The nationwide search America’s Greenest School, sponsored by IC Bus, invites students and teachers to explain what their school has done to go green. The winning student will be awarded a plug-in hybrid bus for his or her school.

Source:America's Greenest School 2009

Tom’s of Maine produces many natural personal care items such as Naturally Waxed Antiplaque Round Floss. Read this product review to see how Tom’s ADA accepted floss has been rated.

Source:TOM's Round Floss

Shade of green: Luscious lime

Items needed: Air compressor, four to six quarts synthetic oil, common sense, willing mechanic

Why this hack: Because you can’t afford a Prius

Heart of the hack: This one’s simple, folks. First, you gotta check tire pressure. Consider: There’s a 1% loss of fuel efficiency for every 2 PSI under maximum pressure (usually in the 35-psi range). So if you’re running at 26 psi, you’re giving up about 5% fuel efficiency. Why, on my 1990 one-ton Chevy pickup (454 and four-on-the-floor, if you care, which you should), that’s… um… 1/2 mpg.

The DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center: needs a smart grid. (Florida Power & Light rendering)

The DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Florida will be large enough to serve the entire city of Arcadia, whose very name suggests some kind of modern-day post-oil paradise. Here’s what the 25-megawatt facility, the largest solar installation in the U.S. with 90,000 solar panels, looks like on video:

But there are clouds in the solar sky, and its name is the electric grid….

Editor’s note: We were delighted by Lauren Weber’s new book In Cheap We Trust: The Story of a Misunderstood American Virtue, and we weren’t just flattered that she mentioned The Daily Green, or Jeff Yeager’s own book The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches. Weber writes with style and humor about a topic dear to us: getting more out of life with less impact on the planet. We noticed some similarities in suggestions and outlook between these two thrifty authors, and also noted amusing ways in which they diverge in their habits.