Shoppers have long been willing to pay a premium for organic food. But how much is too much? Rising prices for organic groceries are prompting some consumers to question their devotion to food produced without pesticides, chemical fertilizers or antibiotics. In some parts of the country, a loaf of organic bread can cost $4.50, a pound of pasta has hit $3, and organic milk is closing in on $7 a gallon.

"The prices have gotten ridiculous," said Brenda Czarnik, who was shopping recently at a food cooperative in St. Paul. Food prices in general have been rising, but organic food lagged somewhat behind last year because of a temporary glut of organic milk and other factors. Some grocery chains adopted private-label organic products, which are cheaper than brand products, while others hesitated to raise already high organic prices.

In recent months, however, these factors have been giving way to cost pressures in the industry. On grocery shelves across the nation, sharp price increases are taking hold. "It's probably the most dynamic and volatile time I've seen in 25 years," said Gary Hirshberg, chief executive of Stonyfield Farm, an organic dairy business. "It's extremely difficult to predict where it's going." Organic prices are rising for many of the same reasons affecting conventional food prices: higher fuel costs, rising demand and a tight supply of the grains needed for animal feed and bakery items. In fact, demand for organic wheat, soybeans and corn is so great that farmers are receiving unheard-of prices.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs, long touted by environmentalists as a more efficient and longer-lasting alternative to the incandescent bulbs that have lighted homes for more than a century, are running into resistance from waste industry officials and some environmental scientists, who warn that the bulbs' poisonous innards pose a bigger threat to health and the environment than previously thought.

Fluorescents - the squiggly, coiled bulbs that generate light by heating gases in a glass tube - are generally considered to use more than 50 percent less energy and to last several times longer than incandescent bulbs. When fluorescent bulbs first hit store shelves several years ago, consumers complained about the loud noise they made, their harsh light, their bluish color, their clunky shape and the long time it took for them to warm up.

Since then, the bulbs - known as CFLs - have been revamped, and strict government guidelines have alleviated most of those problems. But while the bulbs are extremely energy-efficient, one problem hasn't gone away: All CFLs contain mercury, a neurotoxin that can cause kidney and brain damage.

The amount is tiny - about 5 milligrams, or barely enough to cover the tip of a pen - but that is enough to contaminate up to 6,000 gallons of water beyond safe drinking levels, extrapolated from Stanford University research on mercury. Even the latest lamps promoted as "low-mercury" can contaminate more than 1,000 gallons of water beyond safe levels.

*****

In fact, qualified places to recycle CFLs are so few that the largest recycler of of fluorescent bulbs in America is Ikea, the furniture chain. "I think there's going to be hundreds of millions of [CFLs] in landfills all over the country," said Leonard Worth, head of Fluorecycle Inc. of Ingleside, Ill., a certified facility. Once in a landfill, bulbs are likely to shatter even if they’re packaged properly, said the Solid Waste Association of North America. From there, mercury can leach into soil and groundwater and its vapors can spread through the air, potentially exposing workers to toxic levels of the poison.

A decade ago, the term "eco-friendly accommodation usually meant snuggling up under a thick quilt at a chilly mountain lodge, eating vegetables from the owner's garden and recycling your trash before hitting the nearby nature trails. Now the term is increasingly becoming compatible with both "luxury" and "cities," as more chain and boutique hotels -- with views of skyscrapers not trees -- incorporate sustainable green practices into their policies.

Among some prominent examples: the Apex City of London Hotel (www.apexhotels.co.uk), which has an environmental blog updating customers on the hotel's most recent green initiatives; the Ibis Porte Clichy Centre in Paris (www.ibishotel.com), which features a photovoltaic facade that draws solar power; and the Lenox Hotel in Boston (www.lenoxhotel.com), one of the first hotels to offer climate-neutral rooms and offset carbon emissions for electricity by 100 percent.

"I am seeing the biggest growth ever right now when it comes to hotels adopting green policies, and it is in the cities and suburbs as well," says Kit Cassingham, founder of the three-year-old EnvironmentallyFriendlyHotels.com, which now lists more than 2,800 green hotels around the world and rates them by green trees rather than stars, the rating determined by how many of 29 criteria listed on the Web site they meet. (The list includes everything from composting, to gray-water recycling, to community service, to not automatically leaving newspapers outside each guest room door.)

Kathryn Potter, senior vice president for marketing and communications at the American Hotel & Lodging Association, has also noticed a new eco-attitude in the industry. "In 1996 we launched a towel and linen program, and all the high-end hotels said they couldn't possibly participate because their guests expected top service," said Ms. Potter, whose association offered members the now-familiar cards that allow guests to request not to have their bedding and towels changed daily. "We recently launched a 'Green Best Practices' list, and we had more than a thousand hits in the first two weeks, which for us was astounding," she added, noting that the worldwide Fairmont Hotel chain was one of the first big hoteliers to embrace going green.

Earlier this month, Starbucks completed the switch to serving milk only from cows that weren't given the artificial growth hormone, which helps cows produce more milk.

For its turnaround effort, Starbucks has said it plans to reduce the number of offerings at its stores while adding more-exciting products. The company said this change is unrelated to the turnaround plan. Organic milk is scheduled to come off the menu Feb. 26. Starbucks has charged extra for drinks made with it.

Drinks with organic milk account for less than 1% of Starbucks' beverage sales, said Michelle Gass, the company's senior vice president of global strategy. "Far and away, the No. 1 reason people are purchasing organic milk is because [it lacks] the growth hormone," she said.

In 2006, sales of organic dairy products in the U.S. grew 25% to $2.67 billion, making it the second fastest-growing organic food category behind meat, according to the Organic Trade Association. Some quick-service restaurants, including Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., have been adding organic ingredients to their menus.

[T]his was the year in which designers finally succumbed to the baser desires of an overheated celebrity culture, in which the only thing that matters is fame and the only means to succeed is by screaming, "Look at me!" At least, that's what they might think after reviewing some of the year's worst fashion moments, in which actions seem so obviously calculated to provoke.

How else to explain designer reaction to global outrage over skinny models, which was to respond the next season by hiring, almost exclusively, white models, thereby changing the subject? How else to explain a Dolce & Gabbana fantasy-rape ad showing a woman pinned down by a shirtless man, which drew some protests but mostly questions of the what-were-they-thinking variety?

How else to explain Vera Wang's cameo on Ugly Betty, in which she delivered the line "I'm giving you a booty bop" to Victoria Beckham, thereby making Marc Jacobs's appearance on The Hills seem worthy of a Golden Globe? How else to explain nudie pictures of designers in several magazines? None were worse than those of Tom Ford, who insisted his pictorial for the November Out be reshot because it didn't look right for him to be in a shower with two guys and his clothes on.

How else to explain a collection of expensive bridal gowns based on the style of Walt Disney heroines? How else to explain a license for plus-size jeans by Calvin Klein? How else to explain lines to buy a $15 canvas bag that read "I am not a plastic bag"?

The Golden Globe-winning actress, and longtime vegetarian, has teamed with the New York label Té Casan to design her own line of vegan-friendly footwear, a collaboration that has aptly, if not predictably, been dubbed the Natalie Portman Collection. Designs for the shoe line have yet to be revealed, save for one pair of red patent high-heeled Mary-Janes, which the 25-year-old sports on the chic label's Website.

As well as being made without animal ingredients—no fur, no leather, no feathers-5 percent of the range's profits will be donated to charity, which could quickly add up to a hefty sum. While the kicks are decidedly critter friendly, they may be less kind to consumers' wallets, with each pair expected to retail for around $200. The Natalie Portmans won't officially be made available until February.

PETA: What prompted you to go vegetarian? Was there one incident?

Christina: I was eating lunch on the Married With Children set, and they served me some kind of meat (I don't even know the names of them all anymore because it's been so long). I looked down and there was blood on my plate, and it was that realization, that I can't eat something that has been alive, I just can't do it. So I stopped, and that was it. That was the last time.

PETA: Have you always had animals in your life?

Christina: Always, ever since I was a little girl, my house has been basically a zoo. Everything I have has dog hair on it, and that's just the way it is.

PETA: PETA does a lot of provocative things in order to keep people focused on important issues. How do you feel about that and about some of PETA's outrageous tactics?

Christina: I think it's great that you guys do that. I think that it's important -- sometimes you do have to shout out to be heard.

PETA: We hope your ad will encourage people not to buy fur as gifts during the holidays, which we think should be a time for compassion and empathy toward others. Is there anything you'd like to say to people, with that in mind?

Christina: They make really great synthetic fur -- you really don't need real fur. And it's cheaper, so why spend the money? The holidays are also a time when people freak out about their finances. If you don't want to spend the money, why not try some of the other options instead of killing a bunch of animals?

It is forcing fashion houses to ditch traditional seasonal collections for transeasonal garments that may lead to a drastic overhaul of fashion show schedules and retail delivery dates. "The whole fashion system will have to change," Beppe Modenese, founder of Milan Fashion Week, told The New York Times last week. "The fashion system must adapt to the reality that there is no strong difference between summer and winter any more... You can't have everyone showing four times a year to present the same thing. People are not prepared to invest in these clothes that, from one season to the other, use the same fabrics at the same weight."

Mr Modenese's comments came as New York fashion retailers blamed a prolonged "Indian summer" for poor autumn sales. Who needs a woollen pea coat when it is 30 degrees-plus? So worried are some fashion houses about the impact climate change is having on the way we dress and shop, they are calling in the climate experts. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that American retail giant Liz Claiborne Inc had enlisted a New York climatologist to speak to 30 of its executives on topics ranging from the types of fabrics they should be using to the timing of retail deliveries and seasonal markdowns.

Other US fashion retailer giants, including Target and Kohl's, have also started using climate experts to plan their collections and schedule end-of-season sales. And from January, Target will sell swimwear year-round. Closer to home, fashion designers say they are increasingly designing transeasonal collections using lighter- weight fabrics for a more temperate climate and readjusting their in-store delivery dates in line with the unpredictable seasons. "There's really no such thing as defined autumn/winter and spring/summer collections any more," says Margaret Porritt, of Melbourne fashion label Feathers. "A lot of my garments are more transeasonal and rather than dropping them into store twice a year like I used to, I tend to move things in and out of store every couple of weeks, depending on the weather."

Things were different when she started the business 35 years ago. "Back then winter went into store in mid-January and summer in mid-June and that was it. There was nothing in between. I also used a lot more heavier wools and made great big heavy coats. I can't do that anymore; it just doesn't get cold enough, even here in Melbourne. They just don't sell."

"We wanted to help increase IFAW's success rates and raise awareness of the threats against these incredible animals," said Elisabeth Robert, President and CEO of Vermont Teddy Bear. "It was important to all of us at Vermont Teddy Bear to provide funding from the sale of each of the new bears to help to sustain IFAW's efforts and to support what they are doing to instill change."

IFAW works to improve the welfare of wild animals throughout the world by reducing commercial exploitation of animals, protecting wildlife habitats and assisting animals in distress. In China, home of the pandas, IFAW works to protect wildlife habitats and promote animal welfare and conservation. Through animal rescue, rehabilitation and release, IFAW is working to save moon bears in Asia and brown bears like the grizzly in Russia.

"Real bears around the world today face many threats; they need our help," said Patrick Ramage, IFAW Public Affairs Director. "Vermont Teddy Bear's contributions will directly help care for bears orphaned by the winter den hunts in Russia, provide essential funding to the moon bear center in India, support studies of climate change and its effects on marine animals, and conservation efforts."

Each year IFAW cares for about 18 bears at its center in Russia and has successfully released more than 110 bear cubs back into the wild. Globally, IFAW promotes actions to protect our shared environment, such as addressing the effects of climate change on polar bears and other marine mammals.

The new tax credits replace a $2,000 tax deduction on hybrids that's been available in recent years. Credits are usually far more lucrative than deductions, because credits reduce your tax bill dollar for dollar, while deductions reduce your taxable income. For someone in the top 35% tax bracket, the old $2,000 deduction produced a $700 tax savings.

The Internal Revenue Service has yet to release final guidance on the credits, but energy-conservation advocacy groups estimate the credits will range from $250 to $3,400, based on fuel economy and vehicle weight.

To see a list of the estimated tax credits on current and expected hybrid car models, check out www.aceee.org/transportation/hybtaxcred.htm. Of 21 hybrids listed, 14 have estimated credits in excess of $1,000. Three probably won't be eligible for credits. (At least one state, Colorado, has a state tax credit, too.)

It can make lip balm more luscious. It gives waffles a double shot of nutritional goodies with its protein and essential fatty acids. It even turns a trendy, pricey blazer into an eco-friendly garment. Hemp is hip – and much tamer than its naughty cousin, marijuana. Thanks to the growing demand for all things healthy and natural, the marketplace for products containing hemp seeds, oil and fiber is expanding as well.