We don't usually talk politics in the blog, but I was trés annoyed when I heard that the director of the EPA (that's Environmental Protection Agency) said no when CA wanted to make its own cars be eco-friendlier than the national standard. Even though it would only affect Californians, and after EPA experts told the director that CA should be allowed to do it (read more here).

Here's (a slightly modified version of) what went down:

California: We want cars in CA to be cleaner than the federal standard. You cool with that?

EPA director: Nope.

California: Well, can you at least tell us why?

EPA director: Negativo, California.

If you are similarly irritated by this strange behavior, you can send your own comment card to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson here.

-Toshio...off to do breathing exercises...

Anyone else feel like shopping for dinner is about as easy as assembling an IKEA filing cabinet blindfolded?

Step one: Remember to bring reusable bags.

Step two: Root out what's produced locally. At Whole Foods, some produce is labeled according to where it's grown, and of course at the farmers market, you can just ask...but I've realized that while I can tell you that Mumbai is on the Western coast of India, or that Iceland is north of Scandinavia and I think they raise sheep there, I frankly have no idea how far away Thermal, CA, is from SF (it's a big state) or whether the dates I want were actually grown or just packaged there.  

Step three: Balance map of CA in one hand while keeping cart with errant wheel from careening into a canned pie-filling display and excuse self past person stopped mid-aisle trying to discern between Italian parsley and cilantro while chatting on her cell...

Step four: What was I supposed to buy again?

Step five: Use mnemonic device to recall meaning of numbers on produce labels.

Sheesh. All I can say is that step six, leaving the store knowing (at least approximately) where your food came from and how it was produced, is usually worth the effort.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to drink some grapes of Napa...

A friend of mine is a wine broker. I recently took a bunch of one-more-year-and-it's-vinegar bottles off her hands. I've never seen her park in her garage, and I finally figured out why: It is bursting at its concrete seams with...stuff! You couldn't step inside if your life depended on it.

Well, well, well, look at me all smug and superior. All of my belongings fit into my humble city apartment-no storage space (OK, except for those two boxes of Star Wars fan club memorabilia at Mom's), not even a car.

But the fact is, if I had a garage to fill up, you bet I'd end up doing it. I'd hold onto things just in case...in case in 20 years, say, my niece will want some natty old coat I don't wear anymore for a Halloween party. By then, it will be misshapen from storage, possibly eaten through by moths, and weirdly discolored - but hey, you never know, right?

Well, in the meantime, someone could be using it, and I could have one less thing to keep track of. Same with all stuff that's seen its day - trade it, gift it, give it away.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to trade some stuff for more space...

P.S. Here’s that cute photo of the other Jen (Boulden) that we mentioned in today’s Personally Speaking…

Bet you don't leave the shower running continuously after you finish with it.  I'm pretty sure that when you leave the house, you turn the lights off and the heat off or down.  And when you aren't using the oven, my guess is, you turn it off (unless you fear a spontaneous urge to bake will creep up on you at any moment).

So why, then, are we all heating up vast amounts of water at all times "just in case" we need to drain an entire, huge hot water tank?

-Heather... off to take a short shower...

And now for the introductions...personally speaking, here's what they had to say.

Los Angeles Local Editor, Molly Roemer

Eco-confessions: I love being a surf bunny while my boyfriend chases waves all over the world, so I fly a lot. Even though nobody walks in LA, I do go to the market à pied, answer "neither" when asked "paper or plastic," and drive a Prius to keep my footprint a bit lighter.

Wanna Spy? You can find me on my yoga mat, namely at Liberation Yoga, where I teach and practice. This independent spirit of a studio is like Cheers to me.

Favorite Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? Animal: Definitely cats. I'm pretty sure that I was one in a past life. Vegetable: Probably a beet, since it's earthy and rooty, and I have a sweet tooth. Miracle: This might sound cliché, but I'm pretty blown away by the miracle of life.

Chicago Local Editor, Alison Lara

Eco-confessions: As an incurable (and probably insufferable) gourmet, it's got to be imported foodstuffs. I know they're producing fine prosciuitti in Iowa these days, but I've tasted jamon iberico and there's no going back. I do carry it home from the store in a reusable bag, though...

Wanna Spy? If I could, I'd take up residence at Avec, a wine bar with amazing Mediterranean small plates. Or Hopleaf, the ultimate pub with a micro-brew list and moules-frites that slay me. (Catching the food theme yet?)

Favorite Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? Animal: I've never had a pet, but I think baby turtles are supercute. Saw a few hatch on the beach on my honeymoon. Vegetable: Summer-ripe tomato. Probably my desert-island food, if you don't count olive oil. Miracle: Language. I'm a sesquipedalian, aka word nerd, at heart.

Haven't signed up for the Chicago and LA editions (or at least told your friends about them)...still? Do it here, and enjoy.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to open some biodynamic bubbly...

I have friends in London I desperately want to visit, but with the insane exchange rate I'd need to take out a bigger-than-micro loan to pay for it. On the other hand, when my Brit friends cross the pond to America, they go buckwild. $15 for a cocktail? Cheap as chips. $250 for a jacket? Not at all a rip-off.

For people in the developing world, the exchange rate is even more insane. With the cash you'd spend closing out the pubs on a Saturday night in Leicester, you can start a whole business.

(For the record, London's not even the most expensive city.)

-Toshio...off to count my pennies...

When I recently tried to donate blood, I was turned away because I had "spent three or more months in the UK from 1980 through 1996." The fear is that I may have been exposed to mad-cow disease during that time, but in truth, I ate little more than cheese and crackers, Nutella on crackers, and Cadbury chocolate (with a side of crackers). And I drank tea, tea, and more tea - up to, seriously, 12 cups a day.

Why? Because it tasted good, soothed my frozen bones, helped achieve the sensory boost needed for slogging through critical theory, and was quick to make. Like supersonic quick, thanks to the electric kettle we had. Ever since, I've kind of marveled at how few people here at home use them...how loooooong we wait for that pot to boil!! It's such an effort comparatively, but electric kettles haven't always been easy to find.

I just ushered a new Breville Ikon kettle into my kitchen. Wish me luck moderating my tea consumption.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to crack open a box of crackers...

Here in Park City, Utah, where the Sundance Film Festival is overrunning the tiny resort village, I've had ample opportunity to contemplate my feet. I walk the little streets, staring down at my toes, hoping not to slip in the snow or step on some entitled celeb's toes.  The dry, desert mountain air, combined with the cold, is pretty much desiccating every square inch of my skin, and I have to admit, the mini bottles of weak lotion at the hotel do almost nothing to help.  Oh, what I wouldn't give to have brought my TerraNova foot cream...

Mainly, though, I've been contemplating my feet in order to avoid looking at the creepy amounts of fur that seem to be overrunning this place.  I've never seen such a wanton display of "F^*k you, I'll wear whatever I want, regardless of how it is created."  Never.  It's horrifying.

And it's just - quite simply - bizarre.  In the middle of a festival that has tons of green themes (the festival guide even has a section that helps festivalgoers learn how to "go green"), I wander streets lined with bins filled with empty plastic water bottles, while giant SUVs idle outside party venues, waiting for their fur-clad starlets to exit.

Oh, where is Leo in his hybrid when you need him?

-Heather... off to thaw out my toes and cool off my head...

She wouldn't share the juiciest bites, but here's a real, live page from Heather's journal.

-Toshio...off to reveal some dirt...

It's true. Seafood may be gone by 2048. And I've been flippin' freakin' out since I heard the news.

As a vegetarian in the 90s, seafood was the one "meat" I occasionally cheated with. The Japanese side of my family always brings over sashimi for the holidays, so I can't remember a Thanksgiving at home without spicy raw tuna with loads of wasabi, right next to the cranberry sauce and stuffing.

To tell the truth, it's rare that I buy fish to cook at home, but next family get-together I'm arriving armed with pocket seafood selectors in an attempt to nudge my extended family members in an eco-friendlier direction. Fingers crossed I've been eating anything but bluefin all these years...

-Toshio...off to contemplate a Thanksgiving without karaino-maki... 

Want a green job?  There's always another option... start your own business.

I definitely don't recommend it for the faint of heart.  In fact, unless you are 100% devoted to the idea, and believe with all your heart that it will work, I say run away.

But if you DO have that itch that just needs to be scratched...

It's a great, green world these days, people.  If you have a good idea - take a swing. The time has never been more ripe.

-Heather... off to heat up my buckwheat pillow to warm my toes in bed...

Ever wonder how much lipstick, lipgloss, moisturizer, liptint you have been ingesting?

I mean, they make these things flavored, for crying out loud. I even remember getting Bonnie Bell Lipsmackers as a kid and eating the bubble gum flavor tube.  The whole tube.

Looking back, now that I know so much more about cosmetics products and the ingredients that go into them, I'm sort of skeeved out by the thought that I ate so much petroleum.  It's one thing to pour it into your car.  Somewhat more disgusting to think about actually ingesting the stuff.

-Heather... off to put some shea butter on my lips...

I'm a daily email junkie. Honest. I probably get something on the order of 30-40 published emails every day.  This email addiction keeps me up-to-speed on everything from cool dictionary words to hot gear for the men in my life to random brain games to cute (but unsustainable) handbags.

Because I'm so diligent about reading my daily emails, I sometimes see trends in the way these publications talk about things.  And just occasionally, we sometimes rip those trends off.

My current favorite trend? Recaps of the most read, most opened, most clicked items in the daily email space.  So in a move of pure (albeit anonymous) flattery, I'm pleased to launch our Biter Best email for 2007.  Happy recapping.

-Heather... off to get my daily dose of spirituality...

Last week I went skiing in beautiful Lake Tahoe. And after reading a good chunk of global warming research last year, I took great joy (I mean, more than usual) in spending a week outside, surrounded by snow. It was just plain fun, totally rejuvenating. 

It's great to see the National Ski Areas Association working toward making sure we can all continue shoop-shooping for years to come. Check out its Sustainable Slopes environmental charter.  Tons of major ski areas have signed on, including one of my favorite little gems, Mt. Rose.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to indulge in a little après work cocktail...