Consumers have become unconscious about their shopping habits and stores are feeding the addiction by handing over purchases, even if they consist of a single bottle of aspirin, wrapped in plastic bags that take a thousand years to biodegrade. Now, San Francisco will become the first American city to lead consumers into new habits by banning single-use plastic bags. Elsewhere, the small town of Leaf Rapids, as of today, is the first Canadian community to prohibit the pesky plastic, following the lead taken in Ireland, Australia and Tanzania. (CBC)

The mayor of Sydney, Australia, led the city in a global warming awareness exercise this weekend by turning off all the lights for one hour to save power and cut emissions. From the suspension lights of the famous harbor bridge to suburban homes and skyscrapers, many lights that are normally left on in deserted buildings were turned off as a reminder that every little switch counts. (Compare the photos from AP.) A poll found as many as half the population — as many as 2.2 million — participated.

"After decades of decline, the people of the Scottish island of Gigha took things into their own hands, and it has really paid off… Ten new businesses have started in the past five years. Among them Gigha Renewable Energy, which built three wind turbines that generate all the island’s electricity and earn a profit of £100,000 annually which is reinvested in the community-owned island." (Scotsman.com) They built an excellent website too!

Building on peace efforts over the last 10 years, Northern Ireland’s arch foes have finally agreed to a power-sharing executive governing body for the province.

“Mr Paisley, leader of the Protestant faction, and Mr Adams of the mainly Catholic Sinn Fein, are committed to full participation and said the day dawned a “new era.”

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was a very important day for the people of Northern Ireland.” (READ the story at the BBC)

Canada rolled out a budget this week that includes $2 billion in new incentives for renewable fuels. Experts say if properly implemented, the program will lead to 20 new world-class biofuels facilities in Canada, create 14,000 new jobs in rural communities, and provide a new market for over 200 million bushels of Canadian grains and oilseeds.

As we alerted you last year, major Ivy league universities have begun offering lectures — and whole courses — on the Internet for free. It’s called the OpenCourseWare movement and it’s gaining momentum across the world. There’s even a site now where you can browse a collection of online courses from schools like UC Berkeley, MIT, Yale, and Princeton — and click to hear university lectures by the likes of Microsoft’s Bill Gates, all without paying a dollar in tuition…