Like a scene from a bad B-horror movie, swarms of crazed ants have infiltrated the state of Texas and is now wreaking havoc throughout its electrical infrastructures. Known as the crazy rasberry ants - crazy, cos they do not follow those ant lines we usually see and are erratically wandering off, and rasberry, named after Tom Rasberry who battled it out with them previously - they have found Texan electrical wirings to be delicious for some odd, crazy reason.

We previously reported about many fine dining establishments getting rid of bottled water from their menu, and Treehugger.com echoes their sentiments by stating many more reasons why people should just quit the bottle.

One of the interesting tidbits that was presented in their article was that bottled water costs about 10,000 times more than tap water per gallon. Its a sure fact that bottled water does cost more: factor in the 1.5 million barrels of oil used to make the plastic bottles, then add the fuel used to transport heavy bottled of water into the market.

The article also mentioned that some towns and farms located near bottled water plants experience frequent water shortages due to increased water extraction. About millions of gallons of water were reported to be consumed in the plastic-making process, and about two gallons were used for every gallon that ends up getting sold in bottles.

They also mentioned that turning to tap water for refreshments is much safer to drink than bottled water - Treehugger claims that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) standards for tap water is much more rigid than Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) standards for bottled water. However, many people claim that their local tap water tastes bad or is rusty, so better check a water quality report for your area before turning to tap if you're used to chugging bottled water. You can also get water filters to remove trace chemicals and other impurities lurking in your tap.

It's been three years since operations in the Subaru Indiana of Automotive (SIA) manufacturing plant started. During this time, 100,000 Partial Zero Emission Vehicles (PZEV) have been sold. And not a single piece of trash came from the company.

Subaru is celebrating its three-year anniversary of zero landfill status at its manufacturing plant, reports AutoblogGreen. This great achievement is a continuation of Subaru's outstanding performance in protecting Mother Earth, having earned the the U.S. EPA's Gold Achievement Award last year for its accomplishments.

"At Subaru, we are committed to not only maintain an effective environmental management system, but also to integrate sound environmental practices throughout our business," said Subaru of America Chairman, President, and CEO Tomohiko Ikeda.

True enough, it's been three years since the Subaru plant became the first to achieve zero landfill status, yet they're still one of the best when it comes to waste reduction and recycling.

As testament, PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicles) certified Legacy, Outback and Forester models are proven to be more environment friendly with 90% cleaner emissions than your normal ride. Using technology that completely burns fuel and makes emission as clean as possible, exhaust of these vehicles can even be considered cleaner than smoggy urban areas according to AutoblogGreen.

The same plant where cars are made also caters to wildlife. We'd love to see Nintendo's pro-environment policies include taking care of deers, coyotes, beavers, blue herons, geese, rabbits, squirrels, meadowlarks, ducks and other animals like Subaru does.

After the World Trade Center collapsed, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented a residential cleanup program in Lower Manhattan during the years 2002 and 2003. According to the agency's report back then, only a "very small" number of air samples taken in those areas showed unsafe levels of asbestos.

However, the Government Accountability Office is now saying that EPA misled the people with its report. While it is true that the air samples have low levels of asbestos, EPA didn't mention at all that the said samples were taken after the cleanup. This may sound not important to you but it is for the residents of the area.

During the last cleanup program, only 295 residents and apartment building owners took part in the latest cleanup when it should have been around 20,000. The people are not to blame because as Senator Hillary Clinton pointed out, "residents are understandably reluctant to participate in what they consider to be a waste of time."

If EPA has provided the real score with the asbestos problem, we believe that the people of Lower Manhattan would be more than willing to help. In addition to this, Clinton added that "a Senate appropriations subcommittee had included $55 million in the 2008 budget proposal for screening and treatment of people exposed to ground zero dust."

Some known asbestos-related disorders include asbestosis, disease of the lining of the lung (pleura), and lung cancer.

With global warming and climate change becoming bigger issues more than ever, car companies are showing that they're not completely oblivious to what's going on. In fact, a lot of them have developed and are in the process of improving hybrid cars that reduce fuel emissions.

About a decade ago, electric cars were viewed as a possible solution to the progressing air pollution problem. However, the models produced by GM and Honda proved to be no more like novelty cars as they had serious issues with reliability, mileage, and utility. In the end, the idea was shunned by consumers and abandoned partly by manufacturers.

Recently, however, car companies have blended qualities of gas engines with electric cars. These were called hybrid cars, and the cooperation between electricity and gas would mean that less fuel would be consumed while maintaining a performance level close to that of the gas-powered vehicles. It looked good initially as popular car lines by Toyota, Honda and others picked up the alternative. It would only be a matter of time, however, before the mileage issues rang again.

This year, car companies have submitted reports to the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) that their products have not only gotten more nature-friendly, they're also more efficient at using gas. The Honda Civic, Ford Escape and the Toyota Camry are all posting better numbers that reflect less emissions and more utility.

The ball is now in the hands of future buyers. To be nature-friendly, buyers will have to shell out somewhere between US$ 1, 500 to US$ 4, 500 more than the cost of non-hybrid models. Manufacturers say that the consumers will end up getting their money back in the form of money they save from gas, but some experts say that it would take 1.5 to 10 years before you break even, depending on what car you're using.

With all the big-boy environmental campaigns from both government and private environmental groups, it's too easy to forget that it's the little things that count the most. Consumer Reports' "Complete Guide to Reducing Energy Costs" gives twenty tips for ordinary consumers like you and us to save energy use, cut our electrical bills, and reduce the need to burn fossil fuels and split atoms (as well as capture sunlight or wind, tap holes into red-hot rocks, and so on...).

Think about it: if we all habitually practiced these tips, we could cut this country's CO2 emissions from power plants and cars, and reduce our personal energy budgets - which leaves extra moolah to spend on the good stuff, like... er, a PS3. Nothing says "Think globally, act locally" like the following:

LAUNDRY:

• Wash in cold water (works just as well as warm in most cases, and with the right detergent).
• Dry your clothes on the clothesline, not in the dryer (unless of course it's raining outside).
• If using the dryer, don't overdry the load.

CLIMATE CONTROL:

• Lower the thermostat by 5-10° F when out of the house or sleeping. Not like you'll be missing all that heat.
  
• Dump the fireplace (if you don't normally use it) - it's a hole for indoor heat to escape from. Use a direct-vent, gas-combustion fireplace instead.
• Use shades against the sun, and consider opening the windows on cool nights.
• Try using a couple of fans instead of a central (or room) air conditioner.
  
• And clean your AC regularly.

More tips after the jump!

Authorities say the the insecticide Pyrenone 25-5 used in exterminating mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus in Cosa County, NC, is "far less toxic to pets than commonly used household cleaners."

The statement was issued after pet owners complained they have not received sufficient notice of spraying in their areas.

Steve Schultz, an entomologist with the Contra Costa County Mosquito and Vector Control District, said Pyrenone 25-5 has been widely used throughout the United States for the past 20 to 30 years without any reported incidents of harmful effects to humans or pets.

Pyrenone 25-5 is extracted from chrysanthemum flowers and is also the same chemical used in flea collars. Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the use of Pyrenone 25-5 protecting public health, the agency also reported pyrethrins is the second leading cause of insecticide poisonings.

PBO, one of the ingredients in Pyrenone 25-5 is classified as a possible human carcinogen because it caused tumors in laboratory tests. Pyrethrins also disrupt the normal functioning of sex hormones while PBO affect the functioning of hormone related organs.

Products containing Pyrethrins carry the following warning label: "Harmful if inhaled. Avoid breathing vapor or spray mist." It is also advertised that the chemical leaves a clear residue on surfaces that kills pests for up to 3 months.

But Schultz said that the amount of Pyrenone being sprayed into the air to kill mosquitoes are in very low conditions.

The district intensified its mosquito control program after an 85-year-old woman died in early August from West Nile virus. The virus is mainly transmitted by mosquitoes. So far this year, the county confirmed five human cases of West Nile virus.

The disease was also reported in 6 squirrels, 24 chickens and 17 mosquito samples. There were 61 dead birds positive with West Nile virus recorded in the county.

Across the across the US there were 159 confirmed human cases of West Nile virus with two fatalities. There were also 38 horses, 932 dead birds, 683 mosquito samples, 393 chickens and 12 squirrels found with the virus this year.

Omega-3 fatty acids, or DHA, first gained respect when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave it a "qualified health claim" status in possibly reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.

DHA comes mainly from cold-water oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies and sardines, but because we have callously turned our oceans into a cesspool, many species of fish now contain methyl mercury levels that exceed the FDA's 1 part per million (ppm) limit. 

In fact, the FDA said fish should not be eaten more than once a week to ensure safety. So how do you get your DHA but not mercury into your system? Wellness International Network just launched its WINOmeg3complexTM ($49.99), a concentrated pharmaceutical-grade oil with 88% omega-3 fatty acids. Because the oil is produced through an enzyme process and molecular distillation, it is guaranteed to be free of mercury and other pollutants that we dumped into the environment in the first place.

Now that we have cleaned up omega-3 fatty acids, isn't it about time we cleaned up our oceans, too?