Free Range Kids advocates allowing children to develop the skills they’ll need as adults, instead of trying to protect them from everything.  It started because of the huge backlash to the author’s column about letting her nine-year-old ride home alone on New York City public transit.  Bravo!  (Over-protectiveness is another thing many people told me I would understand once I became a parent.  But I’m still against it!)

Speaking of public transit, you’re ten times as likely to die in a private car as on public transit, per mile traveled.

Parent Hacks collects quick little tips for better parenting. 

The Environmental Working Group offers this handy resource for learning what’s in your health-and-beauty products and what those ingredients are.

Tiny Choices is a blog about little things people can do to make a big difference.

If you live in Pittsburgh and are in any way confused about how or where or what to recycle, here’s the city’s Webpage on the subject.  Notable highlights: Paper and cardboard are now collected at curbside in some neighborhoods.  All businesses, even small ones, are required to recycle.  So are all special events attended by 200 people or more.

Green Mom Finds has a lot of useful product reviews for environmentalists and/or parents.

An investigative report on Swiss Diamond Cookware’s claims that it is Teflon-free and indestructible.  Here are the reasons to avoid Teflon.

The Center for a New American Dream has a lot of positive ideas for escaping consumerism.

How to write about Africa. 

My cousin Simcha posted this series explaining differences between good and bad art, pointing out many things I had noticed subconsciously but never really seen.

An atheist saw an image of the Big Bang on a piece of toast! 

Seriously, though, there may be five things that are worse than global warming.  But don’t worry–environmental superheroes are here to help!

This year’s Easter message from the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church USA is about environmental stewardship.  She also said, in another speech: “Why are we here?  To give glory to God.  How do we do that?  By acknowledging the gravity of the current situation, and the pull of God’s gravity – back into right relationship.  What gets in the way?  Fear, timidity, greed, selfishness, laziness and ignorance – mostly a lack of compassion for our fellow creatures. Or, in other words, treating them in a way that ignores their gravity, their substantial and unique reflection of God’s own creative glory.”

Microwave popcorn may harm your pet bird.  See the bottom of this article.

A while back, there was some media hype about married people having lower blood pressure.  Turns out that if you read the actual study and think about it, there’s not much to it.

Dharma Trading Company sells all kinds of basic, well-made garments and other cloth items at reasonable prices, many of them made in USA, organic, and/or fair-trade.  They’re great for dyeing (Dharma also sells dyes) or if you don’t mind plain white or natural-colored stuff.  The only thing I’ve bought there that wasn’t totally satisfactory was the roll-top lunchbag–it doesn’t stay closed very well, and the strap isn’t long enough.  I really like their silk underwear, children’s socks, and dish towels.

What if Fox News had existed throughout history?

An ordinary housewife climbed Mount Laundrymanjaro!  Very inspiring.

Here are some nice pictures of daddies around the world carrying their children.