I’m still catching up on all the stuff I didn’t read over Christmas break, so this is a lot of material. Enjoy.

• Unclog Away, Then Call the Experts – New York Times. Advice on unclogging drains without chemicals—I should try it. (Thanks, Danielle.)
• Where There’s Smoke…There’s a Trade-In – New York Times. Fine particle pollution has prompted Keene, NH to get rid of pre-1990 woodstoves.
• Coalition Sees Sky Falling Thanks to Urban Chickens – Urban Chickens Network. Farm Sanctuary, among others, argues against urban chickens because of the recent increase in abandoned birds. Personally, I think this argument could be used for any pet—how many abandoned cats are there in the world?
• Polluting pets: the devastating impact of man’s best friend – Vancouver Sun. Speaking of cats…a study shows that a cat has the yearly footprint of a Volkswagen Golf. So that officially makes Jason and I a three-car family. At least cats have a smaller footprint than kids….
• Auto Shutdown Manager – Pays to Live Green. Berklee is using something similar to make software updates campus-wide. I’m hoping we’ll soon use it for auto shutdown, too.
• How to Conserve Water: A Lesson From the Rain – Smart Family Tips. A backed-up sewer system forced this family to use less water, and it was easier than they thought.
• Cleaning Green: Baking Powder Power! – greenUPGRADER. I’ve really got to start experimenting with baking soda and vinegar again.
• 10 Cellared Squashes – Cheap Like Me. In my pursuit of root vegetable storage, I’m taking note of the various places these people stashed their veggies.
• Save Energy By Cooking With Your…Thermos? – Eat. Drink. Better. It seems like a lot of trouble, but it’s interesting.
• Simplifying Cooking – Tiny Choices. I heart Mark Bittman, too.

That’s it for this week. If you come across anything interesting, shoot me an email to let me know.