My lovely friend Izzie sent me this e-mail a couple of days ago. I am not sure where the pictures are originally from, but I thought they were inspiring (and totally crazy) enough to share. The creativity and determination of people around the world is incredible (not to mention their modes of transport are way better for the environment).

The following are all of the links that were submitted for this week’s Carnival of the Green which One/Change is hosting. Below the links I have included the comments provided by the submitters (when applicable). If you are interested in making submissions of your own or hosting future carnivals, check out Treehugger. I hope you enjoy this weeks carnival!

Mel Rimmer presents A Load Of Old (Laundry) Balls posted at Bean Sprouts.

I tested eco washing balls to see whether they were any better than just using plain water. It seems they’re not, but surprisingly they’re also no worse for most washing than using branded detergent. So eco washing balls are a rip-off, and so is laundry detergent.

Mallory presents Denim Therapy posted at Miss Malaprop.

Denim Therapy specializes in reviving your old jeans and breathing new life into them before they make a trip to the landfill.

Riversider presents Riverworks “Undemocratic”: Michael Lavalette posted at Save The Ribble!.

We have kept blogging away with our points about the dangers of the proposals to barrage our river and build housing in its’ greenbelt. Now at last we are winning counselors to our side - proof that blogging works as a method that determined community campaigners can use to get their message across in a powerful and sustained way.

Patrick Quinton presents Breaking Up is Hard to Do posted at Cars Are Evil.

This post does not refer to any time sensitive links. It is more of a reflection on a particular topic that relates to the theme of my website. Thanks for your consideration.

John presents It is good to find a deal killer posted at hell’s handmaiden.

Suzanne Roman presents Polar bear “protected” posted at Towards Green.

Phil presents Plant Trees on Public Land « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity.

Ever think of a new way for everyone to easily help the environment? Well, I think I just did.

Vihar Sheth presents Zero Waste posted at green | rising.

Victoria E presents Nau News posted at Groovy Green

Our second question comes from Beo aka Robert: I have heard of a new eco fashion company called Nau with founders stemming from Big Names like Marmot and Patagonia. Can you give us an update on them?

Rey Thomas presents The Thomas Political Report: What The President Said, What The President Meant posted at The Thomas Political Report.

Don Bosch presents Creation: The Not-So-Silent Sermon posted at The Evangelical Ecologist.

Is God silent? Does He even exist? Look up! All Creation reveals God’s presence continuously and universally. Don Bosch invites you to a green meditation on the 19th Psalm over at The Evangelical Ecologist.

Darrick Dean’s presents Back to the Future: Cast Iron posted at The Evangelical Ecologist.

Sue Richards presents Auntie Aging posted at My Menopause Blog

Before you invite Auntie Aging into your life, check to see how green she is.

John presents Urban Ecosystems and Nature Writing posted at A DC Birding Blog.

Avant News presents Lipodiesels Shine at 2010 LA Auto Show posted at Avant News.

Zane Parker presents Coming to Terms: on bringing a kid into this world posted at Groovy Green.

This past summer and fall, the prospect of a child has provided abstract motivation for work on our small earthen house.

Wise Bread presents Seven ways to maximize your gas mileage posted at Lynn Cognito.

Lynn shares seven sure ways to maximize your gas mileage.

Matthew presents UPDATE: EPA to deny ‘Brokovitch’ carcinogen for residential use posted at EPA may allow ‘Brockovich’ carcinogen in wood preservative.

Matthew presents Study: Hybrid cars save money in long run posted at Enviroblog.

An Intellichoice.com study finds that hybrid cars, whose fuel efficiency alone may not justify their higher initial purchase price, are in fact more economical in the long run.

Biologist Sally Kneidel presents The House Was Rockin…The Night We Socked It to the Utilities Commission posted at Veggie Revolution.

The local struggle in North Carolina to reject Duke Energy’s plans for 2 new coal-fired power plants. The resistance is supported by the Clean Air Coalition and the Sierra Club.

Sally Kneidel presents Chimps and Gibbons Have Human Elements to their Language posted at Veggie Revolution.

It is about Sally’s earlier work, as a graduate assistant, teaching American Sign Language to surly young chimpanzees. This post begins with a December study about the recent discovery of human elements in vocalizations among wild gibbons.

Jennifer Killpack-Knutsen presents Sundance 2007 Films for Greenies and Environmentalists posted at Jen’s Green Journal.

Connor presents The Homemade Revolution: Why DIY is Better posted at Matisse & Jack’s Blog.

Homemade eco friendly energy bars and how they may be safer.

Greener News Room presents Journalist fights subpoena in Lt. Watada court-martial case posted at Greener Magazine

Journalist fights subpoena in Lt. Watada court-martial case. The Society of Professional Journalists, military reporters and editors, the editorial staff of the LA Times, Greener Magazine/NRP, Media Alliance and scores of community groups join in denouncing the Army’s attempt to turn journalists into an investigative arm of the government.

Nina presents Ten Money Questions for Mark Brand posted at Queercents.

Award-winning architect, Mark Brand discuss big vs. small houses in the Queercents series: Ten Money Questions.

Andrea presents Organic Fertilizers posted at Buy Organic.

Discusses the benefits of using organic fertilisers in your garden and how to improve your soil naturally.

January 8th - Hippy Shopper
January 22nd - Clay & Wattles

the Carnival of Green on Monday, January 15th.

This post is basically to let you know a little bit about the Carnival of Green, so that the post on Monday isn’t just confusing. The idea behind the Carnival of Green is to create exposure to green links, sites, and articles. It is “managed by TreeHugger and is a roving digest of the green blogosphere with a sustainability focus as opposed to green politics in general. Just like a regular real carnival it roams around offering a sample of its world.” Every week people send in e-mails to carnivalofgreen@gmail.com with the post URL, post author and post summary. The host (this week it would be me) then compiles all the links and writes a short summary, if one has not already been provided, and publishes it on Monday morning.

There is already a great assortment of submissions. I hope you enjoy it!

Both Simple Shoes and Keen have started sustainable shoe lines. So now you can cause less damage as you walk around this green earth or more accurately, you can keep more of the earth green as you walk around on concrete.

Green Toe shoes is Simple’s line of natural footwear for both men and women and is their “effort to minimize the ecological footprint left by shoes” (they also make a really cool feedbag). Some of the ingredients they use in making their Green Toe shoes are: water based cement, which is less toxic and has a less propensity to be a fire hazard than traditional cement; crepe/laytex collected from Hevea (rubber) trees once the tree has matured; cork, which is usually harvested from the Cork Oak tree and naturally has a large composition of suberin, a waxy mixture that is water, mold, mildew, and pest resistant substance; jute, a long, soft, shiny fiber from the jute plant that can be spun into long, course, strong threads; wool, a fiber spun from the fur of a couple different types of animals, most commonly sheep; and bamboo, a woody, perennial, evergreen plant whose fiber can be spun into fabric.

Read more about the Simple Shoe company to get educated on their mission and practices (this is a good habit to get into).

I found Keen’s Ventura shoes when I was at REI last week. The Ventura is a woman’s shoe that is 100% vegan (no leather, no glues), features an organic canvas upper, a foot bed made from a combination of cork and natural latex, a natural rubber outsole, and recycled eyelets. Keen is also committed to reducing packaging, reduced printing, and using sustainable materials. I am not sure why, but the Ventura shoes are not yet on Keen’s website so if you are interested in buying some you will have to either look online at REI or go into an REI store.

Read about the Keen company to get educated on their mission and practices. Also, check out the Keen Foundation and learn about what they are doing to help people and the planet.

Greenfibre is having their biggest ever January sale. For those of you who don’t know Greenfibre “sells ethical, natural and organic bedding, organic clothing, organic and biodynamic skin care products, organic fabrics and wool and eco-friendly household cleaning stuff”. Right now they are having a sale of everything from organic cotton flannel duvet covers to men’s organic cotton blue jeans. This is not a call for needless consumption, but if you were in need of making some purchases anyway check out their site and see if you can find it on sale.

I wanted to let you all know that I have not forgotten about the water series. My computer broke over a month ago and Kendall has been nice enough to share his computer with me during this time. Unfortunately, all of my information for the water series is on my computer and I haven’t been able to access it. I should have my computer back soon and will resume the series shortly after that.

In the meantime, here is a clip from a documentary, Water Warriors, that shares the experience of a community in Highland Park, MI as they fight to maintain their basic human right to have access to water while living next to the largest body of fresh water in the world. I would love to hear anyones thoughts on this.