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)

Have you ever rented a movie from a video store? Or stayed in a hotel room? Do you belong to a fitness club or gym? If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions (and you probably can), then you’ve paid money not for a product, but rather a service or benefit: enjoying a film, getting a good night’s sleep, or a killer set of abs. All of these businesses fall into the category of the "product service system," and while these examples are really common, many other companies are recognizing the earnings potential that exist for "renting" products rather than selling them outright.

So, why would we care about this on a green lifestyle site? Product service systems (PSS for short) can not only make businesses a lot of money; they can also force them to adopt greener business practices. If you own a video store, constantly having to replace DVDs isn’t in your financial interest: you get paid for a customer’s use of that product, so it’s to your benefit to make those discs last as long as possible. Similarly, a gym that constantly has to replace stationary bikes and treadmills isn’t going to be very profitable. The PSS makes reuse and recycling not just nice ideas for the environment; rather, they become critical to a company’s financial success.

A couple of weeks ago, Rodger Vistacion, the founder and CEO of iLetYou, wrote a post on the company’s blog about the PSS concept:

…most everyday activity involves a Product Service System. You don’t
own the roads you drive on, you don’t own the restaurant or parks you
eat in, and you don’t own the health club that you work out in. When
you take a vacation, luckily you don’t need your own airplane and you
can conveniently get all the comforts of home, transplanted into a new,
relaxing (maybe) environment. If you rent your home, apartment or car,
you’re even more ensconced in Product Service Systems.

A Product Service System also very accurately describes what rental
is. Generally, rental is defined as when you physically pay a fee to
generally own an item for a set period of time. The only really
difference is the fee (it’s simply lending and borrowing otherwise) and
some Product Service Systems use shared, aggregated renting when
appropriate. The two concepts are basicly identical - in many ways, the
exact same thing.

New companies are emerging to fully embrace this trend. Zipcar is a leader in cars, BagBorrowOrSteal in handbags and designer goods, and there are many more emerging examples.

He’s right — there are some very exciting applications of this concept that have significant environmental benefits in terms of reducing, reusing and recycling:

• Interface, Inc.’s "Evergreen Carpet Leasing System" was revolutionary for the commercial floor covering industry: in this program, a customer pays for "floor covering service" rather than buying carpet or other coverings outright. The system has allowed Interface to focus on methods of reusing and recycling old floor covering, as well as maintaining it for as long as possible. If you haven’t reade Interface founder Ray Anderson’s Mid-Course Correction, it’s very inspiring! I can’t say for certain that this program still exists (having trouble finding anything on the Interface web sites).
• SunEdison has brought this concept to solar power: rather than buying solar panels, commercial clients can enter intro a contract with the company and just buy the electricity produced at a set rate. SunEdison owns and maintains the equipment. CitizenRE wants to implement such a system for the residential market… we’re not sure that it will work, though.

These are just two examples — there are plenty more. Companies that keep ownership of their products have a real incentive to "keep it green"… and that’s a model we’d love to see more.

WorldChanging:Product-Service Scenarios for the Bright Green City

Treehugger: Eco-Tip: Product Service Systems

sustainablog: GM, Whole Foods Using ‘Solar Service System’ (please note: sustainablog is my personal sustainability blog.)

Amazon Link: Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution

After a brief hiccup last week (call it the Senior Editor in vacation mode!), we're pleased to get back to our content swap with Naturalpath, the green health community. This week, we're featuring an article on a concept that's rapidly growing around the world: eco communities. What are they? According to the article,

Eco villages seek to unite two emerging truths: human life thrives best in small, supportive, healthy communities, and that the only sutainable path for humanity to adapt and reinvent concepts from traditional community life to our modern economic and social realities.

As usual, the writers at NP have collected a wealth of resources for your enlightenment. If the idea of shifting gears, and moving into a community with a lighter environmental impact appeals to you, take a look at the full article.

As many of you know, Green Options is not my first foray into the world of green blogging: I started sustainablog in 2003, and have written for Treehugger for about 14 months. Since Green Options launched, I've had to curtail my blogging a bit — I cut back on my Treehugger schedule, and put sustainable on hiatus at the end of May.

Things change, though, and during a recent discussion with TH founder Graham Hill about the direction and success of Green Options, we decided that it was a good time for me to "call it a day" as a TH contributor. I've got nothing but respect and admiration for the folks at Treehugger, and thoroughly enjoyed my time writing for them. But, it is time to move on… I've got plenty to handle here!

At the same time, a blogger blogs… and I'm definitely a blogger at heart. So, I've decided that the split from Treehugger means it's a good time to get sustainablog going again. I also looked at the calendar and realized that tomorrow, July 10th, is sustainablog's fourth anniversary. So, to celebrate that anniversary, I'm relaunching sustainablog. While I should probably wait until tomorrow, I'm just too excited… my baby comes out of hiatus tonight.

Please come by, say "Hi," and let me know what you think. I'll keep my writing at sustainablog largely separate from the work I do here — maybe an occasional cross post, but, otherwise, I won't be "GO's Senior Editor and Content Director" there. Rather, I'll go back to where I started: a passionate student of and advocate for sustainability in all of its myriad forms. I can't wait…

Editor's note: I had hoped to actually complete this series last week, but my administrative duties got the best of me. So, here's part two on my trip to Bentonville, Arkansas, for Wal-Mart's media day and shareholders' meeting. You can find part one here.

After finishing up at Sam's Club, our next stop was the Bentonville Supercenter. Like the Sam's Club we visited, the Supercenter was fairly new: it had opened in May, 2005. Like the store we'd just come from, this one also sported ample skylights and bright white walls, and had a definite "upscale" feel. One of the executives who met us on the tour confirmed this was intentional for the particular store… a part of the company's "store of the community" concept.

That idea perked my ears up, of course — wouldn't a "store of the community" be carrying local foods and produce in the grocery section? That question was answered before I got to ask it: yes, a handful of produce items were purchased from local farmers. We also saw plenty of evidence of Wal-Mart's organics push as we walked through other areas of the store's grocery section.

At one stop, I was surprised to hear sustainability brought up: at the back of the store, we were introduced to Wal-Mart's "Site to store" program. Think Wal-Mart meets the long tail: thousands of items only available on the company's web site can be shipped to a Wal-Mart store with no shipping charges for the customer. I expected to hear about how such a program improved customer choice while still offering low prices, but the team from Wal-Mart.com also discussed how the program fits into the company's sustainability goals. Site to store items are shipped on trucks already bound for stores where the customers will pick them up; as such, they don't require the packaging needed if they were shipped by a parcel service. For individual items, of course, this probably doesn't add up to much, but, of course, Wal-Mart works on huge scale: the collective amount of fuel and packaging saved wasn't given, but one can imagine it's sizeable.

In housewares, we got to see a visual representation of the retailer's commitment to selling compact fluorescent light bulbs: there were several rows of shelves carrying the a wide variety of bulbs. An endcap display on one of these rows served to educate consumers about the energy-saving benefits of using CFLs, and also gave them the conversion values for the wattage of CFLs vs. incandescents.

Our tour ran out of time, and our visit to the electronics section was cut short… unfortunately, that meant we didn't get the hear the part of presentation on sustainability and electronics. I'll see what more I can find out on this front.

While our tour guides in other parts of the store didn't necessarily stress sustainability, I saw organic cotton highlighted on a number of displays in both clothing and home decorating sections. The notion of personal sustainability was also highlighted, particularly with health and wellness items. This concept isn't one that Wal-Mart just stresses to customers: thousands of associates have also committed to "personal sustainability projects" (PSPs) that involve improving their personal health and lightening their environmental footprint.

My question from the last post still remains, and surrounded by literally acres of merchandise, I still wondered about the pairing of consumption and sustainability. It's tempting to point at the retail giant and say "Look at all of this stuff you're selling… can we achieve true sustainability while hawking such a wide variety of goods?" I'm going to keep thinking on that, but, again, I invite your thoughts on the topic.

UPDATE: I found out yesterday that Wal-Mart has completed the roll-out of the Site to Store program to over 3300 stores throughout the US. Now, I can tell you how much fuel and packaging is saved by this program: according to the company's press release, "As a result of transportation and packaging efficiencies, 1,000 gallons of gasoline are saved each week and 20,000 fewer boxes are used each month."

Last Thursday and Friday, I was on the road again. This time, my travels took me to Bentonville, Arkansas… yep, the home of Wal-Mart. The company invited me down for its annual shareholders’ meeting and the media events preceding it. Over the next few days, I’ll devote a few posts to what I saw, and what I thought.

Thursday’s media event was jam-packed with activities, starting with a tour of Bentonville’s Sam’s Club. Opened in September 2006, this store was a far cry from the one I remember going to with my parents years ago: as opposed to looking and feeling like a warehouse (which it basically was), the Bentonville store was bright and inviting.

A big part of that feel comes from some of the eco-friendly elements the company built into the store. For instance, the ceiling is arrayed with 54 skylights, and artificial lighting is equipped with sensor dimmers that adjust to the amount of sunlight coming in. The walls are painted white to enhance the light, and even the flooring was chosen for its light reflection. LED lighting is used in refrigeration units. I couldn’t get an exact figure on the amount of energy the store saves (because it’s so new, I was told), but am guessing it’s significant.

We also got to take a look at recycling efforts in the store. We saw a “super bale,” a compressed package of recyclable materials that is sent to a processing plant for separation and recycling. Wal-Mart and Sam’s Clubs efforts to recycle materials from deliveries to the stores has been so successful that they now sell recycled materials back to their suppliers. Our tour guides made it very clear: the company is interested in “doing well by doing good,” and they presented this as a prime example.

We also saw a display for “Students for Recycling,” a joint effort between Sam’s Club, Aquafina, and Keep America Beautiful. The campaign challenges schools around the country to hold collection drives for PET bottles. Prizes are awarded to the fifty schools that collect the most material, and all of it will be turned into backpacks that will be distributed “to students who are making a difference in their communities.” Last year’s “Recycle the Warmth” effort converted the bottles into fleece jackets that were given to needy children in communities that participated in the drives.

During the tour, I got a chance to spend a few minutes chatting with Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Sam’s Club, about other sustainability initiatives. He told me, for instance, that he’s given his buyers a “25% challenge”: he wants a quarter of the purchases they make from vendors to be products that are, in some way, sustainable. When I asked him how this is tracked, he made it clear that it wasn’t a matter of buyers having to document these purchases on a ready-made check-off list; rather, the company is working with these employees to educate them on what constitutes a sustainable product. Currently, these employees and others are being encouraged to read Paul Hawken’s The Ecology of Commerce, and Daniel C. Esty’s and Andrew S. Winston’s Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage. McMillon made it clear that he wants to educate and empower his employees, rather than dictate sustainability to them. Because Sam’s Club is a source of supplies for so many small businesses, McMillon also noted that there are opportunities available to educate the wider business community on the benefits of “going green.”

When I signed up for the tour, my initial thought was “Ho hum… a tour of Sam’s Club.” I certainly left feeling better about what’s happening with these retail centers. Of course, I couldn’t also help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the rows and rows of merchandise, a feeling that stayed with me at our next stop, the new Bentonville Supercenter. The question that’s always stayed with me as I’ve talked with the folks at Wal-Mart: is it possible to for a company that’s making its billions off of such a wide range of low-priced goods to really work towards sustainability? While I’m impressed by the company’s efforts, I’m not going to try to answer that question now; rather, I’ll have more thoughts on that as I write more about last week’s events. I certainly invite you to share your ideas and opinions, though.

Max admitted to a perpetual state of confusion yesterday, but when it comes to making the right choices for greening our lives, many of us feel the same way. We're surrounded by choices, particularly in how we spend our money, and more and more products and services are touting their environmental benefits. So, which is it: hybrid or high-mileage conventional vehicles? Biodegradeable disposeable products, or recycled ones? Paper or plastic?

Of course, we try to answer many of those questions here at GO (paper or plastic? Neither!). But, you may still be faced with decisions that put you in a quandary: you can see environmental benefits in both options, but aren't sure which choice is best. So, we've created a discussion forum for those green quandaries.

Throw your confusion out to the GO community: more than likely there's are members here who can help you make the best choice. Even if you get a discussion going, and there's no clear winner, you know more than you did when you started.

Thanks to GO member serenity_ii for the suggestion — it's a good one!

Yesterday, you likely noticed our Green Life Guide entry on "Eating a Whole Foods Diet." That piece of content was the first of many we'll be featuring from our newest partner Natural Path.

Like Green Options, Natural Path is a relative newcomer to the Green Web. Their focus: the intersection between green living and wellness:

Our food and environment have dramatically changed over the last fifty years to a degree that personal, community and planetary health are inextricably bound. This strong interrelationship between health and environment drives our vision for Naturalpath.

We believe wellness and environmental sustainability are a function of the choices we make every day. Naturalpath.com is a platform for sharing information and perspectives to better understand these choices.

We're excited about this partnership, and will be featuring Natural Path content every Tuesday, either on the blog or in the Green Life Guide. They, in turn, will feature items from Green Options: here's the first. If you like what you see here, check out their site… and sign up! They've created a gorgeous site with many opportunity for user contributions.

Welcome, Natural Path. We're looking forward to a long and mutually-beneficial relationship!

From the feedback we've received and the numbers we've seen, Weekly DIY has turned out to be a really popular series on the Green Options blog. While the series' coordinator Ryan and the writers are always on the hunt for new green DIY projects to feature here, we're pretty sure that you've got a DIY that you'd like to share with the Green Options community. Now you can!

We've created a submission form for Weekly DIY suggestions, and we invite you to send us an overview of your project. Ryan will go through submissions on a regular basis, and pick the best of the bunch. If we choose your project, Ryan will get in touch for details and photos. We'll then feature the project under your byline: you'll be the Weekly DIY guest blogger of the week.

No project is too big or small: as long as it helps people "green the good life," we're interested. We look forward to your submissions, and, as always, thank you for participating in the Green Options community!

Editor's note: We're happy to be entering into a partnership with LighterFootstep.com, a site much like our that is geared towards helping people live greener lives. Next week, we'll start swapping posts with LF, but we decided (with permission of their editor, Chris Baskind) to jump in and publish this piece from yesterday.

It seems that a lot of what is written about lighter living is targeted to homeowners.

How else would you install a solar electrical system? Or replace that rusty old gas water heater with efficient on-demand models? These are all great ideas, but not necessarily within reach of someone living in an apartment or under the terms of a leasing agreement.

Fortunately, there's a lot that can still be done to reduce your environmental footstep and create a healthier, more efficient living space — even if you're paying rent. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Go with CFLs

Even though they contain trace amounts of mercury and should be disposed-of properly, CFLs seem to be at the top of everyone's "green-up" list these days. Since light bulb replacement is usually the responsibility of the tenant, CFLs can be at the top of your list, too. Environmental bonus points if you leave the CFLs behind the next time you move. Check our Guide to Living with CFLs before you shop.

Weatherstrip doors and windows

You'll probably need clearance from your leasing agent to add or repair weatherstripping, but such requests are usually granted. $50 USD should take care of most apartments or small houses. The U.S. Department of Energy has a few tips here.

Indoor composting

Not having access to a yard doesn't mean you can't compost. Indoor composting machines use a small amount of power — about 10 watts — to rapidly turn everything from kitchen scraps to laundry lint into beautiful compost. NatureMill's automatic composter is a good example of a low-odor, high efficiency unit which will happily process up to five pounds of organic material a day. It yields every two weeks, leaving you high-quality compost for friends or your own projects.

Detoxify your living space

Apartments and rental homes are usually designed with costs, not toxins, in mind. Offgassing is a significant issue in homes with synthetic carpets, vinyl flooring, and and paints which contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Replace area rugs with wool or natural fiber equivalents. Consider a spray on sealer, such as the products made by AFM on wall-to-wall carpeting. Most renting agents will allow tenants to repaint. Recover your walls with a low-VOC paint such as safecoat. There are also low-VOC alternatives at most mainline paint stores. If you live in an area with lots of airborne dusts or molds, an air purification system might pay big health benefits.

Indoor houseplants also help clear the air and restore natural balance. Many renters do well with porch gardens or window boxes. A baker's rack makes a wonderful kitchen garden to grow and store herbs. Be creative!

Get organized

Talk to your landlord about the financial benefits of greening rental property. In many states, there are tax incentives for the addition of solar power or high-efficiency water heaters. Do your home work. If you happen to live in an apartment complex, knock on some doors and enlist neighborhood support. Greening your rental property is a win-win proposition for owner and tenant.