Hope everyone had a great day. Here’s our weekly round-up…

You still have a few days left to win a super cute reusable kids bag!
Peggy looked at the dangers of PVC this week:

Dangers of PVC
Fleurville Bags: PVC-free & Chic
Dryer Balls of PVC

60 Eco-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Spring
We learned about the new Celsias Show – Eco News & Fun by Podcast.
Make Your Own Natural, Colorful Dyes
We discussed Tree Hugging Lunatics
Tap Project: Help Kids When You Eat Out This Week
Donate to Environmental Working Group with One Click
We hugged a terribly cute little pika.
Homemade Non-Toxic Finger Paints
Peggy told us about an awesome eco …read more

There are some places where you can see amazing trees, or loads of amazing trees. Next time you’re planning your family vacation you might want to consider one of the following cool tree areas.
Beartooth Loop: Beartooth has been called the “most beautiful highway in America” and I’m prone to agree. After Humboldt, the area of Beartooth is likely one of my favorite spots on the planet. It runs from Yellowstone Park’s northeast entrance, across the Beartooth Mountain Range in Montana and Wyoming – so you can stand in both states at once. Beartooth is the highest elevation highway (10,947 feet) …read more

Well, I said I’d post this yesterday and then guess what? I fell asleep at 9pm (which never happens). I think I’m fighting off a cold. Sorry about that. Still, I’m here now…
Congestion pricing:
In the comments of my post, The Problem With Cars yesterday, Susan noted that congestion pricing is a good solution. It is, so let’s start there. Congestion pricing is basically charging people more money to drive in certain areas during heavy traffic rush hours. Those certain areas can be bridges, tunnels, major roads, etc. Of course this has been met with opposition by motorists. Actually this topic …read more

Cars are problematic. According to the Worldwatch Institute, there’s an average of 1 car per 12 people worldwide – except in the US, where the average is 1 car per 2 people. The EPA notes that every twenty years the amount of vehicle travel doubles. It’s a little out of hand. Suburban sprawl, working far from home, and driving alone instead of car-pooling has created a nightmare.
Honestly, cars are the original reason I moved to Humboldt six years ago. Portland, Oregon was becoming insane with traffic. Humboldt was a nice change – I don’t think the term ‘traffic jam’ exists …read more

In Humboldt we got great free recycling bins from the city. Where I live in Washington I don’t get bins.
If you have bin issues or just need to keep your recyclables in a place where everyone can see them then one great idea is to find some recycling storage that not only works well but looks nice too.
Design Within Reach has these great bags that can hold your recycling and they look nice enough that they could even sit in a mudroom or other inside your house area — or you know, just pretty up the garage. Personally I keep …read more

So, families… I don’t think you have been sending me photos of your family outside enjoying nature. Hmmm. Well, I’m moving right now so I can’t find any recent pictures but I do have some old ones on my computer so here you go — kids (one kid anyhow) and nature!
Also if you’re worried that your photo taking skills aren’t up to par don’t be. Look at the kind of pictures I take:

This is Cedar at around age two in one of the Redwood forests in Humboldt.
Notice that I myself cannot take pictures very well. Flash anyone? In fact the …read more