We’re delighted to share some very good news with you: our own Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s first book has been released. The Joy of Vegan Baking: Compassionate Cooks’ Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets, according to the publisher, "puts to rest the myth that vegan baking is an inferior alternative to non-vegan baking, putting it in its rightful place as a legitimate contender in the baking arena." As Green Options readers might expect, Joy is more than a cookbook: Colleen adds "tidbits, food lore, and baking tips" to a wide range of recipes.

If you’d like to get a sneak preview of the book, check out its website, where you’ll find a table of contents, a plethora of great reviews, and even some sample recipes (including chocolate cake — woo hoo!). Colleen will be on the road over the next few months promoting the book, so also check out the list of events to see if there’s one near you.

Congratulations, Colleen! We’ll be expecting that batch of vegan brownies in the mail any day now…

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls… come right in for another edition of the Greenest Show on the Web: the Carnival of the Green! Fresh off of a stellar performance at Ms. Malaprop, the Carnival’s here at Green Options this week to amaze and delight you. But don’t wait around — the show has a limited engagement here, and then it’s moving on for a stint with our friends at Greener Magazine.

What’s the Carnival of the Green (or COTG, as we green bloggers like to call it)? It’s a roundup of some of the best posts on green blogs from the past week. Always moving, the COTG stops for a visit on a green blog every Monday. The Carnival was the brainchild of Al Tepper, publisher extraordinaire at City Hippy, and Nick Aster, the man behind (and often in front) of the curtain at Triplepundit. These days, our friends at Treehugger play tour manager for the Carnival.

Now that we’ve got the formalities out of the way, let’s get on with the show. And if you’re suffering from a case of the Mondays, here’s a little music to put you in that carnival mood…. wherever you are.

The Hall of Science

Come on in, and take a gander at the latest technological wonders. Won’t cost you a dime…

We’ve got a double-header from EcoGeek this week. Want some help adjusting your driving to save fuel? Hank and co. take a look at the Fuel Mizer, which can monitor your stops and starts for you. And if you’re a walker (which we hope you are!), two students at MIT are just won a prize to harvest the energy from your footsteps (yep, we covered that one, too).

The Naib, over at The Sietch, investigates the Watercone, a device that uses solar energy to desalinate water. This piece of simple technology could do a lot of good for people without easy access to fresh water.

For the Dedicated Followers of Fashion…

We’ve got some Fall previews, and some new looks.

The Natural Collection is predicting an ethical Autumn as they roll out their Fall fashions online. Keep an eye on their site, as they promise "some fantastic giveaways, competitions and freebies" are on the way.

Nature Mom Tiffany Washko takes a look at some furnishings (particularly beds) that are both green and stylish.

Inhabitat shows us how designer Stephan Boltz gives a second life (and new sense of style) to airplane trolleys.

And speaking of reuse, our own Victoria E. shows us how the Broken Plate Pendant Co. turns "useless" china into unique pieces of jewelry (on her own blog).

The Carnival’s Trade Show

Catch the latest trends in green business and finance.

Sox First has a podcast interview with Erik Mather, managing director of Regnan, on the growing pressure for companies "…to come clean on their contingent liabilities that include environmental, sustainability and governance risks."

Great Green Gadgets expresses some skepticism about carbon offsets, particularly those involving tree planting. Doesn’t mean they’re against planting trees, though… even guerrilla style!

And the Savvy Vegetarian shares a post from market gardener Jocelyn Engman on the importance of supporting local farmers.

Time for a Break… and a Beer

All this carnivaling can make you thirsty…

GO’s Gavin Hudson shares some tips on making your own eco-friendly brew: cheers!

And the Green Cougar points to that inevitable post-college dilemma for green grads: aluminum cans or glass bottles?

The Medicine Show

Health and safety stories with a green tint.

Allie’s Answers takes note of some of the potential dangers presented by manufactured nanoparticles in sunscreens.

The Environmental Working Group’s Enviroblog presents a video on the danger that still exist from arsenic-treated lumber used for decks and playsets.

Finally, at sustainablog (my other blog), I took a look at an editorial in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune claiming that greener development of transportation infrastructure could create less wear and tear on roads and bridges (so they’re less likely collapse!).

Get a Glimpse of Far-Away Lands…

A couple of our participants in the Carnival this week share some travel information and experiences.

Intelligent Travel spotlights several green hotels you might want to consider on your next getaway.

Sally Kneidel of Veggie Revolution recounts her visit (complete with some great photos) to the South African village of Welverdiend

The Souvenir Stand

If you must buy, make sure it’s sustainable.

The Millionaire Mommy Next Door claims that "Memories are made of the things we do, not the things we buy." We couldn’t agree more!

La Marguerite reminices on times past when we didn’t throw away so much stuff.

And Green LA Girl takes a look at some eco-friendly claims made by some companies about their products, and shows that a little digging often chips the green gilding off of these fairly ordinary items.

Finally, Take a Stroll Down the Midway…

You never know what you may find.

INNside Innkeeping in Montana highlights efforts by Xanterra Parks and Resorts, the owner of hotels and restaurants inside a number of state and national parks, to green up their own operations. That’s right… Yellowstone is going green…

Maria Energia, the blog of our own Maria Surma Manka, considers the implications of recently-announced renewable energy deals by BP.

Jetson Green takes a look at an ancient case of urban sprawl, and wonders if it provides some insight into more recent calamities such as post-Katrina flooding in New Orleans, and the bridge collapse in Minnesota.

In another post, Intelligent Travel offers its congratulations to Java Green, a D.C.-area cafe’ that recently won the title of "Best Vegetarian Restaurant" in a contest held by VegDC.

Flower-Garden-Bulbs.com provides some tips for getting flower bulbs started right… the organic way.

The Good Human muses upon the messages sent by environmentalists concerning climate change, and claims that the planet itself will survive this crisis; the human species, on the other hand, may not be so fortunate.

And, finally, our good friends at Lighter Footstep help spread the word on the October 15th Blog Action Day, when a diverse array of bloggers, ranging from Lifehacker to ProBlogger, will be writing about, and raising funds for, environmental issues.

That’s a wrap, folks — thank you for coming by and enjoying the Carnival. We’ll see you next week at Greener Magazine!

Image sources: Treehugger (COTG banner) and Wikimedia Commons (here, here, and here)

Plenty, it turns out… and not generally things we want. This week, Naturalpath takes a look at the many additives that enter our food supply. For instance,

Most of the crops in the United States are grown with the aid of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, and some of these are potentially harmful to the environment and people. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 30% of insecticides, 60% of herbicides, and 90% of fungicides are carcinogenic. Evidence suggest that that these agrochemicals are present in our food supply, and even very low levels of these chemicals may be causing problems for humans, especially children.

Now, there are some answers you probably didn’t expect to the question "What’s for dinner?" Take a look at the article, and find our what else is added to your food as it moves through the supply chain…

It’s Tuesday, and that means another article from our friends at Naturalpath. Today, they’ve shared an article with us on Teflon-coated cookware (original publication here), and its potential health and environmental threats. According to the article,

Far from your kitchen, the chemicals used to manufacture Teflon are also very persistent in the environment. Toxic chemicals released when cooking with Teflon-coated cookware can find their way into the air, water, soil, and our bodies. A 2005 study by the Environmental Working Group, in collaboration with Commonweal, found chemicals including perflourooctanoic acid (or PFOA), a known carcinogen, in the umbilical cord blood of US-born infants. Similarly, researchers at John Hopkins Medical Center released findings in 2006 that PFOA was present in umbilical cord blood of 99% of 300 newborns tested. Also, households with birds should note that Teflon fumes pose a particular hazard to their delicate systems.

Naturalpath points to other potential problems with Teflon, some safer alternatives, and, as always, provides a comprehensive list of resources.

With the weather getting warmer in most of the US, many of us are looking forward to a steak, hot dog or veggie burger hot off the grill. If you're planning on firing up the barbie this weekend, here are a few tips for lowering the impact of that flame-cooked meal:

• While nothing beats charcoal for flavor, gas and electric grills are the top choices for energy-efficiency and cost.
• If you can't live without that charcoal flavor, look for all-natural briquettes (made from plant materials) or wood briquettes that come from sustainably-produced wood sources. You may have to dig a bit: these are easier to find in countries other than the US.
• Avoid the quick-light charcoal, or lighter fluid: chimney or electric starters work just as well or better, and don't produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
• Choose greener foods to throw on the grill: organic or locally-produced meats, or even meatless options. Fresh vegetables are wonderful grilled out.
• When cleaning the grill, avoid toxic cleaners: vinegar and a little elbow grease work wonders!

Got other tips for green grilling? Do share! Thanks to Thriftyfun.com and the Green Guide (a GO advertiser) for the great information.

Green Options member Jeroenla has a question that's probably crossed many of our minds:

My heart is on the right place: I want to save the planet

I would love to eat only bio-meat (no, I am not going to be a vegetarian), eko-eggs and all that stuff, but seriously: how can you guys afford to do so?

When I am in the store, I can buy "conventional" food or eko, but the eko-stuff is always at least THREE times as expensive!

Sure, I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for "decent" food, but three times more… If I would pay that, I would need to take an extra job, and stop doing everything else I do: the money simply isn't there.

I found one shortcut for the vegetables: we now rent a 140 sq.metre patch of land on which we grow food, but that too isn't cheap (tools, seeds, all the other materials etc).

So, I am curious, how do others, who don't earn loads of money, do that?

Liam has suggested wholesale; I've mentioned farmer's markets. What other suggestions do you have about ways Jeroenla can eat green without breaking the budget? Let her know… others are probably interested, also…

In his excellent book Plan B 2.0, agricultural economist and environmental visionary Lester Brown notes one potential downside to recent pushes for increased production of ethanol: the emergence of a battle in the marketplace between those who buy grain for food, and those who buy it for fuel. The winner of this battle isn't nearly so important as the losers: consumers who will end up paying higher prices for food. In the developed world, the blow won't be felt so hard; in the developing world, this could lead to starvation and political instability.

Brown addresses these concerns in an essay at Environmental News Network (ENN), and notes that the figures publicized by the US Department of Agriculture likely lowball the problem:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects that distilleries will require only 60 million tons of corn from the 2008 harvest. But here at the Earth Policy Institute (EPI), we estimate that distilleries will need 139 million tons—more than twice as much. If the EPI estimate is at all close to the mark, the emerging competition between cars and people for grain will likely drive world grain prices to levels never seen before. The key questions are: How high will grain prices rise? When will the crunch come? And what will be the worldwide effect of rising food prices? …

The competition for grain between the world’s 800 million motorists who want to maintain their mobility and its 2 billion poorest people who are simply trying to survive is emerging as an epic issue. Soaring food prices could lead to urban food riots in scores of lower-income countries that rely on grain imports, such as Indonesia, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, and Mexico. The resulting political instability could in turn disrupt global economic progress, directly affecting all countries. It is not only food prices that are at stake, but trends in the Nikkei Index and the Dow Jones Industrials as well.

Brown believes the answer to this conundrum lies in 1) focusing on development of hybrid-electric automobiles, and 2) accelerating the process of producing cellulosic-based ethanol from agricultural residues and plants such as switchgrass. Politicians love ethanol, especially since it benefits politically powerful farm states. Brown's observations demonstrate the complexity of the move to greater ethanol use, and the dangers of looking too hard for a "silver bullet" to energy issues.

ENN: "World May Be Facing Highest Grain Prices in History"