Just like everything nowadays, fireworks are bad for you.

Explosions, strange chemical combinations, danger, all that sort of thing.

So what can we do about it, while retaining some semblance of Fourth of July fun?

This article tells all.

At the end, of course, it admits that fireworks are not that bad a pollution problem compared to all the others we already have ... but every little bit helps.

Filed under: fireworks, green, and environment

You see them in third world countries ... black smoke drifting up from a group of food stalls, with the acrid odors of burning mixing with delicious chicken smells.

But what if you could get rid of the acrid odors? You'd probably sell a lot more chickens, thought vendor Sila Sutharat. So he developed a clever system - literally of smoke and mirrors - to heat chicken through the sun.

Very ingenious, very green, and saves him money on fuel!

Filed under: green cooking, green, environment, and street vendor

Are coral reefs doomed thanks to global warming? Many reefs have been in decline in recent years due to higher water temperatures. However, the evidence is clouded because heavy pollution in these areas is also a factor.

Now, in Eitrea near the Red Sea, corals have been seen evolving to thrive in these temperatures. They can survive in waters from 90 to 98degF, similar temperatures to what we anticipate from global warming.

Scientists are planning to reseed reefs killed or injured by warming with the newly evolved corals.

Filed under: coral reefs, environment, and evolution

In 1954, a 15 megaton hydrogen bom was exploded over three islands of Bikini Atoll. The islands were vaporized and a giant crater was created, bereft of life.

Fast forward over 50 years later and what do you see? A thriving coral reef showing the resilience of life everywhere. Scientists believe it was reseeded by a nearby reef.

Virtually untouched by radiation fearing humans, the new reef is now truly spectacular, and the radiation has long since dissapated.

Don't eat the coconuts, though. They have absorbed radiation through the soil and are highly radioactive, and the island is said to still be unsafe for human habitation.

Filed under: coral reef, environment, and nuclear testing

This is probably a joke of some kind, since it looks like the vision angle is a bit off, but it would certainly make it easier to concentrate in those tiresome public spaces.

Unfortunately it would attract so much attention that the environmental isolation effect would fail, badly.

Filed under: knitting, laptop, isolating, and environment

Imagine living under the sea ... or in a giant rain forest ... or even in a tiny, claustrophobic capsule looking remarkably like a tomb. You can do all of this and more in the world's weirdest hotels!

From the Poseidon Undersea resort, with stunning rooms under the water (see picture) to Japanese capsule hotels, just large enough for a small bed, there's a lot of weirdness in this one.

I really loved the Poseidon, which really needs to be seen to be believed. The suspicious among us, however, might note that the picture looks a bit like a 3D rendering. The hotel appears to be under construction at this time.

Most of the other hotels that made the list are spectacular natural environments and are meant for eco-tourism. So if you have even a slight interest in that, the link's well worth a click.

Filed under: hotels, poseidon, capsule, ecotourism, and environment