about.

Solar outdoor lights are no longer a novelty item, thanks to advances in photovoltaic cells, batteries and bulbs.

Solar lights are ideal for pathways, landscaping and even security. These solar lights use bright, efficient LED bulbs in place of incandescent bulbs, and they can last eight to ten hours on a day's charge.

(Be warned, though, that some lights don't charge adequately during dark days.)

Flood or security lights use halogen bulbs or a halogen/LED combination. To compensate for the extra energy needed for halogen bulbs, these lights come with remote panels so you can install the fixture under a shaded eave with the panel nearby on a sunny roof.

The larger and brighter the light, the higher the price tag. But if you consider that solar lights require minimal installation, no electricity and very little maintenance, even the costlier options are a good deal.

More information on choosing solar lights, click here , and if you want to check out one more source for solar lights, check out Intermatic Solar Lights.

San Francisco was recently the first North American city ever to host the United Nation's World Environment Day, which began in 1972 as part of the UN's efforts to stimulate global attention to the health of the planet. "Green Cities" was the theme this year, and the five-day event focused on clean resources, design, transportation, power and biodiversity in densely populated areas.

"Urban populations consume 75 percent of the world's natural resources and produce 75 percent of its waste, so it's crucial that all citizens learn how to make our cities greener," says San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Sixty mayors from around the world, including London, Kabul, Moscow, Shanghai and Delhi, arrived to attend and discuss sustainable urban policies and programs.

Want to see what's happened from June 1-5 in San Francisco? WED 2005's site links to the final text of the accord these mayors signed and lists the 200 events that occurred, some of which are ongoing. Or, click here for a quick summary of the "Top 10 Tips I Got At World Environment 2005".