Dipping into the EarthFirst.com Archives for Green Sex Toys, Wind Powered Win, Miniguns, and Stupid Americans

Happy Sunday!

EarthFirst.com has been officially live since mid-May when we finally shook the ugly off and put up our current design, but I was writing daily for months before that. We didn’t have many readers at the time and used the space to work on our editorial voice.

I’ll be pulling out the old files from time to time to share a few good posts. This week we’ll be revisiting the archives for green sex toys, badass chain gun tree saws, idiot manchild CEOs, stupid Americans, and a whole lotta f-bombs.

Take a stroll down EF.com memory lane with us…

• 2,250 Minigun bullets to cut down a tree

• The hippies had it right- stop washing your hair!

• What’s better than a good wine buzz? A green wine buzz!

• Fsck Planet Earth. Fsck fsck fsck fsck fsck. But, you know, spelled with a u.

• Garbage, especially plastic, is choking the planet.

• This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone paying attention, but 18% of Americans are very, very stupid.

• How’s that GM stock doing Bob Lutz? Couldn’t have happened to a better guy.

• Break out the glass dildo and get your sexy green groove on chemical free! Yes, organic sex toys.

• OMFGFSMBBQ, do I want one of these all terrain transformer like badass super truck. Yeah, so it’d rip shit up, but damn, take a look at this thing!

EarthFirst.com’s 25 Hottest Girls In Green: 10 We Missed The First Time

Everybody makes mistakes. George Michael kissed Maybe on Arrested Development. Rob Lowe left The West Wing. The framers of the Constitution gave Florida the right to vote. And Earthfirst.com put together a list of the 25 hottest women in green. Of course, we proudly stand by the retina-damaging hotness (and the eco-cred!) of our original 25, but want to make sure to give credit where credit is due: there are a lot of hotties that love the earth out there, and here are ten more.

10. Sheryl Crow

Yeah, not bad for a 46-year-old cancer survivor, huh? Sheryl is an environmental whirlwind, even after her romance with Lance Armstrong gave rise to rumors that cancer was an STD; she’s toured with Laurie David to drum up grassroots support on college campuses, continually addresses climate change at her concert dates, and is instrumental in Reverb, an organization committed to greening musicians and their fans.

9. Colleen Smith

We’re serious: after finding this girl, we had to take a few minutes to wait for our brain to begin putting words in order in sentences again. Of course, the six foot six inch tall Colleen is far more than just one of the world’s best volleyball players–she’s been on the AVP tour since 2002–she also regularly stumps for the planet on her blog, Sixfootsix, and has launched Colleen’s Green Team, a group committed to stopping global warming because, well, she’s a pro beach volleyball player, and if the oceans rise…no more beach volleyball. Wanna join (Emphatic yes–Ben)? FInd one way to change your life for the planet, and go here.

8. Amber Valetta

We know: another starlet. But hear us out, because Amber Valetta is the real deal–we didn’t know who the hell she was until we started searching based on green cred, and we’ve actually seen some of her movies. You can also consider us in mourning of her 1990s relationship with Leonardo Decaprio, which would have doubtlessly resulted in eco-freindly superchildren that were so attractive they made your head hurt. Of course, we’re not in the habit of giving out spots on this list for who your ex is, so here goes: Amber isn’t just effective as a spokeswoman in the environmental movement, where she volunteers her time to Oceana speaking about the multitude of dangers (mercury, overfishing, plastic, anything else we do) humanity imposes on the world’s oceans, she’s also lured Ted Danson (who’s on Oceana’s board) into the public light more frequently, most recently using their fame to support Wild Oats market’s commitment to sustainability and proper labeling on their seafood.

7. KT Tunstall

The Scottish singer-songwriter has long made her feelings on the environment well-known, playing Live Earth and personally ensuring that her tours are eco-friendly. She’s also planning a green renovation of her apartment with Global Cool, who will install solar panels and an energy-saving boiler in order to allow KT to live off of the grid entirely.

6. Norah Jones

Norah, the Bengali-American voice from above, has taken a simple, direct step that we wish other musicians would as well: she’s signed on with Reverb, a nonprofit org founded by Adam Gardner of Guster that promotes eco-friendly touring in all facets: venues, transportation, catering, energy efficiency: you name it.

5. Jill Danyelle

Jill, in addition to being Inhabitat’s fashion editor, may have done the coolest thing we’ve ever seen: fiftyRX3, a project to ensure that she was wearing at least 50% sustainable clothing for an entire year. She’s doing more than her part to make sure that style and sustainability intersect, and looking darn good doing it.

4. Rebecca Carter

Rebecca Carter should probably be on this list twice: she’s a co-founder of Ecorazzi, which keeps us dealing in enough green gossip that this list was far easier to come up with than you would imagine. This proud Florida Gator alum currently lives in Miami, where in addition to Ecorazzi, she runs Greener Miami all by her lonesome. Or, well, did, until Oliver was born–her first child has placed her on maternity leave, even while we’re placing her on the ‘hottest in green’ list.

3. Sarah Meredith Roe

Sarah is a Jetson Green contributor, and all-around environmental star: she’s renovating a home form the 1950s in New Hampshire, and is using her design background to explore sustainable options–including LEED, and the use of prefabricated components. Sarah is also an artist that’s actively seeking to make use of eco-friendly art supplies, a conservationist who wants to protect 10,000 acres in her lifetime, and will be teaching at Phillips Exeter Academy in the fall.

2. Noelle d’Estries

Let’s go ahead and get this out there: you should probably feel a deep, jealous sort of hate for Noelle. Not only is she smart (Rochester Institute of Technology), not only is she versatile (we’ve had other green authors on this list, but we don’t think any of them ever wrote about the environment AND cancer AND a bar scene), and not only is she athletic (4 years on RIT’s basketball team): she looks like that. We’ll give you a moment to compose yourselves. You can see her writing, among many, many other places, on Green Options and Planetsave, where she’s an editor, and her own site, Worst Cook Ever.

1. Majora Carter

Majora is the founder of Sustainable South Bronx, an organization devoted to replacing decaying infrastructure in the Bronx with green space and environmentally friendly community areas, including the demolition of the impassible Sheridan Expressway for riverfront housing. Majora was also selected to carry the Olympic torch in San Francisco this year, when she drew the ire of the Chinese security team by pulling a Tibetan flag out of her sleeve once the torch was in her possession.

EarthFirst.com Has Like, A Tractor Beam Of Hotness: The Top 25 Hottest Girls in Green (#1-5)

EarthFirst.com has been tracking the hottest girls in the environmental movement all week, and, with the exception of taking a moment to make fun of Paris Hilton for letting millions of people see her get nailed in night vision (That’s green! It was research, we swear!) we’ve hopefully introduced you to some beautiful women who are going to save the planet. Today is no different, but today is about the top five–the super-gorgeous, alpha-environmentalists that would be capable of stopping global warming by themselves, if they never got in a two-piece. The Top Five Hottest Girls in Green:

#5. Olivia Zaleski

Olivia Zaleski is a freelance writer in New York, and has made the most of the opportunities running rampant in both that city and the green movement right now– she’s the environmental living expert for Huffington Post and the editor for their new Green section, and managing editor of Eco-Chick, two websites that aren’t in any danger of running out of business anytime soon. She’s also seen her work appear in Treehugger, and The Daily Green, and like many of our honorees, has a background in design, leaving her even better-suited to fine-tune a green lifestyle and look great doing it. She’s been making a green splash in the mainstream media with her recent video work for Good Morning America.

#4. Hayden Panettierre

Before justifying the inclusion of Hayden, who is no longer jailbait, on this list, EarthFirst.com would like to give you a chance to guess what her cause is by letting you know that there’s a warrant for her arrest in Japan. What can make the land of the rising sun so upset at such a pretty girl? Whales, kind sir, as Hayden has taken on the role of spokeswoman for “Save The Whales Again,” an organization aiming to consolidate and expand upon the gains in conservation made since the 1970s. She’s more than just a pretty face, appearing in press conferences with Sen. John Kerry, facing crowds in Q&As for over an hour, and even selling her own clothes for a fundraiser.

#3. Rachel McAdams

The Mean Girls and Wedding Crashers star permanently endeared herself to environmental activists last year when she and two friends launched Green is Sexy, a green blog that’s utterly without pretension, or even the acknowledgment that one of the writers is best known for being Owen Wilson’s love interest. From the site:

Rachel’s love for the planet began at a young age - summers spent at the cottage, swimming in the Great Canadian Lakes , riding her banana seat bike around the neighborhood. Winters consisted of tobogganing through the treacherous woods and building dangerous snow forts. Today, her bike is still her vehicle of choice and she isn’t above the occasional snow fort. But she’s trying to lighten her footprint on the earth - supporting tree planting organizations, switching her house to green power and developing an OCD for unplugging anything with a plug. She dreams of one day living in a treehouse and being able to grow her own food.

Who’s in love?

#2. Julia Butterfly Hill

Julia lived in a 180-foot tall, 600-year old redwood tree (Luna) for over two years, from December 10th, 1997, to December 18th, 1999, in order to prevent it from being cut down by the Pacific Lumber Company. If that wasn’t crazy enough, she undertook her act of civil disobedience alone–while organizations like Earth First (no connection to us) later came to her aid, she saw a need and a change to act, and rushed into the gap. Eventually, Pacific reached a settlement with her, and a three-acre buffer zone around Luna was created where no logging would take place.

#1. Summer Rayne Oakes

As you might gather, Summer’s a model. She’s also a National Wildlife Federation fellow, a Treehugger contributor, host/contributor/expert/board member for the Discovery Channel’s Planet Green, and still more environmental cred that can’t be easily listed here, among it an entomology degree from Cornell. That’s right–the girl in the picture above, in college, chose to study bugs. She’s also running circles around the rest of us trying to save the planet, and looking fabulous doing it, so what the hell are you doing in front of your computer?

EarthFirst.com Feels So Pretty: The 25 Hottest Girls In Green (#6-10)

The internet, according to Avenue Q, was made for porn, and it may be host to more…enterpenurial…young women than any other medium, ever. That hasn’t stopped EarthFirst.com from sifting through the masses to find not only the 25 hottest, but the 25 hottest that are carrying some serious eco-cred. Today, we proudly present 10-6 of the 25 Hottest Girls In Green:

10. Heather Stephenson

Heather is the co-founder of Ideal Bite, an organization committed to massive change on an incremental scale: their most prominent project is a series of tips that tell you how to green your life in baby steps. Prior to working there, Heather was also a founding member of Urban Sage, a New York rooftop garden deign and installation firm, giving her a unique background in the greening of urban areas.

9. Starre Vartan

Starre Vartan is a Huffington Post blogger, and founder of Eco Chick, which has been supplying our list with scads of talented, classy, environmentally savvy women. She’s an Ozzie by birth, and has had a hand in more green media than we can keep track of: she’s associate produced with the Discovery Channel, writes regularly at E and The Daily Green, and been published in various print media worldwide.

8. Jill Fehrenbacher

A freelance designer and green design consultant in New York, Jill is also the founder of Inhabitat, a blog dedicated to green design in all facets of life. When she’s not exploring the intersection of green and pretty, Jill is a graduate student at Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

7. Katie Fehrenbacher

Katie and Jill are the only two siblings on this list, and they’ve earned it: in addition to Jill’s skill as a designer, Katie edits Earth2Tech and writes for GigaOM; she’s also gotten her freelance work published in Red Herring, Endgadget, and ReadyMade Magazine.

6. Angelina Jolie

One of the rare celebrities with the enviro-cred to crack out list of 25, Angelina gets the nod because of her dedication to the developing world. While tinpot dictators are keen of saying things like “environmentalism is a luxury for the rich countries,” she makes it her work to ensure that the developing world is able to save the planet as well. Most recently she funded–by herself, because she’s a movie star–a Cambodian wildlife sanctuary at a cost of over 5 million dollars.

EarthFirst.com is looking (staring?) at the hottest environmentally friendly women all week–be sure to come back tomorrow for #5-1 and follow along all week with the Top 25 Hottest Girls in Green! Don’t worry Ladies, we have the Top 25 Hottest Guys in Green coming up next week.

EarthFirst.com’s Getting Hotter, And It’s Not Climate Change: The 25 Hottest Girls In Green (#11-15)

The internet is full of lists of hot women, and this one is no different–except that to get on it, these women have, in addition to bringing the hotness with them, have displayed environmental cred in any number of fields; some are activists, some are fundraisers, some are inventors, but every one of them does more than just drive a hybrid. Without further adieu, 11-15 of the 25 Hottest Girls In Green:

15. Emily Pilloton

Emily is the managing director of Inhabitat and the founder of Project H Design, a firm specializing in “initiatives for Humanity, Habitats, Health, and Happiness.” Project H is a nonprofit entity, and her designs there focus on a sustainable sensibility that’s both cutting-edge and classy.

14. Paris Hilton

Ah, Paris. This picture probably represents the “greenest” the hotel heiress has ever been, despite the fact that she’s fond of telling the press about her ever-more-ludicrous hybrid car ideas. First it was the 2007 GMC Yukon Hybrid, which may count, except it still only gets 21 mpg, and then there was her insistence that Hummer design her a hybrid–even more humorous when taken with the news that GM is considering dumping the brand. All the cool kids are wearing green these days, and I suppose she’s been feeling left out, but eco-fail, and everybody ranked 25-13 should move up a spot.

13. Lauren Bush

I know, right? The last name says that young Lauren here should be out issuing ultimatums to her friends and then getting into fights with people that look different than her, all before coming home to write several thousand letters to the editor about drilling in ANWR. Unlike her more famous uncle however, this designer has taken to the environment in a big way; she’s a vegetarian, and her design and modeling careers have allowed her to launch Project FEED, which has generated millions of dollars for the UN’s World Food Program through sales of accessories.

12. Kylie Minogue

Kylie has been agitating for environmental in a variety of ways since her career took off in the 1980s, advocating for penguins in Australia, playing at LIve Earth II, creating a completely energy-independent home with renewable resources, and speaking out in public. All of that, the stress of a show business career, and she still looks that good into her 40s? Oh my.

11. Darryl Hannah

Daryl Hannah is another celeb that backs up what happens in front of the cameras with real eco-friendly action: she’s served as a judge for Treehugger’s Convenient Truths contest, runs her own blog on sustainable solutions, and has won multiple awards for agitating for higher water quality and cleaner fuels. In 2006, she, Julia Butterfly Hill, and Joan Baez were arrested along with several other demonstrators who were attempting to stop the bulldozing og the nation’s largest urban farm in South Central Los Angeles, and actually spent some time in jail– proof positive that she’s sticking with her convictions.

EarthFirst.com is looking (staring?) at the hottest environmentally friendly women all week–be sure to come back tomorrow for #10-6 and follow along all week as we work like dogs to determine the Top 25 Hottest Girls in Green! Don’t worry Ladies, we have the Top 25 Hottest Guys in Green coming up next week.

Men, Prevent Unwanted Pregnancies by Turning Off Your Sperm via Remote Control

If you think about it, most of the contraceptives that are available are really wasteful (how many condoms litter the landfills? How many litter the streets of the city you live in? Eww). Now there’s an option available that not only eliminates the environmental impact, it will make you feel like you’ve entered the age of hovercrafts and moon dwellings. Men love using remote controls to change the channel on the television, so maybe some of you will be psyched about using a remote control to ‘turn off’ your sperm.

The Green Daily has it:

Australian scientists have apparently figured out how to insert a microchip in the vas deferens (that’s the part of the male equipment that delivers semen - it’s also the tube that gets snipped when a guy gets a vasectomy).

When the man is about to have sex, and doesn’t want procreation to result, he can press “pause” on a device that sends RF waves to his intimate microchip. The chip translates the waves into acoustic waves, which then cause the chip to expand, blocking sperm from passing through the vas deferens. When the man wants to switch back to having possibly reproductive sex, no return visit to the doc is necessary - he just presses the reverse function button, and the chip contracts, allowing sperm to pass.

It’s certainly an interesting mashup of sex, technology and green. The future is now. I don’t know how many men will be willing to have this thing implanted in their vas deferens, but it’s nice that men can now experience how invasive some methods of birth control can be. I mean, women have been walking around with little pieces of plastic or copper (intrauterine devices) in their bodies to prevent pregnancy for years. Ours just don’t come with the radio wave remote control aspect. So, maybe that will make it more attractive to all you eco geeks out there. You can feel like you’re doing your part to save the world from overpopulation with some super crazy futuristic technology. Fun!

Link [Green Daily]
Photo credit: Flickr user frenkieb

EarthFirst.com Keeps the Hotness Train Rolling: The 25 Hottest Girls In Green (#16-20)

EarthFirst.com is taking one of the most popular internet memes and turning it on its head–instead of a roster of starlets that drove hybrids, what if we introduced you to 25 beautiful women who had real environmental credibility? We’ll be posting five new faces every day this week; you can catch up on 25-21 here, or continue on below. Without further adieu, I give you the 25 Hottest Girls in Green, #16-20.

20. Simran Sethi

SImran is currently holding an endowed chair at the University of Kansas, where she teaches about the intersection of journalism and the environment, but that’s not the only thing she’s done to get on this list. If you’ve ever taken a glance at Treehugger, then you’ve seen some of her work–Simran was a co-creator, hosted, and oversaw all video and audio content on what quickly became the largest environmental website int he world. She’s also hosed forums with such luminaries as Al Gore, and has been making documentary films since graduating Smith College in 1992.

19. Summer Bowen

Summer Bowen is another Treehugger contributor–they’re spread across this list like Kudzu in the deep south–and the founder of BTC Elements, an online retailer for sustainable products that are free of sweatshop labor. She’s a Berkeley grad, and was educated in social justice and environmental education, two fields that clearly influenced the foundation of BTC.

18. Melissa Etheridge

This cancer survivor and LIve Earth performer has taken using stardom to campaign for change to a new level. Her webiste has green tips, sure, but the concert tour fleet is powered by biodiesel? And have you seen this stirring call to action on stage? This is how celebrities should act.

17. Victoria Everman

Victoria, who runs the aptly-named Victoria-E.com as a personal website, green blog, and front for her modeling and freelance writing careers (she’s busy), is an Indiana farm girl turned San Francisco powerhouse. In addition to modeling and her freelance career, she’s also available on All Green Magazine, Building Green TV and Greenopia. She’s also been involved in the GreenMUA project, connecting green makeup cosmetic companies to makeup artists.

16. Kimberly Jordan Allen

Kim is one of several wirters on this list that have contributed to Eco Chick, an environmental site focused on catering to a demographic that it defines as not “men or moms.” She also has had her work featured in E-The Environmental Magazine repeatedly, and is an avid outdoorswoman and conservationist.

EarthFirst.com is looking (staring?) at the hottest environmentally friendly women all week–be sure to come back tomorrow for #15-11 and follow along all week as we slave away to find the Top 25 Hottest Girls in Green! Don’t worry Ladies, we have the Top 25 Hottest Guys in Green coming up next week.

EarthFirst.com Proudly Presents The 25 Hottest Girls In Green (#21-25)

They’re one of the most widespread formats on the internet: countdown lists of hot women. They can be related to any number of things; sports, politics, music videos–but I’ve always thought the ones related to the environment were kind of weak. While some trolls like to assail the quality of the women on the list, or brilliantly proclaim that they wouldn’t kick somebody out of bed for eating crackers, it’s always been odd to me that the green lists didn’t seem to actually require any environmental cred, leaving us a bunch of starlets who own hybrids. There’s so much more than that, though, and here’s the start of a list of 25 beautiful women who work daily to make the planet a better place. We’ll kick out five a day for you all this week, so tune back in tomorrow for #16-20.

(Publisher’s note: Don’t worry ladies, we haven’t forgotten you. Our very own Stephanie Rogers will be looking at the 25 Hottest Guys in Green starting next week.)

25. Leona Johansson

Of course this list would decry starlets, and then start with a porn star. Of course, Leona is no ordinary porn star; she’s effectively laid claim to the title of “world’s first eco-porn star” by first doing the deed with her boyfriend Tommy Hol Ellingsen onstage at a music festival, and then launching “Fuck for Forest,” (link very, very NSFW, in case you didn’t know) a not for profit organization that’s raising money, leading activism, and creating awareness…through porn.

24. Siel Siel

Siel is the face behind Green LA Girl, which is about as close as you’ll get to one-stop environmental info for those of you lucky enough to call the land of the pacific sun and warm air home. A freelancer and graduate student in a PhD program for creative writing, she’s also leading a car-less life, a bold eco-step in one of the most congested cities in America.

23. Dr. Heidi Cullen

Dr. Cullen is the Weather Channel’s chief climatologist, and has consistently advocated for the green movement– she’s appeared on Treehugger Radio, served as a “Convenient Truths” video judge for the Discovery Channel-powered website, and most importantly, penned a letter to the American Meteorological Society called “Junk Controversy, Not Junk Science” calling on them to no longer recognize any meteorologist that didn’t understand the threat of climate change. This of course, sent conservatives into an uncontrolled rage, and made Heidi the 23rd hottest environmentalist.

22. Laurie David

Laurie is a trustee on the National Resources Defense Council, and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, but those aren’t her most famous contribution to the environment. Ms. David also produced An Inconvenient Truth, maybe the biggest single piece of global warming awareness ever undertaken. She’s led an online march against global warming, has been named Glamour’s woman of the year, and has produced a multitude of small projects about global warming, including TBS’ Earth To America. And she’s hot.

21. Alicia Silverstone

Remember when I assailed lists of starlets that own hybrids? Alicia is always on them, but with very good cause–she’s been a vegan since 1998, and was elected “sexiest female vegetarian” by PETA in 2004. The actress is an outspoken advocate for the environment and animal rights, appearing in a series of ads for PETA, setting up a pet sanctuary in Los Angeles, and, yes, driving a hybird. Of course, more importantly, she’s taken the step to make every part of her life as environmentally friendly as possible–even her dog is a vegan.

EarthFirst.com is looking (staring?) at the hottest environmentally friendly women all week–be sure to come back tomorrow for 1#6-20 and follow along all week as we hammer out the Top 25 Hottest Girls in Green!

Another Great Video From Greenpeace: Chemicals Will Smack Down Your Sperm Count

Certain Chemicals can reduce your fertility. Nice work Greenpeace. Check out the video:

What a way to drive home the point. (pun not intended, but very much appreciated).

Isabella Rossellini in a Green Porno? Yep, But it’s Not What You Think

If you’ve got fetishes for voluptuous Italian actresses and – um – animal sex, Isabella Rossellini’s latest project is right up your very weird alley. The renowned beauty has teamed up with the Sundance Channel to produce a series of short films entitled ‘Green Porno’, and sadly for most of her fans it doesn’t involve anything most normal people would find sexy.

Ecorazzi has it:

In Green Porno Rossellini dresses in a series of different costumes and impersonates various small creatures getting their groove on. I know it’s a lot to take in so let’s talk through it for a sec. So picture Rossellini…ok got it? Now picture Rossellini flapping her “wings” in…say a bee costume. Now picture Rossellini flapping her “wings” in a bee costume and mating with a cardboard cut out of another bee while her son and his friends play background male bees in the “hive”. No, I’m serious!

Rossellini isn’t just the star – she conceived, scripted and directed the films as well. She said that she’s always had a big interest in animals and thinks that since people are interested in sex, they’ll be interested in the sex lives of bugs. The films are so tame, according to her, that she feels it’s perfectly okay for her son and his friends to star as some of the bees.

Well, she was in Blue Velvet. Costumed animal sex in a series of films entitled ‘Green Porno’ seems like it could very well have come from the mind of David Lynch, so, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised.

Link [Ecorazzi] + [CNN]

Photo credit: Sundance Channel

Moms Urged to ‘Greenify Your Sex Life’

Try not to picture your own mom when you read this: Mom Logic, a website devoted to providing information and community for ‘Moms from all walks of life and all stages of motherhood’ has a few sex tips that can help turn mom’s romps between the sheets into eco-friendly fun.

Hey, just in time for Mother’s Day shopping! Give mom a gift of the sort that therapy bills are made of. Okay, guys, maybe these items are better off being purchased for the mother of your own children rather than the one that bore you.

Among the products featured are organic massage oil, bamboo sheets, more massage oil, organic lingerie (“Toss the ol’ granny panties for an eco-friendly pair”) and the pictured ‘love toy’, as they put it. Available in original or travel size!

Let’s just hope the kids’ rubber ducky bath toy doesn’t get accidentally confused with this ‘discreet massager’ decked out like a leather daddy in an underground NYC club or they might have some confused young ‘uns on their hands.

Link [Mom Logic]

Photo credit: Big Teaze Toys

Brazil Uses Local, Natural Condoms to Protect Rainforest, Prevent AIDS

In a move that confirms our belief that every other country’s government is smarter than ours, Brazil has begun using condoms made of locally-sourced natural latex to protect their rainforests. If that gives you a mental image of giant rubbers stretched over trees, let Reuters explain:

Environmentalists say tapping native rubber trees helps generate income for Amazon residents and reduces pressure to fell trees. More than 550 families will earn a total of 2.2 million reais ($1.3 million) annually producing condoms, the ministry said.

The intention is also to reduce Brazil’s dependence on imported condoms, which are distributed free as part of a national program to combat AIDS.

This government-run condom factory will use latex that comes from the Chico Mendes reserve, and will be the only ones made of latex harvested from a tropical forest. The Brazilian government is the self-proclaimed world’s largest single buyer of condoms.

What could be more awesome than preventing the spread of a deadly disease, protecting rainforests, giving jobs to locals, and reducing dependence on imported goods with condoms, of all things?!

Link [Reuters]

Photo: Flickr user celebdu

Heidi Fleiss is Opening The Greenest Little Man-Whorehouse in Vegas

According to the February issue of Elle, Heidi Fleiss’s plans for a wind-powered Man-brothel are still in the works. So while its going to be an eco-friendly bordello, Fleiss will effectively add both men and and Mother Earth to the list of tricks she can whore out for a dime as she plans to sell the wind power generated from the Studfarm back to the grid.

Ladies looking for a refreshing girls getaway of manis, pedis and unbridled lust can look at the Earth-friendly set up as a delightful kind of eco-penance for paying for sex. The only set back right now is that Fleiss is waiting for the federal trial of of her ex-pimp to blow over. Also, she lives alone in a rented house in the dessert. With 24 parrots. That she inherited from a desert Madame that died in a trailer. Should be a class act, this Green Sausage Store.

Link [Elle]

EarthFirst Blog Week in Review: March 3rd - 7th

Last week was a good one if only because I turned 30 on Saturday. Three cheers for Pisces!

You can feel Spring in the air here in Maine, though we’re probably due for another good storm or three. We’re slowly ramping up things on the ol’ blog here and should be getting our Official Launch on in the next few weeks. You’ll start to see some new writers get into the mix and our editorial intern Caroline starts this week. Yeeeehaw!

Here are the headlines from Earthfirst.com from March 3rd through the 7th.

• The Internet Saves 10 Watts of Energy for Every Watt it Uses
• War’s a Comin’! Alabama, Georgia and Florida Will Fight it Out Over Water
  
• Bush 0 Whales 1, Federal Court Rules Against Use of Navy Sonar
• Al Gore Calls out Major Media at TED: Ask More Green Questions to Presidential Candidates
• It’s a Long Way Back to The Office- A Pull Back in Work At Home Policies?
  
• Very Stupid Eco-Arsonists Torch Green Homes in Seattle Suburb
• Tiny Homes Are Full of Awesome, 100 Square Foot Tumbleweed Tour Video
  
• Higher Gas Prices + Road Congestion = Greener Mass Transit
• Great Flying Spaghetti Monster! Look at Those Gas Prices!
  
• Alyssa Milano Makes a Very Strong Argument for Vegetarianism
• Ripping Off Mother Nature For Design Tips Nets Better Wind Turbines
  
• George Bush Bends Space and Time to Recast America as a Leader on Climate Change
• The Pedal Powered Snow Plow Is Chock Full of Awesome
  
• Tripp Isenhour, Pro Golfer and Dick, Kills a Hawk with a Well Aimed Bal
• Bullet Proof Vest Saves Anti-Whaling Activist from Japanese Whaler’s Bullet
  
• Clearly You’re Doing it Wrong
• The Friday Crazy: The Can Man Suit is 35lbs. of Aluminum Can Awesome

Clearly You’re Doing it Wrong

Sex is the greenest exercise around. It’s local, requires almost no equipment to play, and according to Kaiser Permanente, burns 4 calories per minute- or the same amount you burn mowing the lawn.

Ha!

Link [FrostFireZoo]

Greenify Your Sexy Time Toy Collection by Getting Off Chemicals

Victoria E has a good post up highlighting the dangers of cheap plastic sex toys. For the love of the Flying Spaghetti Monster people, spend some money on nice eco-friendly vibrators and whatnots. Good Vibrations, Babeland, and Good Clean Love are excellent places to start.

Here’s a snip, head over and read Victoria’s whole post.

Whether adventurous or mildly amorous, millions of couples use “novelty” items (a.k.a. sex toys). Often purchased on a whim, these bedside buddies can exponentially enhance your sensual encounters but they may also bring their own fair share of damage.

Soft and dangerous
If any of your toys are made from what looks to be a jelly-like substance or have the same smell as your newly purchased shower curtain, there is a very high possibility that they have been made with phthalates. These chemical compounds are used to soften the plastic, making it more flexible, which would seem to be perfect for such an intimate item.

Banned in Europe
Used since the 1920s in not only sex toys, but also perfumes, pesticides, rain coats, hair spray and medical instruments, phthalates have been linked to liver and kidney damage, genital abnormalities, hormone disruption and cancer. In 2005, the European Union banned six types of phthalates in children’s toys due to their dangers.

Link [Victoria E]