Humor with layers like an onion

"The Onion" is online fake news done in a slick, professional style. The humor can be biting at times. take the [fake] Taco Bell Green Menu "story" ...
(Tip: The Onion videos look quite good even at full screen view) ...

Taco Bell's New Green Menu Takes No Ingredients From Nature

Below are a couple other ones related to care of creation.
LANGUAGE CAUTION: Some of videos and articles (but not these) at The Onion site contain course language.

• Should animals be doing more for animal rights?
• China celebrates #1 status as top world polluter

New blog header graphic

We "enhanced" the header area of this blog, but then I didn't specifically address the concept of the  new design. So here it is.

• The new design is one large graphic. That let us add some photos plus put a shadow on the title letters.
• The first three "tall" photos on the left represent air, land, and water.
• The fourth photo area (on the right) stacks three "wide" photos of creatures that inhabit the air, land, and water. They appear in order from top to bottom to parallel the environment photos at left (from left to right).
• The color scheme uses hues from God's world -- primarily greens and blues, but the right sidebar area has sandy-colored title backgrounds. The position of the green and blue backgrounds remind us of the green grass of the land and the blue skies above. I guess you could even say that each posting's (article's) background color draws inspiration from the White Sands National Monument area.
• The top (mandatory) Google Blogger bar uses a dark blue that's close to the page background in that area so that it does not "stick out" too much.

In an unrelated tidbit, I am also trying to use a photo for each blog posting, though for some it's tricky getting a decent one.

GE's green packaging not so green

Trying to be better stewards of God's earth, we have changed to CFL lights in our home and CFL floodlights for the yard. That was step 1. Then we signed up for the county's recycling program. (Yes, it's very irritating that it's not a normal county service instead of an extra fee-based one!). OK, step 2 -- done. And we have been recycling all sorts of stuff, including yogurt containers. So far, so good.

But while taking apart packaging for a GE "energy smart" CFL floodlight, I was irked to discover that the plastic container had no recycle logo -- it appears to not be recyclable! Energy saving floodlight; energy wasting packaging!

I didn't just gripe about it or figure it was "lost cause" and do nothing. I emailed GE. I mean -- come on!  The bulb is being marketed to the public in green packaging. So why isn't GE going "all the way" and making the plastic container one that can be recycled and clearly marked?

I may be just one voice, but if more people join the chorus for more issues like this, companies will listen. Do your part. Speak out. Email companies that need a little prodding. Put your typing where your mouth is!

DeKalb Curbside Recycling

DeKalb County, Georgia, has drastically changed their public web site. Though the overall look is attractive, they unfortunately did not leave in place "referral" pages. So if you try to get to the formerly advertised web page for Curbside Recycling, for instance, all you get as a "page not found" error. Grrr.

For those interested in residential curbside recycling in DeKalb County, I finally located the new web address for that page:

• Residential Curbside Recycling in DeKalb County

Cups from corn?

As stewards of God's earth, we can likely find many areas of our lives in which to reduce our human impact on the environment. Most churches have gatherings at which food or beverages are served. So why not switch to using cups, plates, and other food service items made from renewable resources or recycled content?

At the 2009 Dekalb Book Festival, I noticed that at least one food vendor was using compostable eco-friendly cups made from corn. These "CornCups" intrigued me. I kept one around and finally took a photo plus looked up the company online. They sell cold cups and hot cups made from corn and disposable plates and bowls made from renewable sugar cane.

You can buy their items with or without a "green stripe" near the base that lets people know the cup is made from renewalble resources and is compostable. The green stripe versions are slightly more expensive but may better announce a group's stewardship of the earth.

Whether organizations buy from this company or a similar one, changing from plastic products to ones like these would better help protect and renew God's earth.

• Learn more about the use of PLA, sugar cane and other materials