You’re already familiar with plenty of iPhone apps that help you stay green, but these days you’re concerned about saving some green, too. Here’s a handy guide to 20 essential money-saving apps – and most are free!

Mint
Free
This free app makes tracking your finances a cinch with user-friendly graphs and charts that help you manage your budget and examine your spending habits. Plus, it will also alert you of low balances to avoid overdraft fees. So, go ahead and cut your financial advisor loose because Mint does it all without the hefty charges.

Stanza
Free
Stanza gives you access to more than 100,000 books and periodicals for free. You also have the option to adjust the font size, color, line spacing and justification for your reading comfort. Watch out, paperbacks. Stanza may just usher you into extinction.

AudioBooks
Free
Similar to Stanza, this free app allows you to download audio books to keep you entertained when your eyes are needed elsewhere.

Cheap Gas
Free
Gas prices are constantly changing, so it’s hard to keep track of where to find the best deals. With Cheap Gas, all you have to do is enter in your zip code to find the best prices in your area. This free app is especially useful for road trips.

Truphone
Free
Using a Wi-Fi network and VOIP technologies, this free app allows you to make free local calls and cheap international calls on your iPhone to cut your phone bill by as much as 95%.

Gift Planner
Free
List all potential gift recipients and create a budget using this free app. It allows you to track the amount of money allotted for gifts and how much you’ve spent on each friend or family member. You can even take pictures of gift ideas for future reference.

Free Wi-Fi
Free
Never again will you pay for Wi-Fi on the go. This free app helps you locate spots that offer Wi-Fi access at no charge.

BetterDeal
$0.99
Leave your calculator behind next time you hit up the grocery store. With BetterDeal, you can enter in the amount of product and the price for up to four items. This app then calculates which item gets you the most for your money.

Pic2Shop
Free
You’ve probably seen this app on the iPhone commercials, and it’s just as nifty as it seems. For no charge, you can scan barcodes on items while shopping and find out whether another retailer offers a better deal.

Yowza
Free
Yowza locates coupons for merchants in your area that can be applied straight from your iPhone to save paper.

Rent or Buy Calc
Free
To rent or buy, that is the question. This free app gives you an easy answer by calculating which choice will save you more money in the long run.

CostCutter
$0.99
If you eliminate your morning latte from the café around the corner, how much money will you save in a week, a month, a year? This app helps you determine just that for any expenses that aren’t essential.

KidsEatFree
$0.99
Sure, eating out was affordable when it was just the two of you. But now that you have kids, it’s a whole other story. With this app, you can locate restaurants in your area where their meals are free.

Surcharge Free ATMs
$1.99
You need cash, so you stop at the nearest ATM, only to be slammed with surcharges. With this free app, you can locate ATMs in your area that don’t charge any additional fees.

RepairPal
Free
Do you ever feel like you’re getting ripped off when it comes to auto repairs? With RepairPal, you can look up estimates, find roadside assistance and locate auto shops in your area complete with ratings and reviews.

Yoga Stretch
$0.99
Stop shelling out cash for yoga classes and trade them in for this inexpensive app. Yoga Stretch walks you through different poses and lets you choose background music to simulate the entire experience from home.

Local Reuse
Free
One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure, but there’s no need to go dumpster diving with this free app. Local Reuse helps you locate items you need that others in your area are looking to discard.

Insurance Shopper
Free
With this free app, you can compare insurance rates and choose the best deal.

Woot Watch
Free
Woot Watch alerts you of the deal of the day on a variety of items from digital cameras to coffee makers.

Bargain Bin
Free
This free app helps you save money on, well, all the apps you’re interested in. It allows you to browse through discounted apps and alerts you of price cuts on apps you’re tracking.

Now, with your newfound savings, you can afford to splurge on some eco fashion!

Image: hickoryhollow113

Read all about it! Entertainment Weekly has published the first video advert with built-in speakers to get the attention of readers conditioned to respond to screens.

A report by the BBC explains the screen is built into a wafer-thin, cardboard insert and contains an ad for Pepsi Max, as well as trailers for CBS television.

“This is an extraordinary way to refresh how we interact with consumers,” said Pepsi-Cola’s chief marketing officer, Frank Cooper.

Desperate ploy, marketing breakthrough or annoyance? The chip technology, which holds up to 40 minutes of video, is likened to those singing greeting cards which have gained popularity. They are activated when you open the card.

The cardboard can add bulk to the magazines, and some male consumer have already complained it makes it hard to roll up a journal and stick it in your pocket.

BBC News‘ Los Angeles correspondent, Rajesh Mirchandani, says the magazine advert is mounted inside a cardboard insert and is instantly distinguishable from a normal flimsy page.

“You can’t really flick through the magazine, because the 4-page insert that includes the video screen is relatively bulky,” he reports.

“And when you do open up the relevant page, the actual advert takes several seconds to load and play and that’s a lifetime’s lag in the advertiser’s world,” he added.

Magazine containing the screens have been sent to several thousand subscribers in Los Angeles and New York. Will they catch on by other magazines to save the trade? We shall see.

Some other facts about the adverts:

This September, The Nature Conservancy will launch the first controlled study of its kind to assess the impact of trawl fishing off California’s Central Coast-and you can be part of naming the new Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that will be gathering the data.

The nominations are:

• Beagle –Darwin’s famous ship. Did you know that it’s his 200^th birthday this year?
• Petrale Patrol – Our ROV has sole.
• Rachel Carson – An environmental legend and an inspiration.
• Rock Lobster – What is a sea robin, exactly?
• Nemo – In honor of our latest underwater adventure.

The ROV, which is referred to as an underwater robot that hovers above the seafloor, gathers high-resolution video and still photographs of marine life and habitats – vital data that will be used in the fight to save California’s threatened oceans. The research will focus on soft-bottom seafloor habitats. The species and habitats that are being studied are often found in areas far beyond the grasp of divers, making the ROV crucial in this study.

ROVs are also used by treasure hunters across the world, including the team that unearthed the Titanic. The Conservancy’s ROV is equipped with downward and rear-facing cameras, sonar and a maneuverable arm that can be piloted from the ship or follow charted paths to depths of 3,000 feet.

Data collected by the ROV can also be used to enhance other Conservancy efforts, such as partnerships with local fishermen to pioneer environmentally and economically sustainable fishing techniques.

The Conservancy’s ROV will also be employed to assist the California Department of Fish and Game; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Marine Applied Research and Exploration, and other partners who will  research and monitor deep-sea habitats in the Channel Islands Marine Protected Areas.

Spread the word by becoming a fan of the Nature Conservatory on Facebook.

Sure, the iPhone can store information like credit card data and bank account information (Spb Software, Inc.), and give users the ability to watch TV (SlingPlayer Mobile), play air hockey (Touch Hockey FS5) and jam on a set of drums (Drum FX Pro). But the iPhone can also help you live more sustainably. We’ve trolled the web to unearth the best iPhone apps to make your time on this planet more fulfilling, and a slightly darker shade of green.

Piqqo Projects
Free
I found Piqqo Projects, a new online service for presenting carbon reduction projects around the world, to be one of the most inspiring – and free – apps. The online showcase ranges from a biogas renewable energy project in Hungary that turns waste into green energy while saving jobs, to indigenous Mexican groups that are protecting their land, and a solar powered Kindergarten, also in Hungary. Piqqo shows YouTube videos of the projects and explain carbon savings.

3rd Whale Mobile
$1.99
If you’re committed to living a sustainable life, then 3rdWhale Mobile could be the best $1.99 you’ve spent in a while. This location-based iPhone app connects you to green businesses in your area, offering 6 categories to choose from, such as food, retail and services. Enter whether you’re traveling by car, foot, or bicycle, and get directions, then rate the review. One of the most simple ways to learn what’s around you, and great for anyone that’s on the move. Now, with the addition of  “Creative Citizen Solutions,” users of this app can also make better purchasing and lifestyle decisions, such a using power strips to reduce energy waste from Vampire Appliances.

Go Green
Free
I look at Go Green as a terrific intro to the environment, or an app for the apathetic. For example, if you’re trying to get a friend or relative to be more eco-friendly and you know the only possible chance of success is through baby steps. Each time the application is opened, another bit-sized Green Tip is displayed, then saved to a list, such as:
•    Wrap your water heater in an insulated blanket, and you’ll eliminate 1,000 lbs. of CO2 a year. Eliminate another 550 lbs. by lowering the water heater thermostat to 120 degrees F. (These metrics have not been verified by EcoSalon).
•    Buy shade-grown coffee. It’s grown naturally, under the rainforest canopy, preserving forests from clear-cutting and leaving more trees to absorb CO2.

Get Green
.99
Get Green sends a helpful season-based daily tip to your iPhone, ranging from green workplaces, to throwing a green Halloween party and even greening your wedding. One recent tip: Instead of tossing used coffee grounds, add them to your garden soil. The grounds will provide nutrients that will help your plants flourish. Who knew?

iLocavore
Free
A locavore is someone who strives to eat food grown and produced locally. In fact, the movement is gaining such momentum that iLocavore touts the new Oxford American Dictionary chose locavore as its 2007 word of the year.

There are many reasons why people choose to live a locavore or Locallectual lifestyle: concerns about food miles traveled and the associated increase in carbon footprint, freshness of locally sourced food and the choice to support family farms, craftsmen, independent retailers and eateries to stimulate the local and regional economy.

The iLocavore application supplies this information from the Locallectual.com database to find area producers, independent retailers featuring local and domestic goods, and restaurants featuring local foods based on your current location.

GoodGuide
Free
This iPhone app helps you find safe green products while shopping in the store by providing – what they claim to be – the world’s largest and most reliable sources of information on the health, environmental and social impacts of products and companies. Find over 70,000 product ratings in food, personal care, household cleaners, and toys. View product ratings on the health, environmental, and social performance of your favorite brands, and create personalized shopping lists to search for, and avoid.
“We make it fast and easy to get the information you need to help make better decisions on everyday purchases based on what’s important to you,” say the folks at GoodGuide.

greenMeter
$5.99
Here’s an app to track your car’s fuel and power usage characteristics and offer tips on how to save your wallet and the environment. Based on the gMeter vehicle performance app, greenMeter uses the device’s internal accelerometer to measure forward acceleration, compute engine power, fuel economy, fuel cost, carbon footprint and oil (barrels) consumption.

For those of you who love a good interactive metric, you can learn from greenMeter by tipping the device forward and backward to simulate acceleration, and see the effects of both acceleration, aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance, across the speed range. Once inside your vehicle, choose an efficient cruising speed and use the built-in g meter to limit acceleration while you drive.

iNewz Green
$2.99
iNewz Green acts as a portal for eco-friendly, environment-aware news. Select the category of green news you’re interested in, and a list of the latest articles will be displayed. Tap the headline and an integrated browser page will take you straight to the selected article on the source’s website. If you like the story, email it to your friends, save it to your Del.icio.us bookmark,  or publish it to your Twitter stream. News is culled from such sources as Planet Green, The Daily Green, TreeHugger, Popular Science, Good Guide and the iNewz Vertography Blog.

A Real Tree
.99
A Real Tree plants trees in 12 countries to fight deforestation. They work with organizations that provide education to local communities to plant trees in an ecologically-beneficial manner, such as avoiding toxic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. The trees then produce nutritious fruits and crops that are eaten and also sold. By partnering with award-winning tree-planting organizations such as Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), and having endorsements from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), A Real Tree is gaining momentum.  The app also has a few Easter eggs: It includes mini-games to teach a bird to fly and get flowers to drift in a breeze.

Carbon Tracker
Free
This GPS-enabled carbon footprint application allows users to calculate their carbon footprint from daily commuting, business trips or vacations. Users can also create goals for maximum emissions in a month, then monitors progress. Great for individuals, universities and large companies looking to lighten their carbon footprint.

Do you have a favorite green iPhone app? We’d love to learn about it.

Image: Kennymatic

Would you drink the condensed breath of your coworkers?

The EcoloBlue 28 Atmospheric Water Generator, which I first saw at Ave Natura, is a marvel of green ingenuity. Using nothing but a tiny current of electricity, it’s an office cooler that fills itself up over time, no water supply required.

That’s because the EcoloBlue fills up by wringing moisture from the surrounding air. The device filters the water, renders it bacteriologically safe (according to the water quality lab reports on EcoloBlue’s website) and gurgles the results into your waiting cup.

So while it’s true that you’d be drinking the expelled moisture of Tom in Accounting’s post-lunch burp, it’s really not so bad. (Depending upon how you feel about Tom.)

Consider:

Water from the EcoloBlue is just like what comes out of your tap, only a lot quicker. It’s nature with a small fire lit under her, hurrying along the natural hydrological cycle.

It’s amazingly cost-effective – no pipes or water deliveries required, and a claim-back rate of around 5 gallons of water for every dollar of electricity spent.

It keeps people away from bottled water – and anything that fights against the growing threat of global water shortages deserves our attention.

It’s upcycling the very air around us – a dazzling technical feat!

The biggest hurdle that EcoloBlue has to clear isn’t a technical issue but a cultural one. It’s how we react to a product that shortens the water-recycling loop so we’re intensely aware that the water in our cup left another human being a very short time ago.

The air expelled from our lungs is at 100% relative humidity (think of how quickly your car windows fog up and run with condensation on a cold day). Sweat evaporates off our skin – where does that go? In this instance, into someone else’s next sip. Condensing our office air into drinking water is a kind of refreshing honesty about the way the world works already. We just may not want it poured down our throats.

Images: Clearly Ambiguous and Amazon

First up, hate throwing away pill bottles? I do – and ditto the capsules that 35mm film came in before we went digital. Put them all to good reuse instead.

Why are we doing all this? Why go green? Why talk it up to anyone who will listen? According to The Good Human, these are the wrong questions – because there are zero reasons not to want to go green.

At last, the practical yet painfully unhip personal shopping trolley gets a make-over. Out go the plastic, tartan-painted horrors (iconic if you’re a Brit) and in come the ethical Turtle Trolleys. Form an orderly queue.

For those of you living in climates with more sunlight than rain, one fun way to take the load off your AC bill is to line the windows with a film that blocks most of the heat and all of the UV rays. We spotted this variety via Modern Eco Homes, although that’s not a recommendation, since we haven’t tried it and the reviews are rather conflicted. Nice idea, nonetheless.

Feeling like the tide of human kindness is at a low ebb? Maybe the story of a tiny cardboard robot can convince you otherwise – and show a little of what binds people together in the big cities even when they think they’re alone.

Here’s a peek at some of the blogs we read.

For a head-scratching example of how environmental pollution gets even more messy when it hits the courts, read the mystery of the $42 Million Pesticide Dump at Treehugger. Shared blame means no blame, apparently.

Congratulations to Viva Terra – they’ve made it onto TIME’s Green Design 100.

On April 25th, Ford set their new hybrid on a journey to promote its astonishing fuel economy. Ford claimed it could manage 1,000 miles on a single tank of gas. Ford was wrong – it managed a jaw-dropping 1,445 miles. Is this the perfect PR stunt?

Watering plants is all about fine judgment. When you’re growing plants as an agricultural business, it could also be the difference between dehydrating your plants to death or killing your profits with over-watering. But modern technology has the answer – a tiny sensor that monitors if individual plants are getting just the right amount of water. Sounds like science fiction, but it’s right here at IEEE Spectrum.

Take a look at the photos in this post at designklub. Without looking at the text – how big would you say they are? You’re probably way off, because it’s the fascinating work of Christien Meindertsma, who is channeling the 16th Century Dutch cordage industry with his practical, tactile creations.

Have you heard of the Energy-Water Nexus? If not, be prepared – it’s a worry.

The latest casualty of global warming is…an Internet domain name? Like the Maldives, the islands of Tuvalu are starting to disappear into the sea, and they own the .tv domain. If they go, do their websites? No so – and frankly, I think the inhabitants are probably worrying about other things right now. Gawker via Hippyshopper.

A splash of color for you. The Boys in Blue are going green, as seen at Red Green and Blue. Got that?

Proving that modern table design is far from dormant, these three sustainably-produced tables have just graced the Modern Design Function Exhibition in San Francisco, and they’re all the work of local table guru Dylan Gold.

Why won’t the world simplify itself? Why do we fight entropy so much with our clutter and complication? I admit, I’m actually speaking about myself here – but if you struggle to simplify as well, try some of these spring-cleaning, simplifying techniques at Apartment Therapy.

Goats are eating machines. That’s why they’re proving a good green alternative to lawnmowers, with the added value of being family-friendly and almost unbearably cute. Ever-greening Google was quick to spot this – and MG Siegler from Techcrunch dropped in to see how a hired army of goats had fared with Mountain View’s variety of 4-foot brush.

We already know that dung is a deeply stylish substance – in the right context, that is. But would you believe that cattle dung will soon power L’Oreal? It’s fast becoming clear that poop – er, “biomass”- will be a superfuel of the 21st century.

We’ve talked about the problem of palm oil before. The Independent has undertaken a two-month investigation, and concludes that even more palm oil is being use than originally thought – finding it in 43 of 100 of Britain’s top grocery brands, no less.

When it comes to eco-friendly lighting, it’s nice to see America take the LEED. (You’re fired – Ed.). The latest glowing engineering feat? The Henry Miller theater in New York – the city’s first to be LEED-certified.

Josyln at Simple Lovely just drew her line in the sand. This Earth Day, she used her final paper towel. What would you – or what did you – give up this year? (We’ve given up the bottle.)

It could have become yet another Los Angeles housing development – but today, the Baldwin Hills scenic overlook offers a glimpse of the city before it was the city. One worry – it’s near what is estimated to be the largest urban oil field in the United States. See the full story at Dwell.

And lastly, if you’ve wondered what Larkyn has been up to, she’s been growing her own blog, Little Willow. A sample post: she’s helping spread the word about shoes resurrected from the basement of a Swedish clog factory.

Image: Szymon Blasczczyk

We like the wit and imagination being poured into sustainable architecture. We particularly like where green roofs are going. But we weren’t expecting this – a water filtration plant with a green roof so large it’s going to become a golf course. Hole in one, guys.

In a post that couldn’t be more timely, BldgBlog ponders the role that healthily-designed urban architecture has on the transmission of infectious diseases, and wonders: “What would a biosecure world look like?”

And while on the subject of unhealthy urban living – is it really true that 6 out of 10 Americans live in places with air dirty enough to put them in hospital? That’s what the American Lung Association is claiming, as you can read at the Huffington Post.

When we look back from a better, greener future and get all Mount Rushmore about the eco-pioneers who cut through the greenwashing and really made a difference, who would we choose? Okay, so we just know that Al Gore will be there somewhere – but who else? MNN’s Peter Dykstra hazards a few wild guesses.

There’s an awful amount of evidence for climate change nowadays. If you want to quibble or flat-out deny, it’s uphill all the way. Grist’s Auden Shendler has lost patience with these industriously skeptical fence-sitters, and frankly, we see his point.

Ever get the feeling the world is going mad? On the one hand, we have marine conservationists clamoring for a fishing ban on a third of the world’s oceans – and on the other, we have invasive Yellowstone lake trout being killed off with Jell-O. Yep, you heard me. Thanks go to Blue Living Ideas for making my head spin.

Ever wonder how the word plastic came to be so quickly associated with everything tacky and buck-chasing? Green Design has the answer (one of my favorite films, in fact), and goes on to nicely summarize just where we are with this symbol for a throwaway world.

Is there anything more sad and pathetic-looking than a punctured, grubby beach-ball? The end of fun – unless you are designer Toby Sanders, who upcycles them into snazzy beach-ball lamps bouncing with life. Good catch.

Since you appear to have as much of a thing for upcycling and DIY as we do, you’re enjoy Makezine – a crazy, creative collection of tips for turning nothing much into something else.

So, baking at home may be enormous fun and make the house smell positively edible – but is it cost-effective? That’s the question Jennifer Reese sets herself at Slate, checking out the cost of restocking her whole pantry with her own two hands compared with shop-bought products. And the winner? Did you really just ask that?

Lemon juice is amazing. It cleans metal, it bleaches grime out of clothes, it makes floors squeaky-shiny, and it stops puppies barking (put a drip in their mouth – a much friendlier alternative to the threatened rolled-up newspaper, I’m sure you’ll agree). Take a look at these 27 household uses for citrus fruit if you want some more ideas.

Now for an article that could only be described as sobering. In fact, about as sobering as it gets. Could food shortages tip us over the edge? Read if you dare.

If the last article not only got you wanting to roll your sleeves up and do your bit but also pass these principles along to your young ‘uns, it could be you’re that powerful new breed of super-mother, the EcoMom. Have a read of Nancy McDermott’s article at Spiked and see if you fit the bill.

Now, climate change skeptics notwithstanding, we’re all worried about global warming – aren’t we? “Yes and no” seems to be the answer, according to a survey undertaken by George Mason University’s Center for Climate Change Communication. It suggests that twice as many Americans are concerned about the threat to wildlife than the threat to themselves directly. Confidence that our technical ingenuity will cushion us…or head-in-the-sand arrogance that it’s someone else’s problem?

And finally – did you know birds did this?

Image: sanguinie

It’s time to get something off my chest: an idea that could protect entire forests, save millions – and get me fired.

What does paperless actually mean in today’s world? Despite increasingly living in a world where the electron is king – where even business cards are under threat – we still cling to our slivers of bleached, flattened wood pulp with an obsessive, needy love. We pretend that we’ve found an ingenious way to avoid turning pages, but after a while the flaws start to niggle and we revert back to our old, less sustainable ways.

And boy, do I know it. I work in a printing business during the daytime, servicing the needs of a nearby city and university. The latter is a big customer. And by big, I mean massive. Departmental teaching material, student photocopying – it’s endless.

I cannot convey to you how much paper we go through.

So my idea, then. It hinges around the surely undeniable fact that every modern student has (a) access to a computer, and (b) a mobile phone or digital camera (or phone-cameras, many of which now have 4-Megapixel+ resolutions).

And it’s very simple. Instead of photocopying, everyone takes photos.

Technologists can develop foldout A4-sized cameras specifically for academics to easily take snapshots of multiple pages. Students can apply for funding for these devices, along with eBook readers and more conventional camera equipment. Departments can produce all their reading material in a digital format, confident in the knowledge that everyone will be geared up to read it. And everyone will, because that will be the official line.

But – libraries will lose a lot of revenue. My workplace will probably go out of business. And they’ll blame me.

It’s a dilemma. What do you think?

Image: ssh

First, a link we’ve mentioned before (what’s that called, a relink?) but worth repeating because it’s a foodie’s treasure trove – it’s 50 of the world’s best food blogs. My personal favorite is Chez Pim, where I first learned how to sun-dry my own tomatoes without using the sun – jolly handy for us Brits.

This is upcycling par excellence: yarn created from the unlikeliest of sources including plastic netting, VHS tape, newspaper and human hair! Thanks to Matt and CraftStylish for this one – but as green as it is, the people-hair thing, well, must dash, bye.

Looking to build a new house for next to no money? Dan Phillips is the man to see. His house is 85% landfill – and as you can see in this Texas Country Reporter video, it looks terrific. So far Dan’s helped 8 families build and purchase a recycled home – could yours be number 9?

If you want a reminder that the wrong types of cosmetics, deodorants and chemical cleaners are causing havoc when they spill into the environment, look at the state of Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound – and that’s 30 years after the Clean Water Act kicked in. (Or take a look at what Luanne discovered last year).

Starbucks continues to play Good Cop and Bad Cop – hot on the heels of this public relations disaster, the company has announced it’s investing heavily in Fair Trade practices, aiming to supporting the development of small-scale farming initiatives with a $20 million investment. Good recovery, guys (and thanks, Treehugger).

Is there anything that looks more shabby than dirty, ripped advertisements peeling off billboards and oozing neglect? Therefore, logic dictates, is there anything potentially classier than advertisements made from natural, temporary materials, such as wheat, sea water and snow? The name of the most exciting thing to hit marketing this year is Curb – and Ecopreneurist has more details.

Obama has just signed a $5.7 billion bill to triple the size of AmeriCorps, touching the lives of millions of people. And every one of them is a starfish.

There’s a word with which science-led types like me are usually uncomfortable. It’s not something you can nail down with hi-tech testing and maths and statistical formulae. But it’s an undeniable part of our relationship with the natural world, so we need to look it in the face and grow comfortable with it. And it’s married with the word “ecology” here, at Green By Design.

Nixon! Sorry to scare you there. The famously grubby-pawed President has become something of a metaphor for monstrous evildoing in recent years (take Futurama’s depiction). Yet it was Nixon’s administration that created the Environmental Protection Agency. Should we be kinder to his legacy? Well, no – but perhaps we should be a little grateful.

Now here’s a vital question: what happens when we start looking long and hard at how rampant commercialism is affecting people during their most impressionable time – childhood? Jennifer Lance at Eco Child’s Play cites the disturbing way that Disney is targeting young boys, apparently enlisting the help of “a researcher with a background in the casino industry”. Where’s the line?

Ugh – celebs. What are they like? Flying their personal trainers back and forth, owning their own private jet fleet, cutting down Giant Redwoods to make toothpicks for their dogs (okay, I made that one up). But while we love to hate celebs, we should also love to love them as well – taking as an example the work of Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), seen here at Razoo. If you need further convincing, take a look at Kaczmarek’s “Clothes Off Our Back” Foundation.

Feel like your brain has been taxed enough this week? Feeling the urge to fling oranges at illegal loggers? Thought so. Well then, here’s how, thanks to some people at Tropicana with an overabundance of time on their hands. Fruits away!

So many new green sites to keep up with. Take GreenDig, which we definitely do dig now that we’ve had the chance to catch up with it, even though it started up last year. Slow down, Internets!

Eco-news isn’t all bad, as Cailtin recently demonstrated – and if you’re looking for an even more epic shot in the arm, read through these 10 truly colossal green projects that have world-changing significance. Guaranteed to replace the spring in your step!

Finally, an important and timely safety announcement. Beware blueberry waffle mix – more specifically, of becoming an ingredient of it. That is all.

Image: Dreamtroll

If there were an Endangered Designs list running alongside its biological counterpart, it’s possible light fittings just got added to the bottom.

Modern technology is all about shrinking. Take the shift from the hefty, brick-like cellphones of the early 90s to the hands-free sets that make people question your sanity when you’re chatting into the air. For gadgets and appliances to be really cool, they should be unobtrusive to the brink of invisibility. For example, solar power. A garden covered in wire-strewn paneling? Not elegant (this is better). So technological advances like Nanosolar’s solar cell film will help solar panels truly disappear and blend seamlessly into your home aesthetic.

Now it’s the turn of LEDs to go stealthy. As Metaefficient reports, a new variety of organic LED (OLED) is promising an efficiency near the hallowed Energy Star standard.

Why is this big news?

Because OLEDs are rather different from the bulbs and spotlights to which we’ve grown accustomed. They’re flat and paper-thin. They’re comprised of a film of organic material that glows when a current runs through it, making OLEDs ideal for digital watches, dashboard displays and nightlights. Unfortunately, efficiency has been lagging – until now.

There are some interesting implications in the wind. If electroluminous lighting takes off and form truly follows function, lights are going to disappear as a distinct item of decor. It’s possible that our dream eco-house of the future won’t have such a thing as a “light fitting” – and one of the most common items of household furniture will blend into the walls, ceilings, floors and sides of our furniture (here’s an early example). Lamps would become retro (fun, quirky, but definitely last-century) and our living spaces would be transformed.

Is it lights out for lights?

Image: moriza