Cloth or Plastic: Greenies Debate the Diaper

She bobs to surface after car goes into lake

(NEWSER) - Awful story with a great silver lining: A toddler inside her family car survived a nighttime plunge into a lake thanks to her plastic diaper, reports the Sun-Sentinel of Florida. "All of a sudden this little thing popped up like a cork," says a deputy at the scene who had been searching for her. Her mother also got rescued, but her father died in the submerged car. Witnesses say he had been hitting his wife while she was driving, which caused her to lose control of the vehicle. He had been arrested previously on domestic violence charges. The girl is in critical but stable condition. More»

Search engine goes green for Ma Nature

(NEWSER) - The Google doodlers are at it again, this time with a vividly green Avatar-like image of a magical woodland to celebrate Earth Day. Clicking on the image on the Google search page calls up everything connected to Earth Day. The doodle marking the green day, founded in 1970 by a Wisconsin senator to "inspire awareness and appreciation" for the environment, is one of a series of colorful Google squiggles that have also honored the Burning Man Festival, Google's own anniversary and the birthdays of Orson Wells, Andy Warhol, and Leonardo da Vinci. More»

Bundchen more than just a supermodel, has long campaigned for environmental issues

(NEWSER) - Gisele Bundchen will have more than a baby with hubby Tom Brady to keep her busy—yesterday she was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, the Boston Herald reports. “Mother Earth is our fundamental life-support system, and by becoming aware and responsible now, we can assist in preserving the planet,” says the supermodel, who has a Web-based environmental cartoon and has worked on reforestation in her native Brazil. More»

Diners willing to sacrifice for planet's sake

(NEWSER) - College students may feel they’ve added juggling to their courseloads as the trayless cafeteria trend picks up steam, the Los Angeles Times reports. The increasingly popular measure, meant to save water and electricity, often meets with a sort of grudging acquiescence. “It's definitely difficult and a little bit inconvenient,” says one student in a precarious situation. “But I like the intentions. The intentions are good.” More»

(NEWSER) - As the movement toward greener, more natural burials gains steam, a Swedish biologist who specializes in soil production thinks she's got the best method, reports the Walrus magazine. It's called promession, and it's a doozy: Corpses are frozen with liquid nitrogen, then shattered into tiny pieces on a vibrating table. A vacuum removes moisture, and the tiny bits are buried in shallow topsoil in a bag made of corn starch. In a few months, nothing is left. More»