The other day, as I was shopping for kitchen supplies for my new apartment, I came across a box of drinking glasses. The box was simple and utilitarian: it was made with cardboard and printed on with black ink, and it was labeled “Eco-friendly” at the bottom, proudly displaying the words, “Made with recycled cardboard and soy ink.”

Immediately I thought, “That’s great! Soy ink is a much more sustainable printing solution!” Then I realized that I had no clear idea of what traditional ink is made from and put the box back down, feeling too ashamed to continue shopping. Well, as it turns out, soy-based ink is indeed better for the environment and easier to recycle than the average petroleum-based ink, but the point stands that, at least at first, we all fall for the words on the package. Read the full story

Last month, the U.S. Commerce Department announced the nation’s Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures for the second quarter of 2009 fell at another record level. In other words, people are buying and selling very little in this country right now. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has read the ad section of a newspaper or visited a mall in the past few months: stores are closing left and right, running liquidation sales and doing anything they can to get rid of so much product. What everyone’s trying to sell doesn’t matter, because to put it simply, no one’s buying. The question is, “What have we done wrong, both as consumers and as vendors, in the past? What are we doing wrong as we look toward our future?” Read the full story

The Waxman-Markey bill was narrowly passed in the House late last month with a vote of 219-212, and is still under consideration in The Senate. The bill, which is titled ‘The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) aims to create jobs, increase domestic use of renewable energy and end American dependency on foreign oil. Read the full story

The air you breathe is hazardous to your health. It’s a sobering thought, but it’s one we’ve gotten accustomed to over the years, doing the best we can to cut down on smog and stop using ozone-harming chemicals. But while most people are aware of the health dangers of outdoor air pollution, you may not realize that air pollution in homes, offices, and schools also can have significant health effects. Read the full story

If you’ve been looking for a go-to list of blogs about small business, look no further: BlogRank is here. The site, which compiles top 100 lists of the most-read blogs in (as of July 2009) 112 different categories, was launched last week after being in development for eight months. Data is pulled from nearly 20,000 different sites about baking, hip hop, and venture capital, to name a few types of blogs polled. Of particular interest to our readers is the list of small business blogs, which also includes direct links to each site’s RSS feed and usage statistics. Right now there is no “Green” or “Environmentalism” category, but BlogRank has a lot of room to grow. Time will tell if it becomes a useful tool. Read the full story

How can you make the color of your portfolio match the color of your cash? Chances are, if your small business has weathered the storm of its first few years in action and has unstuck itself from the mire of unprofitable operation, you’re taking good care of all of the money that comes in as profit. But here’s a fact that may surprise you: the most profitable thing to do right now with that money may be to invest it. And the best place to invest right now is in the new green economy. Read the full story

Last week, the U.S. cap and trade bill we keep talking about (barely) passed through the House of Representatives. Since then the news has been a jumbled mess of celebrations, warnings, facts, opinions, predictions, diatribes, rants and the lyrics to “Thriller.” Have you been keeping up with all of it? Find out in this week’s edition of Weekly Sustainability Facts—a new prize- and competition-free online game show and news roundup here at Padosa.com. Read the full story

Over at Clean Technica, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom has posted about the city’s recent composting bill, which he signed into law on Monday. The law is the United States’ first mandatory composting initiative and continues San Francisco’s long tradition of environmental legislation. Though it is expected to help the city reach its “zero waste” goal by 2020, the new law has caused its share of controversy. Read the full story