One Family, One Month, 50kg of packaging. Why?
By Lucy Siegle, The Observer
Why on earth would anyone shrink-wrap a coconut? Today's pre-packaged economy has created an enormous amount of unnecessary waste, and the British newspaper The Observer set out to find just how much. They recruited four families to save all of their waste for one month; experts then weighed and analyzed it. The tallies ranged from 16 kg to 42 kg, with an ecological "overburden" -- the energy and resources used and waste generated to make the "skin of commerce" -- topping out at 76 kg. -- Bennett Gordon
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,1696638,00.html

NYU Student Fired Over Copyright Beliefs
By Jake Dobkin, Gothamist
A New York University student and president of the school's Free Culture chapter was fired from her job at an intellectual property law firm for "holding beliefs that were incompatible with the work of the firm." While this seems absurd, Gothamist, a New York culture blog, makes a good point: Why was the president of a Free Culture chapter working at a firm dedicated to protecting corporate copyrights anyway? -- Bennett Gordon
http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2006/02/01/nyu_student_fir.php

Organic Valentine's Day
By Staff, Organic Consumers Association
If your love likes red, red roses, why not make sure they're organic? The Organic Consumers Association has put together a helpful guide to the day of love, including a rundown of the environmental effects of conventional flower and chocolate production, a Valentines Buying Guide, and a flash video that shows what can happen (and what won't) if you don't buy organic. -- Nick Rose
http://www.organicconsumers.org/valentines/#buyguide
http://www.organicconsumers.org/valentines/slammed.htm

PLUG: Independent Music Awards
By Staff, PLUG
Are you drowning in a sea of over-produced pop music? Or perhaps you have decided to abscond forgo the pleasures of new music for the time-tested classics. PLUG, a "collection of music lovers," will have you singing a different tune. The PLUG Independent Music Awards help you filter through the noise with creative categories like "Best Music Festival of the Year" (Coachella), "Zine of the Year" (Wax Poetics), and "Live Act of the Year" (Arcade Fire). It's a welcome change from the out of touch Grammies or MTV Video Music Awards. (Thanks, Cool Hunting) -- Bennett Gordon
http://www.plugawards.com/homepage_winners.php