For us manic shoppers, a great deal of our waste comes from shopping bags and gift bags. At City Supply, you can pick up these cute reusable grocery bags.

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If you’re really serious about going green, get yourself a corn stove from Charlotte Energy Solutions. I dare ya.

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Environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lit into President Obama’s support of “clean coal” yesterday, calling the president a “great man” but also an “indentured servant” of the coal industry.

Obama has proposed $3.4 billion for further research on clean coal projects. The theory of “clean coal” is that the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, which is released into the atmosphere when coal is burned, can be captured. Billions of dollars have been spent in the past 24 years to find a way to make the clean coal dream come true, but so far there are still no plants operating using any such technology. Former VP Al Gore has been particularly dismissive of the idea of clean coal, and at last year’s Clinton Global Initiative, said, “How many such plants are there? Zero. How many blueprints? Zero.” Kennedy and Gore are joined in the anti-clean coal movement by the filmmaking Coen Brothers who have produced a couple of funny commercials on the subject; see one of them here:

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Come celebrate Earth Day with music and alcohol (We promise to recycle the bottles!) at the eclectic nightlife event known as POP LIFE. Sponsored every Wednesday by Creative Loafing and The Sol Kitchen, this week’s par-tay will give you the opportunity to network with some “green” consultants and dance to sounds provided by the Dem Fresh Katz DJ crew. And, as always, it’s free. 6 p.m.-until. Apostrophe Lounge, 1440 S. Tryon (Across from Amos’ Southend)

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Happy Earth Day to the pooches! Check out this post on KLEPTO on some of the organic and eco-friendly products featured at Canine Cafe.

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Pura Vida Worldly Art is a great shop to check out today for Earth Day because they actively look for products that are eco-friendly and fair trade.

Check out some of their products on KLEPTO.

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Dirtball Fashion has the right idea. Not only are they producing eco-friendly clothing and products, but they’re producing all that exclusively here in the States. No “Made in China” tags here.

Joe Fox, president and founder of the Hickory, N.C.-based apparel company, chatted with us about his company, their mission, and how 10 water bottles can make you a single pair of shorts.

Read the KLEPTO post here.

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EARTH
***
DIRECTED BY Alastair Fothergill & Mark Linfield
NARRATED BY James Earl Jones

The documentary Earth, a feature-length spin-off of the BBC series Planet Earth, has been playing Europe since the summer of 2007, yet it’s only being released in the U.S. on April 22, 2009 (Earth Day). Hmm, perhaps its British creators deemed it pointless to release such a pro-environment film in a country then ruled by a heinous Republican administration bent on the destruction of our natural resources?

At any rate, the picture is finally being released stateside by Walt Disney Studios under its new Disneynature label, a welcome throwback to the days when Walt himself would personally supervise such Earth-friendly fare as The Living Desert and The Vanishing Prairie. And while it’s hard to urge moviegoers to spend money on something they can basically catch on the Discovery Channel (and other like-minded stations) for free, there’s no denying that the magnificence of the images on display is even more impressive when presented in a larger-than-life format.

In its original British presentation, Patrick Stewart handled narration duties; oddly, this fine performer — who’s quite well known on this side of the Atlantic, thank you very much — has been replaced for American audiences by James Earl Jones. With his majestic voice, Jones introduces us to the animal protagonists of this globe-spanning piece — among them polar bears, elephants, humpback whales and a particularly scary shark — and discusses the various challenges most of them face, whether from other animals or from global warming. While remarkable, much of the footage admittedly has a been-there-done-that quality, although the segment on unique and colorful birds is astounding.

Earth is an enjoyable experience, but it would be wrong to simply digest the picture as a complacent moviegoer. So here’s my contribution to the cause: A frequent friend of big business, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar would have been right at home in the Bush Administration (what was Obama thinking when he picked him?), given his abysmal indifference to wildlife and specifically his approval of a Bush Administration plan to slaughter endangered wolves. Protest his actions at www.doi.gov/feedback.html or make a contribution at www.savewolves.org.

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Take a gander at a list of Earth Day’s greatest hits on our music blog, Vibes.

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Today Healthy Home Market – located at 2707 South Blvd. – will have its Earth Day Open House. At the event, you can learn about things like green building, clean air, water enhancement and biodegradable cutlery and plates. If that doesn’t really interest you, go for the samples of food and smoothies. In addition, massages, spinal screenings and more will be offered. It all goes down from 12 p.m.-7 p.m.

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