For some people, climate change is a tough cause to rally ‘round—even those who understand that it’s happening and that it’s human-caused get distracted by things like eating, working, having sex, watching TV, or watching people on TV have sex.

While social scientists ponder the best ways to get the message out and motivate the masses—and since we’re gearing up to cover December’s climate talks in Copenhagen—we’ve devised a Grist list of good reasons to care about this global crisis. Got reasons of your own? Let us know in the comments section below.

25. Because supermodels are stripping for the cause. If these lovely ladies are getting hot and bothered, shouldn’t you? At least watch the video. Call it your good deed for the day.

24. Because you don’t want your insurance premiums to go up. The sea level rise, severe weather, flash floods, and windstorms attributable to climate change have all got the insurance industry on edge. Some firms in the U.S. have already raised premiums in coastal areas, and rates in the U.K. are on the rise as well.

Dirt moguls just aren’t the same.Photo: Shay Haas23. Because you like to ski. Listen up, snow bunny: you’ll soon be consigned to schussing in an indoor dome if climate chaos has its way. Shorter winters and decreased snowfall are forcing big ski areas to ramp up their snowmaking efforts (a questionable scheme in the face of global water shortages) and leading smaller ski areas to close.

22. Because you’re a raging hypochondriac. Warmer temperatures mean happy, thriving insects, which might mean increased risk of West Nile, encephalitis, malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever. Do you really need more to worry about? Isn’t that weird spot on your inner thigh enough?

Nothing to see here, folks.Photo: andedam via flickr21. Because it’s a good excuse to learn weird things about animal sex. OK, you don’t care about the plight of the polar bears. But admit it, you’re curious about polar bear penises, aren’t you? And why they’re larger in snowier areas? That’s nothing compared to the lengths sea turtles go to for reproduction, and the flip-flopping gender of the hot bearded dragon lizard. Go on, check it out —you know you want to.

20. Because you hate oil. If your soul still wilts at the thought of all those people in slickers cleaning slick-covered birds in the wake of the Exxon Valdez spill, if you’d rather ride a bike than participate in the auto economy, then climate change is your issue, man. Fossil fuels got us here, and ending our reliance on them can get us out. But you don’t need us to tell you that.

19. Because you love oil. So maybe you didn’t mind the oily birds and you love driving your car? You should be worried too: according to a report from the U.S. government, the severe storms that are becoming more frequent due to climate change threaten our infrastructure and transportation networks, including the ports and freight lines used to transport oil. The oil-rich Gulf Coast is, as was made painfully clear in 2005, a particularly vulnerable area. Stop climate change in its tracks! Save the oil distribution network!

18. Because you eat rice. It’s a pleasant side dish to you, and for 750 million people, it’s a life-giving staple: rice. But this crucial crop stands to wither in the face of climate change, thanks to rising temperatures, increased flooding, and rats. Yeah, rats—they scurry in after major storms, eat all the rice, and nibble on people too. Care yet?

He speaks truth.Photo: Martin Crook17. Because Stephen Colbert does. Need we say more?

16. Because the Christian Coalition does. Need we pray more?

15. Because it will create jobs. Talk about your silver lining: In the midst of the deepest recession this country has seen in decades, attempts to forestall this global climate scourge could create new jobs in clean-energy industries, weatherization, and other areas. The feds are already steering money toward job training for green professions, and clean-energy legislation now before Congress could create jobs and boost the GDP of every U.S. state.

14.  Because you live near water. Sea levels could rise as much as a meter or more by 2100. That’s enough to put places like Miami, downtown Philadelphia, and parts of Manhattan underwater. How many people live in such vulnerable coastal areas? Oh, just 53 percent of the U.S. population.

13. Because Kardashians interest you more than Katrinas. Who can forget the powerful images beamed around the world when Hurricane Katrina hit: the faces of the forgotten, houses crumpled like paper cups, water washing over everything. And who can forget how they beamed in during your favorite show! So inconsiderate. If this sort of prime-time interruption irritates you, you may want to get involved in the climate fight. Because we’re going to see a lot more storms, and that means a lot more unhappy people beamed in your living room.

12. Because you like breathing. Got lungs? Got a healthy apprecation for fresh air? Well, take a deep breath: warming-induced increases in ground-level ozone and particulate matter are expected to increase respiratory disorders including asthma, and a recent study says more children will be hospitalized over the next decade due to such respiratory problems.

11. Because colorful coral jewelry completes most of your outfits. Prepare to adopt a new accessory, or wear a lot of white necklaces: climate change has led to massive coral bleaching and die-offs. The real problem is the disturbance of the delicate relationship between coral reefs and the teensy organisms that build them and give them color. It’s the foundation of a healthy ocean, which is the foundation of a healthy planet.

10. Because you won’t be able to hold up your end of a conversation with Obama, Lucy Lawless, Glenn Beck, Evander Holyfield, or the Pope if you don’t. You can probably fake it with Miley Cyrus, though.

Fading to black.Photo: burnblue9. Because colorful fall leaves are so pretty. But warmer autumns—and pests that enjoy warmer autumns—are messing with the trees. Duller leaves means less for you to look at, and translates into an economic hit for places like New England that rely on tourism generated by the annual phenomenon.

8. Because you don’t want to serve embarrassing champagne. Rising temperatures are altering the world’s finest champagnes, making the alcohol content “embarrassingly high,” says one British wine critic. How fun! Uh, we meant to say how terrible.

7. Because you like lights to come on when you flip a switch. Remember that blackout in 2003? The one that left 50 million people in the dark? That happened on a hot, hot day when lots of people wanted electricity. Guess what we’re in for more of? Hot, hot days. Guess how much our power grid has improved since then? Not much. For a little bit of Jazzercise for the brain, check out this academic paper on climate’s potential impacts on our power grids and national security—including, oh, crippling our society.

6.  Because: “insect feeding frenzy.” Shudder.

5. Because you support the recycled-soda-bottle fleece industry. What will become of those cozy fleece jackets made from recycled soda bottles? Such an incredible innovation, such a wonderful way forward—but if our northern climes turn temperate and our southern climes turn tropical, no one will wear fleece. And those soda bottles are going right back in the trash.

4. Because you think it’s depressing when old people die alone in hot apartments. Heat waves are the deadliest natural disaster in the U.S.—and the probability of severe heat waves is increasing along with temperatures. If emissions are not reduced, heat waves are projected to double in Los Angeles and quadruple in Chicago. With an aging boomer population, that’s a recipe for one hot mess.

3. Because you think it’s depressing when little kids die. It’s happening. Now. According to Save the Children, 9 million kids die before their fifth birthday each year from diseases that are occurring more frequently because of climate change, which is also affecting access to food and water. What are you, completely heartless?

2. Because everyone at Grist cares. We’re a bunch of (fairly) normal people, with pets and kids and money woes and Twitter obsessions—but we all think this is big. Like, bigger than Elvis. A survey shows that our reasons range from the practical (I live near the coast) to the dire (it’s going to kill my unborn grandbabies). But on one thing we agree: we need to do whatever we can to reverse this course.

1.  Because if we stop climate change, we can stop earnest lists like this. Seriously. We’d rather be doing other stuff too. Like maybe watching that supermodel video again?

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We know. There's nothing green about owning a 20,000-square foot house, or flying in a private jet, or stocking a wardrobe the size of a studio apartment. Famous actors indisputably leave a much larger carbon footprint than the average citizen. But their celebrity gives them a far greater ability to influence others, so their efforts toward eco-consciousness can make a difference. Two years ago Grist published a list of green actors. Now we give you an updated version: some younger, fresher faces whose greenness may not be as dark or deep as that of Robert Redford and Ed Begley Jr., but who could be on their way to becoming Hollywood's next green dream team.

Photo: Hengist Decius

He drives a hybrid, has a solar-powered house in London, works with Global Green U.S.A., and helped launch Global Cool, a campaign to fight climate change and encourage people to take small eco-friendly steps. "I'm very passionate about the environment, he told Elle magazine, going on to say he thinks it's "terrifying" that the icebergs he witnessed on a Pirates shoot near Antarctica could be gone within a few years.

Photo: Attit Patel

A mean girl on the screen, a green girl in real life, McAdams embodies the title of her eco-blog, Green Is Sexy. She declares that "her bike is still her vehicle of choice," and that she's "switching her house to green power and developing an OCD for unplugging anything with a plug." McAdams lives a relatively low-profile life in her native Canada and dreams of one day raising a family on a farm and growing her own food.

The Entourage star has a green-themed renovation TV series, Alter Eco, that follows the eco-makeover of his own home and offers tips for others aiming to green their lifestyles. He drives a Prius, of course, and has been known to tote a sign declaring "green is gold." In 2008 he was awarded the Blue Sky Award for Environmental Activism at the Vail Film Festival.

Photo: Jim Spellman / WireImage

"I cannot not be green," Watson told a French magazine. "I did my end-of-school project on global warming and Hurricane Katrina. ... My car is electric, I recycle, I take public transportation, I try not to buy and drink bottled water. I'm not perfect, but it's something I feel strongly about." The interview inspired Greenpeace to ask her to serve as a global ambassador (no word yet on her response). She even donated to the Wild Trout Trust. Witch enviro cause will be next?

Emily (left) and Zooey DeschanelPhoto: Jeff Vespa / WireImage

These sisters' greenness only increases their dreaminess. Emily's been vegan for at least 15 years and is involved with the farm-animal protection group Farm Sanctuary. Zooey appeared in the environmental-disaster-themed but critically panned flick The Happening and helped kick off a national T-shirt recycling program last year. Both sisters regularly participate in the Humane Society's Genesis Awards. And apparently Emily convinced former Fox Chairman Peter Ligouri to try going vegan. Badass!

Jake Gyllenhaal (right) at a Global Green USA event.Photo: John Shearer / WireImage

A truly manic organic, Gyllenhaal wears organic Loomstate jeans, buys organic puppy chow, and even hatched plans to open an organic restaurant, though the project appears not to have come to fruition yet. He's worked with Global Green USA to raise awareness about climate change and launch a Green Schools initiative that promotes energy efficiency and organic gardening in schools. Wonder what he thinks about his sister's fur flop.

Photo: Paul Morigi / WireImage

The vegetarian Heroes star figures as something of an eco-action hero in the new documentary The Cove, about the secret slaughter of 20,000 dolphins a year in a small cove in Japan. She received a "Compassion in Action" award from PETA in 2007 for her work saving the dolphins. A lot of celebrities donate money to worthy causes, but not many don a wetsuit and paddle into dolphin-hunter-infested waters to defend their beliefs.

Photo: Michael Bezjian / WireImage

It's hard not to be into Johansson, who helped design T-shirts to benefit the Rainforest Foundation, starred in a PSA encouraging cell phone recycling, and auctioned herself to raise money for Oxfam. Does it count as recycling that a used tissue of hers sold for $5,300 on eBay, with proceeds going to USA Harvest?

Photo: John Mira

A vegan (and vegetarian since childhood), Portman had her own vegan shoe line until the end of last year. She teamed up with Jack Hanna for an Animal Planet documentary about endangered gorillas. Even as a tween she was green, singing backup in a recycling video for World Patrol Kids.

Photo: Chris Weeks / WireImage

Besides auctioning herself as a lunch date to benefit farm-animal protection group Farm Sanctuary, and being named a Sexiest Vegetarian by PETA, Bell starred in this almost-too-cute-to-be-true GAP ad encouraging people to vote on behalf of "those who can't talk and those who can't write" (birds, bees, flowers, trees, icebergs, seas, etc.). We won't be forgetting her anytime soon.

Photo: Anita Bugge / WireImage

She did a spot for The CW's "Free 2 Be Green" campaign with Gossip Girl co-stars Leighton Meester and Penn Badgley on simple energy conservation (like snuggling up to your hot co-stars instead of turning up the thermostat). Tries to buy "green everything" at the grocery store and apparently helped convince the Gossip Girl crew to favor reusable mugs and cut down on bottled water.

Photo: Volker Neumann

Though he's earned critical acclaim for his acting in recent years, Mos Def is more famous for his musical career, and that's also where his green sympathies shine through. Last fall he headlined the Living Word Festival in Oakland, an event with an "eco-equity" theme that included bamboo-building activities and a green-themed graffiti battle in addition to musical performances, and he tackled water issues in his 1999 tune "New World Water."

Photo: Mark O'Donald

Okay, don't judge. Even though she loves country fried steak too much to be a vegetarian, Cyrus gets serious props for trading in her Porsche SUV for a hybrid, finding good homes for the chickens featured in Hannah Montana: The Movie (for which PETA gave her a Compassionate Citizen Award), recording a global warming song for her latest album, and being one of the faces of Disney's new Friends for Change environmental campaign. She may be jailbait, but she's probably the most influential person on this list.

Photo: Mark Sebastian

Although she's had some transgressions over the years -- like allegedly taking a private jet to Obama's inauguration -- Alba deserves cred for the green nursery she built for daughter Honor Marie. In fact, her whole home is pretty green, outfitted with used furniture and accessories, non-toxic paint, and a saltwater pool. She shops at the farmers market, drives a Prius, bikes around Paris, bakes vegan cupcakes for her kid, and lends her support to a ton of worthy causes, like Johnson's Clean Water Initiative. And did we mention she chose an all-natural hypnobirth?

He's been lost on a jungle island, and in Middle Earth, for years, so it's no surprise that he has some respect for the planet. Monaghan filmed a spot for PETA and even bought a forest in India to save it from destruction.

Thank God for Disney Channel child stars. Without Gomez and Kermit the Frog's PSA, how would today's tweens have known that half the world's frogs are endangered? Gomez sets an example for her impressionable fans by rocking T-shirts with enviro messages, taking out her family's recycling bin, and shopping at the farmers market. For paparazzi eagerly awaiting a who's-greener cat fight between Gomez and Cyrus, the opposite seems to be coming true: the starlets have teamed up with Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers in Send it On, a cheesy (but hopefully inspirational?) protect-the-planet pop song for Disney's Friends for Change campaign.

Another vegan, Phoenix doesn't walk the line when it comes to environmentalism. He got attention for narrating the brutal 2005 documentary Earthlings, which Ellen DeGeneres says inspired her to go vegan. In addition to being a PETA member, he supports the environmental education organization HEART (and his sister has an eco-friendly building supply store in Florida).

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Happy birthday, EMA Awards ... and you other groups, too

We'll be brief
Want to change the world? Start with your underwear.

Hoofin' it
Forget gasoline, veggie oil, and electric plugs. When it comes to ecofriendly travel, all you need is horse power. Giddy up!

Frosty, we only have eyes for you
My family supported coal and all I got was this lousy coloring book (and an asthma inhaler).

Nature = nurture
"Maintaining a connection to nature, either through the presence of indoor plants or artwork depicting the natural environment, has been shown to ... make us better people." People who don't know what actually constitutes "nature."

Horror show
The Cove: It's Whale Wars meets Oceans Eleven meets, well, actual oceans. Dive in ... if you dare.

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Sierra magazine has just released its third annual list of what it calls "the most eco-enlightened U.S. colleges." It ranks schools based on the results of a questionnaire sent to sustainability experts at hundreds of institutions across the country. Scores were assigned in eight categories: efficiency, energy, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, and administration. The rankings come at a time when two-thirds of college applicants say a school's green record would influence their enrollment decision, according to a Princeton Review survey [PDF].

Below we've got the dish on Sierra's top 20 picks. (Schools that also made the Princeton Review's "Green Honor Roll" are asterisked.)

Don't see your college or alma mater on the list?  Check out Sierra's full list of rankings for 135 colleges. And the College Sustainability Report Card evaluates the green cred of hundreds of U.S. and Canadian schools.

Photo: jiannone1. University of Colorado, Boulder

Known for its outdoorsy student body and scenic location at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, CU created the first student-directed recycling center in 1970, and in the decades since it's made many other impressive green strides. The school provides plenty of alternative transportation for students to get around town or up to the ski slopes, all its new buildings must meet LEED Gold standards, and first-year students are provided with reusable shopping bags.

Photo: Wonderlane2. University of Washington, Seattle*

The UW holds new campus buildings to a LEED Silver standard, strives for a local, organic focus in its food services, and is currently the pilot site to test the first compostable paper soft drink cups.

Photo: bgblogging3. Middlebury College, Vermont*

Middlebury's biomass gasification plant reduces the school's carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent and keeps it on track to becoming carbon neutral by 2016.

Photo: toddmundt4. University of Vermont, Burlington

With its Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, biodiesel buses, green buildings, and the eco-awareness of the student body and populace of Burlington, UVM consistently makes lists of green schools.

5. College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine*

Over 90 percent of this campus's lighting comes in the form of compact fluorescents, and a new wood-pellet furnace heats 20 percent of the school. Students design their own majors and all graduate with a B.A. in Human Ecology. The school has been carbon neutral since 2007.

Photo: lil_azorean6. Evergreen State College, Olympia, Wash.*

The college purchased a fleet of electric vehicles and runs a sustainably managed farm where it teaches courses in organic agriculture. With the help of students' self-imposed clean-energy fee, Evergreen is on its way to meeting its goals of being waste-free and carbon neutral by 2020.

7. University of California, Santa Cruz

One of eight UC schools that are part of the California Climate Action Registry, which tracks greenhouse-gas emissions, UCSC has a student-created fund for buying renewable energy credits, and is home to the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems.

Photo: Thomas Hawk8. University of California, Berkeley*

Cal has pledged to return its greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2014, six years earlier than the rest of the state, and its primary food service provider was first in the country to be organically certified.

Photo: _Gene_9. University of California, Los Angeles

UCLA wins for waste management, recycling the hell out of just about anything on campus that can be recycled (construction materials, cafeteria food waste, leftover lab water, etc.). Many of its dorms have solar-heated water.

Photo: baslow10. Oberlin College, Ohio

Oberlin has been greening its commencement year by year, offering hybrid vehicles to rent and serving local and organic food. It has a Bike Co-op, a solar parking pavilion, and hosts the Ecolympics, a four-week series of environmentally themed contests between dorms.

Photo: mathoov11. Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.*

Harvard leads the way in resource conservation, with its collection of CFLs, solar panels, and 17 LEED-certified buildings, not to mention moisture-sensitive sprinklers on the famous Yard.

12. University of New Hampshire, Durham*

This school, which held a sustainable commencement in 2009, gets most of its energy from landfill gas, and with an organic dairy research farm and a new double major in EcoGastronomy, it leads the way in focusing on sustainable agriculture and food practices.

Photo: midiman13. Arizona State University, Tempe*

ASU's biggest claim to green fame is its School of Sustainability, established in 2007, which offers interdisciplinary eco-related degree programs. The university has more solar panels than any other college campus in the U.S., and its president Michael Crow co-chairs the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. ASU has also teamed up with Grist to send local and national sustainability news to its whole student body--and we all know that working with Grist earns you the greatest green kudos!

Photo: interrupt14. Yale University, New Haven, Conn.*

Almost half of the food in Yale's dining halls is local, seasonal, or organic, thanks in part to the school's one-acre market garden. The school is a leader in environmental and climate research.

Photo: StevenM_6115. University of Florida, Gainesville

A new addition to the Gator football complex is certified LEED Platinum--the first athletic building in the U.S. to take that distinction--and it plans to host the first carbon-neutral home football season this year. The school aims to be waste-free by 2015.

Photo: davidgalestudios16. Bates College, Lewiston, Maine*

Bates does a good job of favoring local food, diverting food waste, and using renewable energy, and offers Prius rentals to its eco-savvy student body.

Photo: Jason McHuff17. Willamette University, Salem, Ore.

"The first university in the West" adopted strong green purchasing policies, has a new LEED Gold residence hall, and composts 50 percent of its food waste. Its Center for Sustainable Communities hires students to lead selected sustainability projects, and the National Wildlife Federation deemed it first in the nation for "sustainability activities."

Photo: blueathena718. Warren Wilson College, Asheville, N. Carolina

This tiny college is big on waste management, composting all food waste from its dining halls and receiving the Outstanding College Recycling Award from the Carolina Recycling Association.

Photo: oppositeofsuper19. Dickinson College, Carlisle, Penn.*

Dickinson has committed that all new buildings will meet at least a LEED Silver certification. The college also has a Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education and an organic farm, and has eliminated Styrofoam from its dining services.

Photo: wallyg20. New York University

This large university buys enough renewable-energy credits to offset all of its electricity use, and for a while was the top campus purchaser of green energy, according to the EPA. It requires new construction and renovations to meet LEED Silver standards (all the cool schools are doing it!), and doesn't let the big city stand in the way of offering local, organic food in dining halls.

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Photo: Mark O'DonaldWake up, America!
Miley Cyrus, the JoBros, and other Disney mouseketeers tweensters want you to "send it on" -- your love for the earth, that is. However, when it comes to this sugar-pop single, we suggest you only send it on to your worst enemies.

Bagging climate change
It's Jack Handey meets eco-advert ... but we're pretty sure it's just a bunch of hot air.

Photo: Ricardo FariaSpooning
What happens to all those ice-cream taster spoons once you've slurped off the chunky monkey? They become the light of your life!

Onion rings true
PETA: "We have no intention of changing our tactics until every last animal on the planet is given more respect than women."

Heard it through the grapevine
EPA admin Lisa Jackson on Obama: "I haven't seen a brother take on so many issues at once since Marvin Gaye put 'What's Going On,' 'Mercy Mercy Me,' and 'Inner City Blues' all on the same album." How sweet it is, indeed.

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What comes to mind when you think of royalty? Luxurious palaces, the Queen of England, and overused puns on Marie Antoinette's infamous one-liner?

How about chemical-free gardens, recycling, and sustainable seafood? Ruling families from around the globe are using their media magnetism and sovereign sway to draw attention to a variety of eco-causes, fighting climate change, greening their homelands, and making sure all that cake we're eating is organic too.

1. Prince Charles of England

An outspoken proponent of fighting climate change, Prince Charles has an across-the-board interest in environmental issues. He's advocated for tropical rainforest preservation through The Prince's Rainforests Project and brought attention to the rapid depletion of global fish stocks. After moving to the Highgrove country estate in Gloucestershire three decades ago, the prince took interest in back-to-basics farming and converted the Home Farm from conventional to organic food production. Deciding that this sustainable farming thing was a brilliant idea, he started Duchy Originals in 1992 to sell organic and sustainably produced goodies, from British tea classics to organic hair and body products.

2. Princess Basma bint Ali of Jordan

Princess Basma has earned a long list of awards and honors for her efforts to bring environmental issues into the limelight in Jordan. After becoming one of the first women in her country to earn navy diving certification, Princess Basma saw firsthand the damage that human waste and neglect have taken on the delicate coral reefs of Jordan's Red Sea coast. This inspired her to form the Jordan Royal Ecological Diving Society, which is focused on conserving Jordan's marine areas and educating citizens about the impacts of their activities on marine life. She also founded the Royal Botanic Garden, preserving the wide array of plants native to Jordan for generations to come. In recognition of these and many more initiatives, Princess Basma was honored with a spot on the U.N. Environment Program's Global 500 Roll of Honor.

3. Prince Albert II of Monaco

The website of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation declares that sustainability and protecting the environment are challenges that require "urgent and concrete action," and Prince Albert II tries to walk the talk, implementing sustainable practices in his own country and urging the world to do likewise. Monaco hosted the second international Ocean in a High-CO2 World symposium last October, during which the Monaco Declaration [PDF] on ocean acidification was drafted, calling for nations of the world to take immediate action to reduce CO2 emissions and thereby prevent damaging changes to ocean chemistry. Prince Albert wrote a foreword to the declaration, urging political leaders to get with the program. Recently, he called for removal of the over-fished bluefin tuna from the menus of all restaurants in the United Kingdom (it's already off all menus and shelves in Monaco). He has also promoted energy efficiency as a way to combat climate change. For efforts such as these, the U.N. named him a Champion of the Earth in 2008.

4. Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco

As president of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of Environment, Princess Lalla Hasnaa has worked toward the revival of green spaces, better water management, and sweeping environmental education initiatives in Morocco. Cleaning up beaches, urging young people to report on environmental issues, and improving air quality are all in a day's work for this green princess. She says her "heart as a mother and as a Moroccan" is "worried when thinking that our sons and daughters do not have the right to live in a country respecting nature and its beauty." Thanks to her good work, all of Morocco's kids might inherit a greener nation.

Photo: Andrew Smith Lewis5. Princess Takamado of Japan

An avid bird enthusiast, Princess Takamado has championed the cause of avian conservation through her honorary presidency of BirdLife International, urging kids to get involved in the world of bird watching and establishing the Asia Bird Fund. In addition to her efforts on behalf of our feathered friends, she has spread the word about fragile ocean and Arctic environments through Lulie the Iceberg, a picture book for children about a breakaway iceberg's adventure from the Arctic to Antarctica--complete with a companion musical score featuring famed cellist Yo Yo Ma.

6. Princess Chulabhorn Walailak of Thailand

A chemist and medical researcher, Princess Chulabhorn has focused on genetic toxicology and the chemistry of natural products, studying, among other things, the health risks that air pollution poses to traffic police in Bangkok. She founded the International Center for Environmental and Industrial Toxicology, which was designated by the U.N. Environment Program as "a Center of Excellence," and the Chulabhorn Research Institute, which trains scientists and searches for solutions to problems related to the environment, agriculture, and health. In 2002, she was awarded the Environmental Mutagen Society Hollaender International Fellowship [PDF]. She has served as a special adviser to the U.N. Environment Program and was named by the U.N. to direct the Center of Excellence for Environmental and Industrial Toxicology.

7. Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan

A supporter of the DESERTEC Foundation, which promotes massive solar power projects in North Africa, Prince Hassan (brother to Princess Basma) is a staunch advocate of clean, renewable energy. He delivered a swift kick (ahem) to fossil fuels by declaring that they are "a threat to our natural living conditions." Last year he gave a speech [PDF] before the United Nations General Assembly explaining how environmental issues relate to human security. For his efforts on behalf of the environment, this anti-petroleum prince was recognized as a 2007 Champion of the Earth by the U.N. Environment Program.

8. Queen Elizabeth II of England

Earlier this year, Queen Elizabeth (mother of Prince Charles) planted a chemical-free vegetable garden on a patch of the Buckingham Palace grounds--land that hasn't seen food production since the Victory Garden days of World War II. The queen has also expressed concerns about the effects of climate change on the poor and made the royal palaces more Earth-friendly by installing energy-efficient light bulbs and even a mini hydroelectric power plant for Windsor Castle.

Photo: Kanaka

9. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand

Princess Sirindhorn (sister to Princess Chulabhorn) has been involved in projects ranging from preserving the biodiversity of plant life in her country to improving water management. In an address on World Food Day in 2004, she spoke of how "biodiversity plays a key role in sustainable development and poverty alleviation." Recently she visited the Heliocentris headquarters in Berlin to talk about the future of renewable energy.

Photo: Milton Correa 10. King Carl Gustaf of Sweden

What do you have in common with the King of Sweden? If you recycle, then you'd feel right at home in his private kitchen, separating your imperial plastics from your aristocratic cans. King Carl Gustaf attributes his love for the environment to time spent outdoors with his nature-loving mother, but was inspired to take action against climate change after a voyage on an icebreaker with international climate scientists in 2004. He has since installed a pellet-fired boiler at Drottningholm Palace and launched a campaign to raise global awareness about climate change, an effort that won him special recognition in the U.N.-HABITAT Scroll of Honor in 2006. The king reconciles his love for cars with his concern for the environment by advocating for alternative fuels.

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Sardines head south

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Photo: Howie Berlin via FlickrNo joker
Oscar-worthy performances and a waltzing Matilda definitely make the list of 10 things we love about you, Heath Ledger. Now we're adding your grimm music video and devotion to animal rights.

Photo: .imelda via FlickrBreaking wind news
To protest the closure of a Vestas turbine plant, seven activists glued themselves together. We think it'd have been funnier more effective if they'd glued themselves to the actual turbine blades … but that's just us.

Shower curtain call
Ways to save the Brazilian rainforest: peeing in the shower! Also, not clearcutting.

Photo: bhsher via FlickrAha!
Source of man-made global warming traced to devout alpine community.

Photo: Genosfear via FlickrBlow by blow
Wind Turbine Syndrome may be just a bunch of hot air, but that doesn't mean that renewable energy isn't hazardous to your health. See: Solar Panel Syndrome (aka sunburn) and Hydropower Syndrome (aka drowning).

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The green sliver to your right represents songs that express environmental concern and don't suck. It is populated by "Big Yellow Taxi" from Joni Mitchell. Oh, and "Mercy Mercy Me" by Marvin Gaye. "Earth Song," by Michael Jackson, if you're into that kind of thing. A couple of Neil Young songs. They call it a sliver for a reason.

With the recent explosion of "green" over the past few years, though, we've noticed a new wave of tunes that try to do better -- to hip green so, you know, the kids can dance to it. Unfortunately, few of these new efforts have found their way to the sliver.

Here's a list of recent eco-minded tunes, ranked from most to least cringeworthy. Don't say we didn't warn you.

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10. Dave Stewart (the Other Guy in the Eurythmics) has been instrumental in starting a posse of green celebrities called "Greenpeace Works," which he characterizes, God help us all, as a "think tank." The brain trust's inaugural production is "Go Green," a forgettable piece of didacticism set to stale mid-'90s pop beats. Imagine "We Are the World," only with B-list celebs. And a corkscrew jammed in your temple.

The song is Greenpeace's "Earth Day anthem," which is as good an indicator as any that the human race is done for. When grumpy red staters imagine elitist liberal greens and their Gulfstream-flying Hollywood buddies, this is the soundtrack to their fuming.

9. Remember when Madonna didn't give a f*ck what you thought? When she was just dancing around in ripped up clothes, all spunky and badass, like you could take your rules and stick 'em where the lucky star don't shine?

We miss that Madonna. Nowadays, Madonna cares what you think. Really cares. In fact she's tapping you on the shoulder so she can tell you what you think -- thus "Hey You." Converting Britney to Kabbalah? Fine. Making unwatchable movies? Fine. Collecting poor brown kids like tchotchkes? Hey, papa don't preach. But this song? This is too much. Madonna must be stopped.

8. Did you know the Earth is, like, hurting? With global warming and stuff? Totally. "I don't know what all this means," admits synergistic multi-platform Disney entertainment conglomerate Miley Cyrus. Luckily, "tomorrow becomes another day." Some of us grumpy post-pubescents might point out that tomorrow, insofar as it's not today, is already another day, but hell, we're just old! The kidz can make a diff! Wake up, America! As if you could sleep through this.

7. If you are, ahem, of a certain age, you will remember Jared Leto as the TOTALLY DREAMY Jordan Catalano from short-lived teen drama "My So-Called Life." If you are of Generation Z or whatever we're on now, you know Leto as the lead singer for mopey emo rockers 30 Seconds to Mars, who have distinguished themselves from dozens of other similarly tight-jeaned mopey emo rockers by ... er ... they went to the Arctic! To film a video, presumably in support of saving the Arctic.

Puzzlingly, the song isn't about climate change. Or the Arctic. It's about how life is totally a big lie and you just have to, like, maintain. "A quiet desperation's building higher / I've got to remember this is just a game." Oh, Jordan, if only it were. Er, Jared! We meant Jared!

6. Painfully bad white-boy rapping -- and you'll see more before you're done with this list -- is a delicate business. It requires a certain ironic detachment; painfully bad rappers have to be in on the goof. Ideally they deliver some good information, because if you gotta suck, you might as well suck informatively.

On all these scores, Darrick “D-Pain” Lee and Michael “Phat Mike” Darnel get a solid C. That's C as in Canada, Land Where Laughing-At and Laughing-With Meet. These Vancouver hip-hoplings' debut joint, "Hurtin' Our Planet," loses points for hectoring but gains 'em right back for the use of autotune.

5. Middle of the list, middle of the road, possibly the middle of the known universe: "I Need to Wake Up (Inconvenient Truth)," from Melissa Ethridge. Yes, this slice of OprAmerican cheese is meant to tickle Boomer '60s nostalgia. (Wake up, hippies! Cast off those khakis!) And like most Boomer nostalgia it mistakes activism for therapy. But c'mon. Don't you want the Boomers fired up? They'll be retiring soon, with time on their hands. And they have all the money!

4. Slightly better white-boy rapping, from Vermont's X-10, wins for being packed with an almost scholarly level of detail on peer-review, methane capture, efficiency, and voting margins. The song pleads with Vermont's congress to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of clean energy bill H. 520. That is keeping it real with wonk appeal. Word to the 350 in 802. Out.

3. will.i.am is making a play to be the new Bono, a performer taken seriously on matters of world import. Though he lacks Bono's, er, understanding of matters of world import, he does have a huge Rolodex, the ability to project himself as a hologram, and an almost uncanny instinct for tickling the millennial American id, as demonstrated by his now-famous "Yes We Can" video. (Not to mention "My Humps.")

Slightly less impactful, and with fewer lovely lady lumps, was "Take Our Planet Back," a song Mr. i.am did for Mr. Gore. It's a little sappy, but it does contain this immortal passage:

2. In "Melting Ice," 10-year-old Lil Peppi, the "king of eco-rap," gets quite a bit of mileage out of a synthy old-school beat and being frakking adorable. My favorite is the outfit with the "Science Team" badge. Go Science Team!

Peppi also says "we gotta find a solution, no matter the cost," which I take as comment on this matter.

1. Now we're getting somewhere. "I pull up behind and you never heard a sound." This is from comedy troupe Casual Mafia and it's obviously supposed to be funny, but it's kind of awesome too. They're not making fun of my people are they?

(You might also enjoy "Douchebag Anthem.")

Take it all the way to 11 -- click to the next page to see the best eco-song out there.

Winner!

Take one of the best pop songs of the last decade, add a cute girl, a goofy pink hat, and impossibly nerdy lyrics about home energy efficiency audits, and you have, quite simply, perfection. "Yeah, this record's going LEED Platinum / If you got those skinny windows, better fatten' em." If this video were a man I'd gay marry it.

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Friday music blogging: Harper Simon

Dutch treat
Forget cow-tipping. Dutch pranksters are all about car-tipping these days, dumping dozens of lightweight Smart cars into Amsterdam's canals. What tossers!

Image created by The Sun

Keep on truckin'
Giving the Weinermobile (R.I.P. Oscar) a run for its money, the Truck Farm is a CSA on wheels. Talk about teaching an old Dodge new tricks!

Cloudy with a chance of ice cream
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream that teaches us about climate change and emerging nanotechnology.

Monkey business
Guard your gardenias, folks, seems guerilla gorilla gardening is on the rise.

Take that, Once-ler!
He is the Lorax; he speaks for the trees. And soon he'll be doing it in animated 3-D.

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Getting trashed
Dumpster diving, as defined by a hippie: dinner. Dumpster diving, as defined by a hipster: exclusive urban swimming hole.

Photo: diegofuego via Flickr

Streak of genius
Well, that's one way to get your message across ... but can you really call yourself a streaker if there's no meat involved?

Photo: The Lab via FlickrLook out below!
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a coal shill!

Leave it to Beavan
First Colin Beavan had a blog, then a book, and now a movie. Does that still count as having "no impact"?

Just dance
Choreographed dance routines: our greatest weapon in the fight against climate change.

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Build me up, double-D cup
Pamela Anderson sure has grown her assets over the years. She's transformed from Baywatch babe to eco-entrepreneur -- erecting projects in Canada, Abu Dhabi, and now Montenegro. Just one question: will these green buildings have "twin towers"?

Tag, you're it
Now you can know exactly how guilty to feel when shopping at Wal-Mart -- it'll be right on the label!

Come here often?
Want to save a buck by biking to a brothel, but sweating the stink factor once you arrive? Jet-pack a Rocket Shower and spray to your heart's content. Your madam will be over the moon.

That's a rap
It's no "Double Panes," but these yoots from the Big Easy sure can bust an efficient rhyme.

My fair lady
How come every time you come around my London London bridge want to go farm? Oh shit!

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Photo: jurvetson via FlickrBring it on down to Golfersville
J Tee is bringing sexy back to green. The putting green, that is. And with eco-friendly practices par for this course, we'll hold your wood any day, Mr. Timberlake.

What a tangled Webster we weave
If you're a locavore with a green-collar job who's planning a staycation because you're concerned about your carbon footprint, then you'll be pleased to know Merriam-Webster has decided you officially exist.

Tofu chef
If you can't stand the meat, get NatPo in your kitchen.

Copper feel
Follow penny lane to the Standard Grill in New York, which has some not-so-standard tiling. It's a penny floor: your thoughts?

Photo: Notcot.com

Photo: MemphisFlyer.com

Eat it up
Funny how this fake-news story about Taco Bell's 100 percent un-natural "green menu" seems more realistic than these real-news stories about McDonald's, Burger King, and Domino's going green.

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LooWatt LooWatt, oh baby, me gotta go
Meet the LooWatt: a waterless eco-commode made from poop that turns your #1 and #2 into CH4. It's the diaper genie of the sustainability set.

Tofu man, chew
We can't be sure whether this specialty tofu has anything to do with George Clooney, but you can't go wrong when your Hot Dude promises to be sweet and tender and he's got his own theme song.

Get a blue clue
Fatboy Slim and other Brit celebs you don't recognize suggest you get blue in the face right here, right now. They also suggest you get your mind out of the gutter.

No shirt, no shoes, no problem?
Imagine wearing one dress for one year no matter where you go -- all in the name of sustainability. Or you could just go nude, which sorta looks green if you squint real hard -- which is probably a good plan anyway, considering the view.

Mr. potato fan
Be a spud stud in this raincoat poncho made from tater-based bioplastic. It's 100 percent biodegradable, compostable, and unattractive. But it's embedded with seeds that'll sprout once you're done with the slicker … or get caught in a rainstorm -- whichever comes first.

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Budwasher
Next time you bathe, boys, lager up with a bar of Beer Soap, guaranteed to do a better job of attracting the ladies than, uh, just the beer alone.

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The grateful shred
Damn, it feels good to be a hamster ...

Tears of a cloud
"When life's a bitch, grab a Mitch ..." And other reasons not to drink bottled water.

Check out the limbs on that one
If it were up to this guy, every day would be Arbor Day. Talk about putting the "hug" in treehugger!

Photo: Tuffer via Flickr

This shit is bananas
Banana peels: not just for practical jokes anymore.

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Is that a banana seat or are you just happy to see me?
The best part about World Naked Bike Day: No awkward spandex shorts. The worst part about World Naked Bike Day: No awkward spandex shorts.

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Photo: Paul-in-London via Flickr

No scoop for you!
Finally, the perfect icebreaker for those awkward climate-change conversations with your kids: Snow Cones Are Forever (or are they ... mwahahaha!).

Photo: Elvis John Ferrao via Flickr

Lambor-greenie?
Question: Does driving a hybrid Lamborghini make you more or less pretentious than a Prius driver?

Photo: Heidi KenneyPlush delivery
If a stitch in time saves nine, think what 20 "fiber artists" can do for the Arctic ... Talk about fancy, Schmancy!

True story
"Now you can finally enjoy reading e-books without giving up the smell you love so much. With Smell of Books™ (a revolutionary new aerosol e-book enhancer), you can have the best of both worlds: the convenience of an e-book and the smell of your favorite paper book."

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Think people who love the planet are all wimps and weenies? Think again. Here are thirteen who are giving green a bad reputation—in a good way. Read on to learn more about these Mother-lovers—and leave your own nominations in the comments section below.

Training day.Beige Luciano-Adams/ELLA13. Homeboy Industries. With the tagline “Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job,” you know these homeboys aren’t messing around. Thanks to an ambitious job-training program that includes solar-panel installation, the former East L.A. gang members are slashing energy use instead of each other.  “I wanted a new way of life,” says ex-convict Albert Ortega. “Solar puts me on the cutting edge.” Can we get that on a tattoo?

Bonds rallies support for her mountain home.OHVEC 12. Judy Bonds. It takes a badass to take on Big Coal, and Judy Bonds is doing it. The daughter of a coal miner and a self-described “hillbilly,” Bonds has gained international notoriety for her tough bituminous talk. It’s all an effort to protect her native West Virginia from the mountaintop removal practice she says turned her home into a “war zone.”

He wrestles with his conscience.11. El Hijo del Santo. This Mexican wrestler may hide his face with a silver mask, but he makes no secret of his intentions when it comes to the environment. As spokes-hero for the nonprofit WildCoast (CostaSalvaje), El Hijo del Santo is packing a world of hurt for the ocean’s enemies. Watch out, polluters—you don’t want to endure the Tope de Cristo.

The Isa-ing on the cake.eight double via flickr10. Isa Chandra Moskowitz. This vegan-punk chef is taking over the world—one decadent, dairy-free delicacy at a time.  As an author and co-founder of the cooking show Post Punk Kitchen, Moskowitz is bringing mainstream audiences two flavors of badassery for the price of one. But will punk officially be dead when The Man starts baking vegan cupcakes?

Global Coolio-ing.9. Coolio. When the rapper toured historically black colleges and universities to throw down the truth about climate impacts last year, he was fully armed—with stats. But earlier this year, Coolio made headlines by denying the reality of anthropogenic climate change. “The earth’s been doing this for millenniums,” he puffed on Celebrity Big Brother. Oh Coolio—stop blowing smoke up our ass.

An offer you can’t refuse.8. Wind farm mafia. Looks like the garbage biz is yesterday’s news: a leading mafia family got busted in a Sicilian wind-turbine scheme earlier this spring, leading to a major investigation into fraudulent power-selling practices. Translation: There was no wind in their sales.

That’s Mr. Mayor John to you.thecapsolution.org7. John Fetterman. The mayor of Braddock, Penn., is a big, bald, tattooed badass. Who just happens to have a heart of gold. “Mayor John,” as he’s known, is reinventing this downtrodden steel town in Pittsburgh’s shadow—and getting the word out about proactive climate and energy solutions. Yeah, that’s right, he’ll carbon cap your ass.

Just the flax, ma’am.EPA.gov6. EPA Criminal Investigation Division. Didn’t know the EPA had a Most Wanted list, did you? Didn’t know the agency tracked and shot its first eco-fugitive earlier this year, did you? The EPA: Not just for prairie grasses anymore.

Grr.5. Ah-nold. Yes, he’s the most overreported “unexpected environmentalist” of the new millennium. But how could we make this list and leave him out? We know what lies beneath the fancy suits, Arnold. Once a badass, always a badass.

Who you callin’ shrimp?Texas Gold4. Diane Wilson. A fourth-generation shrimper who captained her own boat, Wilson turned activist when she found out her Texas county was the most polluted in the country. The self-dubbed “unreasonable woman” took on Gulf Coast manufacturers, wrote a book about it, and hasn’t stopped fighting since.

His dedication is permanent.mytats.com3. Jess Yen. This award-winning southern California tattoo artist has a yen for influencing people’s perspectives on green issues. Amidst the tat-samples on his site, he dedicates some ink to educating clients about climate change—and gives 10 reasons to go vegetarian. “As an individual or an eco-tattoo artist,” he told one interviewer, “I do what I can every day to cherish and conserve the sacred resources.”

Don’t let the grandfatherly smile fool you: Ted is tough.governor.oregon.gov2. Ted Kulongoski. Sure, he looks like a gentle 69-year-old who merely “cares” about climate legislation, state parks, sustainable housing, and tailpipe regulations. But the governor of Oregon, whose second term ends next year, has a storied past that includes stints as a Marine, truck driver, bricklayer, and steelworker.  On top of that, he was raised by nuns—so you know he’s got a tough hide.

Munter puts it best: “Never underestimate a vegetarian hippie chick with a racecar.”NextEra Energy1. Leilani Munter. Stunt double? Check. Race car driver? Check. Biologist and conservation activist? Uh, OK. Munter doesn’t mess around when it comes to the environment: she hopes to educate racing’s 100 million racing fans about green living, serves as an ambassador for the National Wildlife Federation, has testified on Capitol Hill, and wants to convince her industry to use more alternative fuels. Says this CarbonFreeGirl: “Just because you’re green ... doesn’t mean you can’t be fast.”

This badass list was created by Ashley Braun and Katharine Wroth.

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Nudie by nature
Lingerie model Miranda Kerr says she "decided to go au naturel to raise awareness of the environment, specifically koalas." Well, we're not sure what her Aussie Stone cover is doing for the koalas, but it's sure raising a whole lot of something.

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Photo: MemphisFlyer.comI've got yer "inconvenient truth" right here, buddy
Check out this Whopper. We only wish Al Gore had responded by serving The Burger King a douchebag pie.

You've got coal and you're super bad
Congrats, West Virginia, on choosing an official state rock! Way to celebrate the coal-based economy that has given your state so many blessings. Hey, who needs teeth when you've got cheap power?

Put a ban on it
Parodying Beyoncé's "Single Girls" has officially jumped the shark. Thanks, Joe Jonas Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Cap-sac and trade
Want to save resources by combining two unnecessary accessories into one obnoxious object? Use your head.

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Willing.i.am
This Black Green-eyed Pea wants a White House job. If hired, we imagine his boardroom beats might go something like this: "Yo 'Bama, (boom boom boom) we gotta get-get this climate bill signed!"

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Keepin' it green
A rap about MPGs and "huggin' mad trees"? You couldn't Prius away.

Photo: Kyle Jones via FlickrWheel deal
If two wheels are better than four (thanks, recession!), then surely one wheel is the best deal. Especially if it's self-balancing. And even more especially if you refer to it as a SBU.

Because the environmental movement isn't struggling enough with its image
Forget American Idol. The search is on for America's Organic Idol. And from the looks of these audition tapes, it's gonna be a tight race. (Almost as tight as those jeans!)

The root of the problem
Really, Kleenex? You've created a tree that dispenses tissues? The irony is enough to make us -- sniff, sniff -- reach for our hankies.

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He would have needed a stage name
Brad’s not the only one who digs green building—his brother’s joining him to support a hometown eco-stadium. The groundbreaking was just the other day ... you might say officials Doug a Pitt.

A-hunting we won’t go
Your trophy room never looked so good. Just don’t bore everyone with the story of how you stalked the wild beast with scissors and Scotch tape.

Filibuster busters
Faced with a recite-the-whole-bill threat from Republicans, House Dems hired a speed reader. Hilarity ensued when, zipping through page 523, he said “Maxwan-Warkey” by mistake.

Have you haired the news?
German-auto heavyweight Daimler invested in Tesla. Which is too bad—we were really hoping they’d get behind Whitesnake.

My sister’s leaker
Vogueing in vegan shoes we can get behind. But talking up her poos? Cam-Cam, you didn’t need to drop that knowledge.

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Snow-down
New Zealand's Penguathalon will see beak-to-beak battles in five events: soccer, Frisbee, surfing, swing ball, and waddle races. But sports analysts are saying the competition won't really heat up until the penguathletes face climate change. After that, it could be bye, bye birdie.

(Click below to see the next item in this week’s Grist List—or view them all on a single page.)

It's not easy dating green
At last, a green-friendly dating site for everyone -- whether you're into earth dating, eco-friendly dating, conscious dating, eco-conscious dating, or conscious single dating. And if you can tell us what the hell any of these mean, we should, you know, maybe get coffee or something sometime.

Photo: jimbowen0306 via FlickrUrine trouble
We're all for answering nature's call in, uh, nature; but if you're in Yellowstone, letting it mellow(stone) probably isn't the best idea. Especially if you're being watched.

Photo: Nemo’s great uncle via FlickrExcuse me, Representative, could you pass the ...
Oh, if only solving the world's problems were as easy as chugging red wine and big-box brand pasta.

Attention ladies and Ghents
The Belgian city of Ghent will be the first in the world to go meat-free one day a week in an effort to cut the city's carbon footprint, battle obesity, and say "veggiedag" as many times as possible. Thankfully, Belgian waffles are unaffected by the eating edict.

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