The Monthly Newsletter of greenlight magazine

One of the suck-you-in, can't-stop-reading "Sopranos" blogs that I read provided a tipping point signal about how much people now care about the environment — and those who mess with it. A recent episode ended with a scene of asbestos illicitly dumped in a marsh, and the bloggers responded with more outrage about the environmental thoughtlessness than they would for any of the standard mayhem and murder. "The gangsters have gone too far" is how one blog reader put it.

—Bill Marken, editor in chief, greenlight magazine

In this issue:

• Gifts for dad and the earth
• Earth Day all year
• Art for Rachel
• One green step at a time

No reason you can't make Dad and the earth happy at the same time. Speaking for myself, here are just a few of many earth-friendly items I’d welcome as gifts. A father in your life may feel the same way.

Instead of a gas or electric chain saw, how about a sturdy hand-operated pruning saw, which should suffice for most jobs around the garden? Here are some tips on choosing the right saw.

If I mowed a lawn these days, I'd like a classic push mower – as long as the lawn is on the small side.

Organic wines are pretty interesting now, especially those produced with biodynamic methods, such as those from Frey and Bonterra.

With so many good organic beers, why not choose one that's brewed locally? In my case, Berkeley is the local choice.

For a special barbecue, there are sustainably produced baby back ribs.

One daughter's gift of time is especially appreciated: a promise to "sort and take out the recycling for dad."

And I'll just throw this out there: A Lexus hybrid is always a loving gift.

You know, just a card will do fine.

Among many new green books, I like what I've read about Paul Hawken's "Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming".

The most traditional dad's gift is, of course, a necktie. But not being much of a hemp guy, I haven't seen a green tie out there that quite suits me. Must be made of earth-friendly materials and methods. Must be dressy enough to wear for today's rare dress-up occasions. Please click here if you have necktie suggestions or any other Father's Day gift ideas.

Among the readers who were good enough to respond to our question about your Earth Day actions in last month's newsletter, Karen had a simple effective suggestion: "I wanted to do something to make a difference this Earth Day. I created a report with all of the important info one needs to make the switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs and sent it to my entire email network. I laid out how much of an impact CFLs can have and asked my friends to make the switch. I was happy to hear that many already had put in CFLs. Others said they would forward my email to their lists."

Nice work, Karen. If you want to compile similar research, start by checking out the Energy Star web site.

The birthday celebration for influential biologist/writer Rachel Carson noted in last month's newsletter continues with an intriguing art contest. Sponsored by the EPA and others, it is billed as an "intergenerational photo, essay and poetry contest". Key rules: "Entries must be joint projects involving a person under age 18 and a person age 50 or older. Submissions must be received by Friday, June 15, 2007." Look forward to seeing the winners, even if you don't enter.

Organic beer goes mainstream.

Rupert Murdoch says his empire is going green.

Target offers a line of organic bedding.

Honda is working on a promising new hybrid.

Buildings will be rated for their environmental qualities in the United Arab Emirates.

Visit the archives:
· Spring
· Summer
· Fall
· Winter

Click to Read!

Let everyone know about our free 1 year subscription offer.

Green Videos

See video now.

Editor's Picks

Yahoo's spectacular new green site.

Rating university programs for environmental stewardship.

How to tell when a firm is really green.

Solid advice on natural lawn care.

Links to everything about green cars.

» See All Links