The Monthly Newsletter of greenlight magazine

Back to school, markets bulging with local produce at its best, football—it's a time for beginnings. Join us in celebrating the turn of the seasons.

—Bill Marken, editor in chief, greenlight magazine

In this issue:

• Fall Books
• Paper or Plastic or Whatever?
• A Peaceful Glass of Wine
• One Green Step at a Time

It's a new season for book releases, and a number of them will strike a chord with green-minded readers. Here are just a few:

• Who'd have thunk? Prince Charles writes a book about his magnificent, rarefied garden, and it is not only good looking, it is full of helpful eco-friendly advice: "The Elements of Organic Gardening", by HRH The Prince of Wales, with Stephanie Donaldson (Kales Press, $39.95).
• With new car season upon us, a real-life approach to hybrid cars also is timely: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hybrid and Alternative Fuel Vehicles", by Jack R. Nerad (Alpha, $14.95).
• Aimed at young readers (ages 9 to 12), "The Down-to-Earth Guide To Global Warming", by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon, is a paperback follow-up to David's earlier "Stop Global Warming." Both are inspiring but also useful and informative.

Among the many things that our readers really care about—and are experts in—is the subject of shopping bags. Paper or plastic or something else? That’s an everyday dilemma at the heart of any debate about reducing waste and conserving resources. In our summer issue, we gave a dozen alternatives to plastic shopping bags in our Summer issue. Our conscientious readers offered even more options:

• Trader Joe's has very sturdy re-usable bags for $1.99 each and up. I'm still wondering what happens to the plastic bags we recycle faithfully... produce bags, etc.?? We use paper bags to recycle and carry garbage up the hill from where we live to our garbage bins and recycle cans. We use re-usable bags for most of our shopping. I guess we could use the re-usable bags for recycling, too...duh. Thanks for all the info and good tips.--Katherine
• Since the 60's I have used canvas bags for my groceries. They are cheap to obtain— free from the various conferences I attend, $1 from dollar stores. The 3-cent incentive offered by the store is a minor inducement, but I have always been a recycler, and my job for a waste management district has definitely persuaded me to keep as much junk as possible out of the landfill.
• The best option for plastic bags is to not use them whenever possible. Buy re-usable canvas or heavy-duty bags. Take the bags to the grocery store with you and use them instead. You can also use them for beach bags to carry things that won't fit in a purse. They're very convenient.

Read more about what our readers have to say by clicking here.

Sitting on the back steps or on your deck with a day-soothing glass of wine can be a great way to relax. An organic wine can give you even greater peace of mind. To be considered organic, wines must be grown from grapes produced without pesticides, using natural predators to manage pests; many organic farming practices include a process by which the unused detritus left over from the juice extraction process is dried and then used as fertilizer and ground cover. For more details on what makes a wine organic, see the Organic Wine Journal.

Consider these organic vintages from well-known California eco-vintners:

• Jonathan and Katrina Frey have been making organic and biodynamic wines in Redwood Valley, Mendocino County, CA for 30+ years. Try their Gold Medal winning, biodynamically produced 2005 Syrah and 2006 Organic Zinfandel.
• Bonterra's organic wine making is shepherded by winemaker Robert Blue in the sun near redwoods in the Russian River benchlands of Mendocino County. Try their gold medal 2005 Viognier or their 86-Wine Spectator-ranked 2002 Merlot.

Online, there are numerous shops that sell you only the "greenest" of wines:

• The Wine Country of North Plainfield
• Liquor Outlet Wine Sellers
• Shoppers Vineyard

Whether online wine shops will ship to you differs by state law. You can also look to local stores with organic selections— or visit California’s wine country.

Pope Benedict urges young people to take care of the planet. 

The clothesline makes a comeback.

Organic cotton becomes stylish.

Electric-powered roadster Tesla wins a design award.

REI identifies and champions eco-sensitive products.

A cradle-to-cradle awards program honors homes that achieve new standards of sustainability.

Green Videos

See video now.

Summer's here!

Editor's Picks

Eco-fun and eco-games for kids.

These back-to-school lunch boxes are fun and they come with sandwich/snack containers.

How good are CFL bulbs?

How walkable is your community?

A new guide to green building products.

Tips on choosing eco-friendly furniture. 

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