Eco-themed Halloween costume ideas

If anyone is still looking for a good costume idea for Halloween, here are some that Umbra suggested in her weekly advice column on Grist.org.  (Some of you may have already seen this, but I thought it was amusing and that it might be of interest.) :    

Al Gore bitten by polar bear. Find Al Gore mask (eBay?) or pomade hair and add cardboard armature to chin area. Attach stuffed polar animal by mouth to humorous body area of your choosing.

CFL bulb. Wear shiny white body suit and electrify hair in some way (Bride of Frank wig?). Build CFL filament around yourself, using white foam tubes, stuffed white fabric/socks, or white balloons.

Prius owner. Dress in clean, tasteful clothing and walk around with contented air, holding Prius key casually at chin level (paint small matchbox black and write "Prius" in shiny letters or, if you have actual Prius, write "Prius" on key). Stuff pockets to overflowing with money saved on gas.

Landfill. Don dun clothing with the following attached by tape or thread: lots of garbage, toy bulldozer, seagulls, trash pickers, or, for international credit, houses.

Glacier in 2050. Carry glass of water.

The nation's highways. Wear black, put yellow stripes down your middle. Add local humor with toy vehicles, signs, and figurines referencing specific transportation dilemma.

 Here's the link, if you want to read more.  

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Yay for Free Moolah$$$

WE GOT IT!!!.

SEA,

A couple weeks ago we applied for $800 in grant money from the EPA for
an Earth Day Project. Our project was to build a bike powered light
machine where we can switch between incandescent and compact
fluorescent lights to literally feel the energy difference...

And we were approved for funding!!!

I want to thank Rachel Sherck and Rylan Ortiz for all their help in
composing the proposal, and David Carter for the tip and his feedback.

WEEEE!
becky.

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A Little Light Music

U.S., E.U. push phaseout of incandescent bulbs, U.K. gets serious about carbon

From the Daily Grist Wednesday, 14 Mar 2007:The world is seeing the energy-efficient light: a U.S. coalition including Philips Lighting and the Natural Resources Defense Council will push to phase out incandescent bulbs by 2016. And following the lead of Australia and California, European Union leaders have proposed ditching the bulbs even sooner, a plan that could reduce E.U. carbon emissions up to 25 million tons a year. E.U. President Angela Merkel, who uses energy-saving bulbs at home, offered her pitch: they're "not quite bright enough, so sometimes when I'm looking for something that's dropped on the carpet I have a bit of a problem." Uh ... moving on. Yesterday, the British government proposed first-of-its-kind legislation to reduce the nation's CO2 emissions 60 percent by 2050 with a series of five-year "carbon budgets." While some wish the target were more ambitious, Prime Minister Tony Blair declared the bill -- which could become law by early next year -- a "revolutionary step" that "sets an example to the rest of the world."


straight to the source: The New York Times, Matthew L. Wald, 14 Mar 2007

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