ISO bright ideas. Photo by Paul Keller via Flickr. If you want to get people to boost their personal energy efficiency, you should appeal to their vanity, their inner couch potato, their wallets, and their competitive nature. That's the strategy that came out of a cocktail party hosted by the online magazine Slate as part of an ongoing attempt to "harvest the collective intelligence of [its] readers for the good of society" -- starting with figuring out how best to save money an...Read the full story on TreeHugger

HVAC heat exchanger corrosion associated with Chinese drywall presence. Image credit:ChineseDrywall.com This headline is certainly the meta-story that hovers above the request by Florida's Republican Governor for Federal money to cover the cost of re-repairing thousands of hurricane-damaged homes which were repaired first with Chinese drywall. Florida's Governor wants Federal money because insurance companies won't cover the re-repairs for it's citizens (shocking isn't it?)...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Credit: Flickr via Michael Francis McCarthy. 2012 is a movie, the end of the Mayan calendar, maybe the end of the Earth. But, thankfully, it's all a myth. Or is it? The 2012 phenomenon gets a new spin from Lawrence M. Krauss in the March 2010 issue of Scientific American. The bottom line: 2012 could be the beginning of the end if we don't take steps to combat climate change, and call out naysayers like Sarah "Read the full story on TreeHugger

photo via flickr There's a lot of grim climate news, of course, but the EU keeps moving forward. On Friday, the European Commission announced that the EU, which is made up 27 member countries, is on track to meet its goal of generating 20 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2020. The Commission also says the EU will meet its other two goals of increasing energy efficiency by 20 percent and decreasing emissions by 20 percent of 1990 levels....Read the full story on TreeHugger

Whether you're located in Healdsburg, California or virtually--like I am in NYC--visit Arboretum for ethical fashion finds. Olsenhaus' Elizabeth Olsen told us about the boutique; they were the first to place an order for her delectable vegan shoes nearly two years ago. Click through for more green designers in store: ...Read the full story on TreeHugger