It was a particularly satisfying moment for environmental groups in the Hudson Valley -- including Scenic Hudson, which I head. We've been crusading for a quarter century to compel GE to remove these 1.3 million pounds of toxins that made the Hudson the most PCB-polluted waterway in America. Polychlorinated biphenyls not only have been linked to cancer, thyroid disease and immune-system disorders in humans, but adversely affect fish, forcing New York State to close or impose severe restrictions on lucrative recreational and commercial fisheries all the way to New York Harbor, 200 miles downriver.

While this is a great victory, it's far from complete. ...

Parties are on my mind of late – we’ve been happily slogging through a bunch of birthday parties, end-of-school fairs, and plenty of summer gatherings. I’ve gotten several emails lately asking how to green these parties, including 4th of July celebrations. Here are my suggestions. Fittingly, I’m typing these on my own birthday.

FOOD

• Buy Local, Buy Organic
  'Tis the season to serve local food. Opt for organic local when you can find it. Why bother with cupcakes when you can serve a flat of local blueberries and first of the season peaches?

• Serve Grass-fed Beef (or Why Not Squash?)
  The number one way to reduce the impact of a BBQ party is to serve grass-fed hamburgers. The environmental toll of conventional meat is gargantuan. It’s also totally inhumane. See the excellent film Food Inc. for an education (or a refresher course) on hamburger patties, agribusiness chickens and more. Grilled “squash burgers” are another fabulous option – cut pattypans into thick rounds and grill.

• Be Careful with Your Condiments
  Don’t forget about going organic for mustard, ketchup, pickles, buns and more. If you’re using charcoal, buy sustainable briquettes (Whole Foods carries some or try these and never use lighter fluid. It’s highly toxic.

• Avoid Fishy Fish
  If you’re serving fish, choose wisely. ...

With the average American family of four spending almost $4,000 per year on clothing, think of the money you can save by extending the life of your clothes and hanging onto them longer. Here are some practical ways to do just that:

Launder Less Often, and Only in Cold Water: Many of us are guilty of over laundering our clothes, which costs time and money and is usually unnecessary. Washing and drying is often actually harder on clothing fabric than wearing it! Consider wearing apparel items more than once between laundering, and wash most clothing in cold water only; cold water costs less, is gentler on fabrics, and will get most clothes just as clean.

Hold the Bleach: Bleach can cause clothing to disintegrate more quickly. If you need to brighten white clothes, try using baking soda and hot water instead.

It Pays to Get Hung Out to Dry: Electric- and gas-powered clothes dryers not only cost a pretty penny to own and operate, but they cook and beat the life out of your clothing too. Drying your clothes on a good old-fashioned clothesline can increase the lifespan of some garments by as much as fifty percent...plus your clothes will smell terrific.

Zip Up Before You Wash: Metal zippers on jeans, jackets and other apparel items are like tiny chainsaws in the washer and dryer, ripping away at other clothes the whole time unless you zip them up first.

Don't Let Small Problems Become Big Ones: Most rips and tears start out small, so check your clothes carefully after every washing to catch and mend snags while they're still small and easy to fix.

Soggy Shoes: The lifespan of footwear is often cut short by the effects of moisture, even more so than by pounding the pavement. To make your shoes last longer, don't wear the same pair every day. Give each pair at least a day in between to dry out from the moisture they absorb from your body and the environment. In humid or rainy weather, crumple up a couple of pieces of newspaper and stuff them in your shoes before you go to bed at night; by morning, the paper will have wicked-up the excess moisture. Frequently shining or sealing shoe leather helps protect it from moisture as well.

Traffic jam on the I-5 leads to dirty air ... and greenhouse gases. (Flickr/Sandy Kemsley)

With all deliberate speed, the Obama Administration's EPA has approved California's four-year-old request to be allowed to regulate climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions from auto exhaust. Today's decision was somewhat anticlimactic, because the parameters were worked out in mid-May when automakers, state and federal regulators and environmental groups sat down together to hammer out the single national standard that the car industry has long said it wanted. (See how that policy might affect your next car purchase.)

What a difference an administration makes for the nation's environmental groups: Instead of stonewalling for more than two years and then denying California's request for the EPA waiver, President Barack Obama brought the stakeholders together to create something that only conservative and libertarian think tanks could oppose.

"After three and a half years, a Supreme Court ruling [that greenhouse gas is a pollutant] and a change of Presidents, this is finally a done deal," said Roland Hwang of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The decision had been widely expected, and it will give California considerable leverage as the federal rulemaking process begins. The state's Air Resources Board said it will abide by the federal program for the years 2012 to 2016 -- provided it is not weakened by automaker loopholes and closely resembles the agreement announced last month.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson was practically holding hands with automakers when she said, in a statement that "this decision reinforces the historic agreement on nationwide emissions standards developed by a broad coalition of industry, government and environmental stakeholders earlier this year."

One of the first of many green changes I made years ago -- long before I was even thinking of getting pregnant -- was to replace my conventional antiperspirant with the most natural and effective deodorant I could find. This was wise for several reasons. Conventional products tend to contain a whole host of best-to-avoid substances including hormone disrupters, petrochemicals, lung irritants, and other suspect ingredients. These are not only potentially harmful to the adults who use them, but also to teenagers who are still developing, babies in utero, breastfeeding babies (internally and externally -- they're often leaning skin-on-skin up near your armpits) and even to the waterways and aquatic life where traces of the conventional gunk winds up after we shower it off.

But finding an effective natural replacement is no easy task if you're not a dainty fleur. I have plenty of friends and even family members who fall into that category -- they can garden and hike and build furniture and do all sorts of heavy lifting wearing certain natural brands that are so ineffective on me. I still feel pity for the yoga teacher who was with me when I wore them as I went through my "transition" phase -- searching for the one. It was a lengthy and somewhat stinky search. Oh well. I made it through to the other side.

I'm not someone who normally suggests products by brand, but ...

A solar installation at Nellis Air Force Base: Photovoltaics are poised for big expansion. (Flickr/GravityX9)

"Everybody loves solar, the shiny superstar of renewable energy," reports the Los Angeles Times. "But scratch the surface of the manufacturing process and the green sheen disappears. Vast amounts of fossil fuels are used to produce and transport panels. Solar cells contain toxic materials. Some components can't be easily recycled."

Egads, solar not eco-friendly? Consider the unavoidable fact that solar panels are made from petroleum, and thus dependent to some degree on low oil prices. When the price goes up, as it inevitably will, so will the cost of making photovoltaics. Ironic, isn't it? Dr. David Lee, CEO of BioSolar, calls it a "fundamental contradiction."

BioSolar starts with recycled cotton and castor beans, and produces a protective backing for solar cells. Its product is intended as a competitor to Tedlar, a petroleum-derived film made by DuPont that is the industry standard for silicon-based solar cells. And it's 25% cheaper, too. Green Energy News says the new technology "may possibly revolutionize the solar power industry as we know it today."

The magazine adds that bio-plastics have been tried for solar before, but delicate molecular structures and the tendency to melt when exposed to high temperatures made them "a wavering option for solar-cell fabrication."

According to Dr. Lee, "Oil prices go up and down a lot, and putting a huge new demand on the petroleum industry as solar production increases is just not a good idea." He added that cotton and castor beans are just two of the bio-based ingredients of the company's new product, but the others are proprietary. The bio-film will be on the market in the latter part of 2009; other bio solar products are in the research and development stage, Dr. Lee said.

All solar cells require protective backing, and every square foot of panel requires a square foot of backing. The company is soon to release other bio-based solar parts, including a replacement for the glass top layer of most panels.

A report issued in January by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition says the industry should be doing more to ensure than clean energy doesn't leave a pollution trail. According to the report, a rapid expansion of solar, which uses a lot of materials and processes derived from the computer industry, "has the potential to create a huge new wave of electronic waste" at the end of the panels' 20- to 25-year life. The content includes nanomaterials, whose performance in the environment is largely untested.

Tesla is getting more interesting by the day. Here's a company that was basically flat on its back just a couple of years ago, plagued by internal strife and trying to sell a then-$92,000 electric Roadster that cost $140,000 to build. That's not my estimation, it's right from the blog of CEO Elon Musk, who was responding to a suit by an embittered co-founder.

I recently drove a Tesla Roadster (pictured) owned by the Vulcan Motor Club on a jaunt through rainy rural New Jersey, and enjoyed it more than similar rides in even more expensive high-end supercars by Aston-Martin and Lamborghini.

And now Tesla is in fast company. The Department of Energy (DOE) announced June 23 that Tesla was one of three recipients — with Ford and Nissan — of $8 billion in advanced technology loan funds. Tesla will get $465 million to build a manufacturing plant for the new ultra-fast Model S sedan in Southern California, and a second battery plant in the Bay Area.

The federal fund is designed to further a very worthy cause: ensuring that the U.S. will be competitive in battery technology. It's quite clear that without federal assistance, we will lose that business to Asia, mostly to China and Korea. And right now it really matters who will capture this market: it is, unquestionably, the future of the auto industry.

I like what Tesla is doing — starting with a high-end vehicle and then, gradually, moving into more affordable markets as the company becomes solvent. Musk has told me that Tesla's third car will be even further downmarket than the Model S. The mainstream carmakers are approaching it differently, but they're plugging in, too.

Even the skeptics are starting to gain confidence in Tesla's prospects. The company has now delivered more than 500 Roadsters, and is getting a handle on fulfilling the 800 it has pending. Daimler has bought nearly 10% of Tesla, and the two companies are working together on batteries for electric Smarts.

The largest recipient of the DOE funding is Ford, which got $5.9 billion to increase the fuel efficiency of a dozen popular models, from the Taurus to the Focus, Mustang, Escape and F-150 truck. The upgrades include very economical direct-injection EcoBoost engines, electrically assisted steering, start-stop technology and six-speed transmissions. Ten factories will get upgrades.

There's only one more week left to submit product ideas to the Make It Green program sponsored by Yahoo! Green (deadline is June 30th). The goal is to bring the best ideas into real products, to be stocked on real shelves. The innovator who submitted the idea will get a share of the sales for 20 years, plus $2,500, and possibly an appearance on PBS's "Everyday Edisons."

It's a great way to turn a fresh green idea into reality. As an added bonus, we're told that, for this last week, the good folks at Yahoo! are waiving the submission fee!

According to a spokesperson from the challenge, there's been more than 150 ideas submitted and 13,000 votes from the community. Here's some of the most interesting ideas submitted so far:

The most popular idea so far is plant fiber diapers.

Other cool stuff includes the vampire power cure and a fridge-cam that lets you see inside your fridge when you're at the store and forgot what's in there. There's also a stove that knows when to turn itself off.

For more info, to submit an idea or to vote, go to Yahoo! Green.

Starre Vartan at Project Earth Day Fashion Show

Some of the most creative work in fashion design right now is going on in the world of ecofashion, which includes but is not limited to sustainable textiles, upcycling, animal-friendly fabrics and nontoxic dyes. The designers included in Project Earth Day (and others, too) are constantly pushing the boundaries; finding original materials (hemp silk was everywhere this year, there is less bamboo); uncovering new and traditional dye sources (cochineal beetles and Indigo) and making reuse truly beautiful. They are setting the standard for the next incarnation of American fashion, which will become more planet- and people-friendly every year because of the forward-thinking work of these designers.

This year the designer's show (which followed the student show ) featured Bahar Shapar, Lara Miller, Sublet, Melissa Kirgan, Mika Organic, Bodkin, Covet, Fearless Dreamer by Meiling Chen, Larsen Gray, Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard (AKA: XZ), Loyale, Mociun, Mottainai, and also shoes by Cri de Coeur, Charmone, OlsenHaus, and Neuaura. Jewlery by Alkemie.

The theme of the show was "Through the Looking Glass" and makeup and hair (adorned with huge bows) reflected the Alice in Wonderland on a Lovely LSD Trip background and accompanying hanging bug sculptures. Held at the Openhouse Gallery, the event was superpacked and everyone was excited to be there.

Bahar Shapar and Molly Garretson organized the event.

Designers Meiling Chen, Melissa Kirgan and Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard from the EKO-lab

One of President Obama's priorities is overhauling America's health care system, whose costs continue rising at nearly seven times the rate of inflation and currently represent about 17% of our gross domestic product. One reason for these skyrocketing figures is that people require more and more care.

Why? Because we're not as healthy as we used to be. And the prime factor for that is we don't exercise enough. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), only a quarter of Americans exert themselves at recommended levels, while nearly a third don't exercise at all. No wonder obesity is a national epidemic, among young and old alike, and a leading cause of increased incidences of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even some types of cancer.

Not surprisingly, this inactivity leads to $76 billion -- 10% -- of our nation's annual medical costs. But there's hope. A study released last year determined that those who keep themselves fit file a third fewer medical claims than couch potatoes. And it doesn't take much to get in shape: The CDC estimates that a vigorous, daily 20-minute walk could stop the obesity epidemic in its tracks.

So how do we encourage people to take the initiative? ...

Note: Check out Jeff Yeager talking about saving money on ABC News Now

My father-in-law had a saying: "If you don't have a good time, you usually learn a good lesson." I'm reminded of that a lot these days during the current economic recession.

I'm not saying that the economic downturn is a good thing, particularly for people who have lost jobs or their homes. But fortunately that's not most Americans. For the rest of us, some involuntary belt tightening might have some silver linings. In other words, I think the current market corrections we're going through might just trigger some long overdue — and ultimately very positive — lifestyle corrections for many Americans.

Consider:

* We're borrowing less and putting more into savings. We've truly learned a lesson — albeit the hard way — about living beyond our means. In 2008, savings rates rose to 1.7%, coming off the lowest savings rates since the Great Depression. And figures recently released for April 2009 are even more impressive, showing the personal savings rate for the month at a 14-year-high of 5.7%.

* We're wasting less. AKA Using it up, making it last, doing without. This is clear from the increase in thrift store and re-sale store sales. Goodwill Store revenues in February were up 7.2% over last year, and for the first time in generations, many thrift stores are selling their wares faster than additional merchandise is being donated.

* We're building smaller homes. It's bad for your bank account and bad for the environment to construct, heat, cool, electrify, decorate, maintain and pay taxes and insurance on unnecessary square footage. For the first time in more than 10 years, the average size of new homes being built dropped by nearly 300 square feet, or 11%. Studies show that we, as humans, are inherently uncomfortable living in too large of spaces, and the recent economy has shown that we're definitely uncomfortable trying to pay for them. In with "Not So Big" and "Little Boxes"!

* We're driving less and staying around home more. When gas was at $4 a gallon, two-thirds of Americans said they changed their habits and drove less...and nothing awful happened because of it. It save resources, generates less pollution, and, because we're spending more time closer to home, it stands to bring our families and communities closer together. That's why I still continue to pay $4 a gallon at the pump, or, rather, pay myself the difference in my "$4 a Gallon Savings Club."

* We're eating lower on the food chain, which is usually healthier. Sales of poultry are up, red meat are down. We're buying more staples, and fewer processed foods. We're eating more fruits and vegetables, and raising a lot more of those ourselves: Home vegetable gardens are projected to be up 40% this year compared to 2007. If these trends continue, the next dire headline out of the recession might just be "American Obesity Epidemic Declines!"

* Hard times might help to revitalize local businesses/economies. In the long run, it stands to reason that the current recession might actually help to revitalize long struggling local businesses and economies. Consider these factors: * Transporting products from far away becomes less cost effective, making the produce at local farmers' markets, for example, more cost competitive. * Big national chains are going under in record numbers, opening the door to local/independent businesses. * Local businesses are more responsive to changing demands and have fewer, if any, demands by shareholders for higher returns on investment. * And many local communities, like those in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts, are taking matters into their own hands and finding creative ways to help local business not just survive, but thrive.

If there is any more worthless waste product than the four billion pounds of chicken feathers produced by our enormous appetite for poultry products, I don't know what it is. It would be great if we could stuff them into pillows, but down comes from geese.

Believe it or not, we turn feathers into low-grade animal feed by mixing them with water in a giant and inefficient pressure cooker. Scientist Walter Schmidt of the Agricultural Research Service in Maryland thinks he can make paper, cloth, plant pots and, yes, auto parts out of them, but it might take a while. Australian researchers want to wear chicken feathers, making them into high-tech sweat pants.

The keratin fiber in chicken feathers is even stronger and more absorbent than wood, and it breaks down in landfills far faster than does plastic or Styrofoam. Finding novel uses for chicken feathers is a pet project of Professor Richard P. Wool of the chemical engineering department of the University of Delaware. He had a very original idea: Why not use carbonized chicken feathers — which resemble highly versatile (and tiny) carbon nanotubes — to...store hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles. Picture very tiny natural sponges, which have a big weight advantage over metal hydride storage of this useful element. How great is that?

Wood enlisted Turkish-born graduate student Erman Senöz in the project, whose results were announced this morning at a conference in College Park, Maryland. "We started three years ago," Senöz said. The pyrolysis process — very high heat without combustion in the absence of oxygen — yields fibers "that are micro-porous, very thin and hollow inside like carbon nanotubes. They start forming at 350 degrees Centigrade, and above 500 C they collapse. We're trying to find the perfect temperature."

By the way, the fiber is from the central quill part, so the fluffy feathers are still available to force-feed livestock. Feather fiber is, of course, very cheap, and the "gas tank" equivalent would be too, costing only about $200. A carbon nanotube tank? How about $5.5 million. Metal hydride tanks, Wool says, are probably $30,000.

This process is not near commercialization, and hydrogen's extremely low density is a big issue. Wool says that, using the team's technology, a car would need a 75-gallon chicken tank to go 300 miles in a car. They're working on it. And the poultry-minded scientists also think they can make bio-based computer circuit boards and hurricane-resistant roofing from the same chicken fibers.

I love the idea of recovering stuff we usually dump into landfills. And since we produce billions of pounds annually, this is one waste stream that really needs to get diverted.

I look forward to the Clearwater Festival: The Great Hudson River Revival every year, although I can hardly believe it's time for it again already (especially considering the unseasonably chilly, rainy weather we've had in NYC). The festival is held in a gorgeous spot on the Hudson River about an hour north of the city, and features a lineup of great musicians, artists, green businesses and advocacy groups. It's also where I first met TDG editor Dan Shapley, incidentally.

This year's Clearwater stages feature many exciting acts, including Taj Mahal, Susan Tedeschi, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, something called the Old Crow Medicine Show, and of course Pete Seeger (check out Dan's inspirational review of the legend's epic 90th birthday bash in Madison Square Garden). As always, the festival supports restoration and preservation of the magnificent Hudson River, and is educational and inspiring.

Click here for more festival details, and don’t forget to stop by the food court for some tasty vegan soul food or hand-carved taters.

In the Hudson Valley the following weekend (Saturday, June 27th at 7 pm to be precise) is a great benefit concert you won't want to miss: folk great Dar Williams and Nick Panasevich, for ecoartspace and Habitat for Artists (see some of the awesome recycled art produced by those groups). The show is at the McKenna Theater at SUNY New Paltz. Tickets are $25 or $30 at the door (call 845-257-3844).

Rock out in support of great green art! Here's the poster: