Article Title: Website caters to eco-shoppers

Excerpt: After six months of research, Bouchard and his stepfather, Ron Litalien, have launched GreenShopper.com, a site affiliated with Amazon.com that sells more than 15,000 products from hundreds of companies certified as environmentally friendly. GreenShopper will act as a middleman for consumers who don't have time to search through products on the web that may or may not actually be eco-friendly.

Excerpt: "I was amazed at how many companies were devoting their entire product line or their entire business model factoring in the environment," Bouchard said. "But I realized there's not really one website that can handle all that, because people in this day and age like convenience and one-stop shopping. That's why Wal-Mart and those big stores are so successful."

Excerpt: He spent months researching hundreds of green companies that sell their products through Amazon, then hand-selected the products he found were environmentally friendly and pasted them onto GreenShopper. The site's selection includes office supplies, organic food and rechargeable batteries.

Excerpt: "The attitude in the past was that the environment and the economy were at odds with each other; there was a conflict there," Litalien said. "But there doesn't have to be. They can complement each other, and we can have economic prosperity by producing and consuming goods that have a small environmental footprint." The pair said they have committed to donating 10 percent of the site's profits to help environmental groups. If they make enough, Bouchard hopes he can give back half his profits to environmental-awareness groups, he said.

Article Title: Going green creating waste

Excerpt: But when going green is more motivated by the chic factor than care for Mother Earth, it can produce uneducated consumption and more trash. "If consumers are truly interested in going green, it's not about replacing the old one to buy a new green one," says Soyeon Shim, professor of retailing and consumer sciences at the University of Arizona. "It becomes needs versus wants, and we don't just buy because we need it."

Excerpt: In Phoenix, we seem to have no pause about throwing things away; we're more trash-happy than most of America. Each day, each one of the city's nearly 1.5 million residents sends 4.25 pounds of trash to the landfill, 73 percent more than the national average, according to the city and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Excerpt: Americans are gaga for green, buying every eco-friendly product manufacturers and marketers can possibly conjure: the new forest-friendly sofas at Crate & Barrel, compostable sweeping towels at Target, kitchen countertops fashioned from recycled $5 bills. But in dumpsters and landfills across the country, the green movement could be making a bit of a mess.

Article Title: Tales from the recycling bin

Excerpt: There's a lot your average Joe can do for the environment, whether it's taking a bus or building a certified green house. Here's a sample of people you might know and what they're doing to help the earth.

Article Title: Scottsdale home uses efficient technologies

Excerpt: Bryan Beaulieu's house is alive. The 4,000-square-foot home nestled in the shadow of Scottsdale's Troon Mountain is unlike any other in the East Valley. The home is actually a collection of five hexagonal buildings connected by outdoor walkways.

Excerpt: Beaulieu traveled the world looking for inspiration; he visited Italy, China, India and other countries where people make do with less and tried to replicate their solutions to daily problems in his futuristic home. “Most people live in mud houses, and they’re using a fraction of the energy that we do,” says Beaulieu.

Article Title: For Houses, It's Glamorous to Be Green

Excerpt: Reducing the size of your carbon footprint and increasing the number of renewable energy systems you use is becoming something to brag about. From geothermal systems to wind turbines to solar panels, going green is starting to get glamorous, as well as being politically correct, of course, and simply forward-thinking.

Excerpt: "Green buildings and homes are healthier, improve productivity, and make happier employees and residents. And, by the way, they save energy. Who doesn't want that?" asks Glenney from AeroVironment.

Article Title: Green building materials conserve scarce resources

Excerpt: By integrating green building materials into new building projects, we reduce the environmental impact of extraction, transportation, processing, fabrication, installation, reuse, recycling and disposal of these building materials. And, we enjoy reduced maintenance costs over the life of the building, energy efficiency and improved health and productivity from a better working and living environment. As homeowners and consumers, we are the ones who determine whether green building materials are used in our homes and who installs them.

Excerpt: Marmoleum floor coverings are a natural alternative to linoleum. They are available in sheets or tiles, are made from natural flax, rosins, wood flour and are backed with jute.

Excerpt: Shawn Dell Joyce is a sustainable artist and activist from Montgomery. She is the founder of the Wallkill River School, combining plein air painting with environmental activism. Her work can be seen at the Wallkill River Art Gallery, or www.shawndelljoyce.com, or www.wallkillriverschool.com. E-mail her at shawn@shawndelljoyce.com

Article Title: Secluded subdivision turns to sun, wind for primary power

Excerpt: Carr, his wife and their twin 4-year-old boys live most of the year off the power grid in the Mt. Shasta Forest subdivision about 12 miles northeast of McCloud. About 150 homes are tucked into the forested subdivision and more and more are being built. There are about 800 lots.

Excerpt: The generator powers the Carrs' on-demand water heater, washing machine and any lights -- aside from gas lamps or flashlights -- they want to have on at night. Once the solar panels are in, energy pulled from the sun's rays will be stored in batteries and used when needed.

Excerpt: Setting up solar panels in the subdivision isn't as easy as it is in a desert or atop a building in a city. "It's different out here -- we're in a forest," said Richard O'Connell, owner of O'Connell Solar of Rohnert Park. Trees can block the potential power gains of solar panels.

Article Title: The next Martha Stewart is young, green and a guy

Excerpt: "When you do your taxes, there's a box that asks for your occupation," he said. "I usually put 'author,' but I guess I see myself as a teacher. I teach people about the green lifestyle -- including home, garden, food, entertaining and fashion."

Excerpt: Seo teamed up with San Francisco's Kimpton Hotels to expand its concept of the eco-suite, which features amenities such as energy-efficient lighting, sustainably harvested wood furniture and all-natural linens. And he is consulting with Method, the San Francisco firm known for its eco-friendly soaps, cleaners and detergents. The products are made of biodegradable ingredients, while the packaging consists of recyclable materials.

Article Title: Winds of change

Excerpt: THE car is filled up with biodiesel, the wind turbine is whizzing on the roof, the recycling boxes are filled to the brim and once you've finished turning the compost heap you're going online to order an organic veg box. Ten years ago, this image of domestic life would have prompted smirks and mutterings about 'sandal-wearing hippies'. How times have changed. Living an eco-friendly life has now become so mainstream that most of us do it without even noticing.

Excerpt: It's all very well coming up with new ways of generating electricity, but to be truly green the first step is to reduce your electricity consumption. Laura McGadie, head of Energy Projects at Changeworks, agrees. "The cheapest option is to reduce your energy consumption," she says. "Insulation makes a big difference, as do low-energy lightbulbs and not leaving appliances on standby. Basic good housekeeping is the key."

Excerpt: We also have a wind turbine. There's a lot of wind here because we're on the top of a hill and not far from the coast, and it seemed a shame to waste the opportunity - especially when the Scottish Executive was offering grants for them. It's integrated with the mains supply, but provides more than half of our electricity - and when it's windy, nearly all of it. It changed our lifestyle. We check to see if it's windy before we put on the dishwasher or washing machine.

Excerpt: Ten ways to save the planet

1 Switch it off. If everyone in Scotland turned appliances off and avoided 'standby', 320,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide could be saved each year, which is enough to fill Hampden Park stadium 135 times.

2 Buy local. Getting a veg box home-delivered or buying produce at a farmers' market or farm shop will cut down on food miles.

3 Replace ordinary lightbulbs with energy-saving ones. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) last up to 12 times longer than incandescent versions and use 75% to 80% less energy. Or try an LED lamp, which is some 100 times more efficient than other types.

4 Reduce, reuse, recycle - in that order. Big reductions in waste can be made by composting and choosing not to buy over-packaged goods. Buying from the second-hand and charity sector can also help.

5 Change your fuel. Find out if your car can run on biofuel (www.biodieselfillingstations.co.uk) - it may be possible with just a little modification.

6 When replacing your fridge, washing machine or dishwasher, look for ones displaying the energy-saving logo. These appliances could save you up to £45 a year. A washing machine with an A+ rating uses significantly less water than other models and has a projected lifetime of 20 years.

7 Insulate. Lagging your loft can save between £180 and £220 a year. Sustainable insulation, such as sheep's wool, can be found at www.secondnatureuk.com. A third of heat in the home is lost through the walls, but investing in cavity-wall insulation can save up to £160 on your annual heating bills.

8 Make a frugal cuppa. It's easy to fill up the kettle every time you use it, but you'll save money if you only boil as much water as you actually need. Just remember to use enough to cover the element if it's an electric kettle.

9 Do a home energy check. Visit www.est.org.uk, answer some simple questions about your home and you'll get a free report telling you how to save up to £300 a year on energy bills.

10 Travel to your holiday destination by public transport. It'll be an adventure, honest.