Update: One Laptop per Child Gift-One-Get-One Program EXTENDED

One Laptop Per Child

Originally set to expire this week, the One Laptop per Child program has extended the deadline on their compelling two-for-one gift-and-get charitable public sale of laptops until December 31st. This change will allow people more time to make a decision or organize larger group purchases and will also tap into the busy holiday gift-buying market. Larger group purchases of laptops result in a reduced price per laptop, making this a viable option for community and religious organizations as well as schools and other institutions.

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Man (Re)Builds Mexican Island Paradise on 250,000 Recycled Floating Bottles

Spiral Island Closeup

If you can’t afford to buy your own tropical island paradise, why not build your own? That is exactly what Richie Sowa did back in 1998, from over a quarter-million plastic bottles. His Spiral Island, destroyed years later by a hurricane, sported a two-story house, solar oven, self-composting toilet and multiple beaches. Better yet, he has started building another one! His ultimate goal? To build the island bigger and bigger and finally float out to sea, traveling the world from the comfort of his own private paradise.

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Green Automotive News: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Progress is slow but steady in the auto industry when it comes to producing leaner, greener cars. Some ideas are catching on with the help of viral marketing (what better way to promote a new technology than by handing the wheel to a problogger?). Awards reinforce the industry’s need and put the spotlight on successful example, though costs are still high and some uses of green automotive technology have not been explored.

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Oil Spills Still an Unfortunate Fact of Life

It always seems like oil spills should be a thing of the past, like unpopular warfare or 80’s fashion, but they always crop back up. The cleanup is costly, not to mention the incalculable impact on the natural environment. In some cases the spills are so toxic they can’t even allow volunteers to help clean things up.

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