Probably nearly all of you out there have seen certification symbols (logos, icons, whatever you like to call them) for things like Fair Trade Certified and USDA Organic and Energy Star.

But do you know what it means if you see a leaping bunny symbol on a product? How about FSC with a tree drawing? VeriFlora — you may have heard of it, but do you know what it’s all about?

This week we’ll look at a few of the lesser-known eco symbols you might encounter. A really good thing about these symbols is that not just anyone can stick them on a product.

Manufacturers must have third-party verification before being allowed to promote themselves as VeriFlora or Leaping Bunny certified. Think of these symbols as girl scout patches. Manufacturers can’t buy them. They have to be earned through serious effort.

The United States Postal Service recently launched the pilot program of Mail Back, allowing customers to send small electronics and inkjet cartridges to recycling heaven without charge.

That means you don’t have to pay postage for a change. Has the post office ever allowed us to mail anything for free before? I can’t recall that. You also use a free envelope, located at the post office, for Mail Back.

According to the recent press release, postage is being picked up by Clover Technologies Group, a company that recycles, refurbishes and remarkets the very things you’ll be mailing in. They have a “zero waste to landfill” policy.

If the pilot program is successful, a national program could launch as early as this fall. Some of the pilot areas include Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, DC.

Easy access to very free recycling for dysfunctional PDAs, digital cameras, iPods and more stuff like that — good job post office.

Well, it’s a Sunday cyber-drive anyway.

Crunchy Chicken is asking for help with Goods 4 Girls.

Eco-economist Alla Bereshkova is guest posting at Green living tips. She wants to help Americans with some Green Lessons From The Old World.

ecofabulous is talking about Simon & Schuster’s new line of children’s books: Little Green Books.

No Impact Man writes about Conspicuous UNconsumption. If you’re wondering if your green lifestyle is inspiring others, this might inspire you.

And now that you’ve finished cruising those wonderful links, please take the birthday gift poll in the sidebar. It will be taken down and discussed soon.

Also, let me know if you like the links. And even let me know if you didn’t with some comment love. 

So, I caught the mother goose on the eggs, except it was no goose. I was wrong. It’s a mallard duck nest. The mother had gone when I returned with a camera a few hours later, but I caught this shot just after the rain. (If you’re confused, see Spring Eggs post from earlier today.)

Mallard hens lay between nine and 13 eggs on the ground near water. After the ducklings hatch (around 27 days), the mother leads them to the water. The nest is then abandoned.

I’ll hopefully be able to post some images of the ducklings in a few weeks!

One of my favorite things about my apartment is that it surrounds a large lake. In the spring I often see newly hatched ducks, geese and turtles. It’s still a little early for the babies, but I did spot a nest full of eggs on a recent walk. The nest is located just beside the lake.

Since there are both mallard ducks and Canadian geese living around the water, I can’t be sure whether a goose or duck laid those eggs. If I had to guess, I’d say it was a goose since a pair of geese hissed at me a few feet from the nest. The photo to the right is of a some geese hanging out on the other side of the lake. They probably aren’t the parents.

I went back to check on the nest a day after I first found it. Still, no duck or goose, but something is tending the eggs. They were covered up against the cold. The temperature had dropped several degrees in a day. If you look carefully, you can see the more eggs underneath the twigs.

Have you seen any bird nests with eggs in your area?

I have a friend who showed me this rain bowl he made with his kids – an experiment that’s mainly common sense, but it’s not like I would have thought to do it. You might also call this a solar powered water purifier.

This experiment allows kids to see how clean rain happens, even when our planet is not always so clean. The only downside is the plastic wrap. I don’t use plastic wrap for hardly anything. When I do it’s for art projects or experiments like this.

What you need to make a rain bowl:

• A large bowl or pan
• A heavy bottomed drinking glass – clear glass is best, but honestly any cup will work. The cup must be shorter than the large bowl.
• Clean rocks or marbles.
• Muddy water
• Plastic wrap
• Clear tape
• Sunshine

How to make your rain bowl:

1. If you haven’t already made muddy water, simply mix water and dirt. You don’t need much dirt – just enough so that you wouldn’t think to drink it.
2. Put about 2-3 inches of water into the large bowl.
3. Place the glass into the middle of the bowl. If your glass is not heavy enough to sit still in the water, add some clean rocks or marbles to weight it down.
4. Wrap the top of your bowl in plastic wrap. It should be wrapped tight, except for in the very center (right over the glass). This is where the tape comes in handy. Plastic wrap rarely sticks well to anything. You need to make sure it’s taunt, so tape the edges to the bowl.
5. Put a clean rock or marble right smack over the glass. You should see the plastic wrap sink down a bit but if it’s touching the glass, you need to make your plastic wrap tighter.

Here’s a crude drawing:

Sorry, it’s not the best picture. One of these days, I’ll remember to take pictures of these activities. In my sorry picture, the glass is sitting somehow suspended in the bowl. Obviously, your glass will be sitting flat.

How to get your clean distilled rain:

Take your bowl outside and place it in direct sunlight. We left our bowl outside for about half a day (in the bright sun). Now watch and see what happens.

Questions to consider: 

Why is there clean water in the glass, yet still muddy water in the bowl?

In what useful ways could you apply this experiment to real life situations?

Why is this process important for people, plants, and animals on the planet?

To learn more about rain (and find the answers to the above questions) take a look at:

Rain: A valuable resource

The Water Cycle

Learn how to catch and measure one single raindrop

We asked our readers for eco tips from kids to enter a recent contest we had to give away some kid shopping bags.

And here are the really savvy and sweet Eco Tips from Kids:

We don’t throw garbage on the Earth and we pick up litter. We have a compost instead of putting it in the garbage. We use cloth diapers on our baby because they are softer and do not go in the garbage. We bring our own bags when we go shopping.
-Kaya, 6

More better than we are now.
-Corbin

By cycling.
-Kennedy, 3

Um, eat fresh food?
-Pip, 4

By not using paper and by not littering.
-Cedar

We have to plant lots of trees because they make the earth green and give us oxygen. And everyone should get a dog and clean up their poop.
-Deb’s son, 5

If people litter picking up their trash, help uummm people learn to love the earth like I do, make a garden and turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth.
-6 year old

By cleaning it by picking up all the trash and throwing it away. Go to the beach and plant stuff to make it from falling in the ocean. Recycle paper and plastic. Yeah that’s how you help the earth.
-7 year old

We should drive cars less, take shorter showers, plant lots of flowers and take care of the animals.
-Alex

I think teaching people to be nice to trees.
-3 year old

Well you need to think! Don’t throw away good trash you can reuse. Don’t leave the water running when you brush, use both sides of the paper when you draw and alway be kind to animals and nice people!
-Noah

We could walk places. We could recycle. Turn lights off. That is what Grandpa always tells me to do.
-Debbie’s daughter

They should have a contest for who can pick up the most amount of trash and whoever does wins an award and a puppy.
-Amber’s daughter

I think we should keep the air and the water clean for the fish and the sharks.
-EGirl

do NOT act like sepiroth (she’s a Final Fantasy nut)
-Nine year old

By giving away toys.
-3 year old

Not hurt God’s creatures
-Alicia’s daughter

Goo.
-Evie

Started singing the Jack Johnson song from the Curious George Soundtrack…”reduce, reuse, recycle.”
-Arden, 6

Doos, Use, Cycle.
-Rena, 2

Just drooled at me when asked.
-Guinn, 8 months

As promised in my rant about Palmolive eco+ Dishwasher Gel, I’m reviewing Seventh Generation’s dishwasher detergent. I could not find the gel at my local grocery store, so I went with the powder. I paid around $4 for the 45 oz. box. I snagged the photo below from Seventh Generation’s site. Even though I like the company, I was a bit skeptical before trying Seventh Generation’s Free & Clear Automatic Dishwasher Powder. I had read a few reviews concerning a filmy residue left on dishes.

I loaded my dishes as normal, put the phosphate and chlorine-free detergent in the regular wash cycle compartment, and left the pre-rinse compartment empty. According to Seventh Generation, using too much detergent for the hardness of your water may cause a harmless film on clean dishes.

After waiting an impatient hour or so for the cycle to finish, I opened my dishwasher to a load full of very clean and fresh dishes. No film, no food left on dishes. No complaints.

Well, I have to find something to complain about, don’t I?

It’s great that this detergent is chlorine and phosphate free. And the packaging is made from 100% recycled paper (minimum 40% post-consumer). Plus, the product isn’t tested on animals. And my favorite — they disclose ALL ingredients. However, it isn’t completely biodegradable.

Why not? Here’s the explanation from Seventh Generation’s FAQs: Read more

We originally hugged the polar bear in February, but it’s been a bit neglected. (Please check out that post if you missed it.)

The US Fish & Wildlife Service was supposed to make a decision on declaring the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, but they missed their deadline of January 9. Actually, they missed their deadline twice. The second deadline was February 8.

What’s going on? Some people think they delayed so that an oil and gas lease auction could be held in key polar bear habitat on Alaska’s Chukchi Sea on February 6. I hope that’s not the case. The US Fish & Wildlife Service is supposed to be one of the good guys.

Why is everyone following this decision so closely?

The polar bear will (most likely) be declared threatened because of the effects of global warming. There are (believe it or not) many people out there who don’t believe that global warming is real.

Read more about the polar bear decision delay. See “Delay in polar bear policy stirs probe” by SF Gate and “Second Deadline to Protect Polar Bears Missed” by Reuters. Also check out “Can’t Bear it any Longer: Senate Wants Answers” by CNN.

As you re-hug this animal, check out CNN’s “Polar bears on thin ice” for interesting polar bear facts and photos.