This November 3, thousands will gather across the country in an attempt to inspire our leaders to take climate change seriously. Step it Up 2007 is urging every community large and small to take part in the National Day of Climate Action by organizing gatherings in places named after historic leaders, and spreading the word about three key benchmarks in the effort to curb global warming trends. These three priorities, introduced by the 1 Sky initiative, include the following:

• Ensure there are 5 million green jobs conserving 20 percent of our energy by 2015
• Freeze climate pollution levels now and cut them by at least 80 percent by 2050
• Introduce a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants

Participants will paint an index finger green, indicating that they will vote with the environment in mind next year. So far, three presidential candidates have accepted invitations to attend: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), and John Edwards (D-N.C.). (You can invite your representatives by clicking here.)

Visit their Web site to find events near you, and if you'd like to organize one, there's plenty of information and promotional materials available to you.

At the fabulous Bioneers conference last weekend in the San Francisco Bay area, I attended a workshop called 'Becoming Guardians for Future Generations.' The panelists discussed how important it is to become stewards of the land to protect it for the health and well-being of generations to come.

As we are becoming more aware of the impact of environmental degradation on human health, such as increased incidence of chronic and infectious disease, communities are coming together to gather knowledge and inspire action.

Bioneers speaker Carolyn Raffensperger, of the Science and Environmental Health Network, connected this learning process to the precautionary principle, which dictates, 'When the health of humans and the environment is at stake, it may not be necessary to wait for scientific certainty to take protective action.' The European Union has adopted part of the precautionary principle in its REACH law to regulate chemicals. (See our recent blog on it.)

Her fellow speaker, Tom Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network, likened guardianship to the Iroquois Seventh Generation principle that asks us to protect the environment and consider how our actions will affect the seventh generation of those who have yet to be born.

To track the success of these efforts, the site Guardians of the Future was started as an online commons to develop the idea and record its progress. There you can find blogs from contributors, as well as a Living Library of stories, laws and dreams. Keeping the land healthy and free of toxic chemicals, can help us on our own journeys to embrace better health for ourselves, as well as our descendants.

Earlier this week, California became the first state to ban phthalates in children's toys. Now nine other states are considering similar legislation. (The chemicals are already banned in the European Union and 14 other countries worldwide.)

Phthalates have been linked to cancer and reproductive problems. A recent study also found a link between phthalates and obesity.

In addition to plastics, phthalates also are found in personal care products, including baby lotion. Visit The Green Guide for a list of which products contain phthalates. Also view the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database on cosmetic safety.

So you've decided to contribute to the greater good of the planet by donating to a worthy environmental organization. Great! Pat yourself on the back — the world needs more people like you.

But there are so many to choose from. How on earth do you narrow them all down to one? How do you find the perfect philanthropy to suit your ideals? What's more, how do you determine if the organization you choose can be trusted with your hard-earned, well-meaning dollars?

A good place to start is the American Institute of Philanthropy. They've compiled a list of top rated charities that have proven to be effective and responsible. (Don't just stick to the environment category — there are many earth-friendly organizations in other categories!)

Make sure your organization adheres to the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance Standards. Visit their Web site to read about their ethics standards.

If you're concerned about being hounded for the rest of your life by pushy fundraisers, seek out organizations that are members of the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation. All members of this organization are required to recognize the Donor Bill of Rights.

Giving to a great charity is a fulfilling and admirable action that is sure to give back tenfold!

When one of our MOTHER editors recently claimed to have gone several days in a row without eating chocolate, we were impressed. (Especially since we're on deadline for the December/January issue!) Others of us, present company included, seem to crave a silky bite of chocolate to combat deadline stress, or simply for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

Now a small study published in the Journal of Proteome Research explains that those nagging chocolate cravings actually could be caused by intestinal bacteria and metabolism. While everyone has bacteria in their guts, think probiotics, the colonies of bacteria found in chocolate lovers vs. abstainers was different. Researchers said the study could have a positive impact in the treatment of obesity if gut microflora could be manipulated to better process energy from food.

The Swiss researchers at the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, studied a small group of men, some of which craved chocolate, and some of which reportedly were indifferent to its charms. Participants were all in good health, and were fed the same diets for five days. Urinary analyses found several differences between the groups in addition to gut bacteria, including more low-density lipoproteins, aka bad cholesterol, in the non-chocolate fans.

Sunil Kochhar, co-author of the study, said a person's diet can lead to metabolic 'imprinting' which causes the body to become accustomed to a certain diet. In a Discovery Channel article on the study, one American obesity expert said a connection between what you eat and what you crave makes sense since intestinal bacteria interact with the foods you ingest.

So perhaps Heidi's ongoing weight-loss diet has changed her body's desire for chocolate? And we all thought it was just willpower!

Here's a fun activity for both kids and adults to try this weekend. After dark, head outside with a flashlight and, holding it at eye level, slowly shine it over the ground and in piles of leaves. If you see a bluish glint of light, hold the flashlight steady and walk toward the location of the flash. Chances are, you'll find a wolf spider.

There are more than 2000 species of wolf spiders, which are found throughout most of the country. Their eight eyes have what's called a tapetum, a collection of reflective cells that helps them hunt at night, but most simply refer to this as 'eyeshine.'

You'll be amazed at how many spiders you'll find out hunting around at night — you can spot them from quite a distance. They are not poisonous, but they can bite, so don't attempt to catch them.

See how many you can count in one evening, and let me know by posting a comment!

To eat or not to eat fish? Why should it be such a tricky question? While the health benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are numerous (they boost cognitive function and reduce your risk of heart attack & strokes), the dangers of consuming fish laced with mercury keep many people from eating fish. And the recent media hype encouraging pregnant women to eat more fish, based on a report from U.S. obstetricians and nutritionists (funded in part by a seafood industry trade group), contradicted the FDA and EPA recommendations that expectant mothers limit fish consumption to 12 ounces of fish per week. So what to do?

To minimize health risks, while still enjoying the benefits of eating fish, some experts think the answer lies in the species of fish you choose. From an environmental angle, it's also smart to avoid overharvested species, and pay attention to the pollution levels in the water.

Seem like a lot to take in? You're in luck! In conjunction with the MOTHER EARTH NEWS article on Fish and Your Health that we published recently, the MOTHER editors compiled a Sustainable Seafood Shopping Guide (PDF) that lists fish to pick, fish to avoid, plus online resources to view for more information. Care2.com also ran a great article this week to address the myriad questions swimming around the fish issue.

Why do leaves turn beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow in the fall? First of all, although commonly heard this time of year, it is actually incorrect to say that they 'turn' colors. You may be surprised to learn that they contain most of these colors within them from the beginning.

Every year when fall arrives and reveals itself in the trees around me, I think of Mr. Linton's 8^th grade science class, where I learned that leaves don't change to the golden hues of fall. It's the presence of chlorophyll in the leaves during the spring and summer months that turns them green, and masks the other colors. As you probably know, plants feed themselves through the process of photosynthesis, whereby sunlight is converted to energy in the form of sugar. Chlorophyll is a pigment that absorbs red and blue light for the energy conversion process of photosynthesis, repelling green light back to our eyes.

According to Science Made Simple, which is a great science reference for kids (adults may find some interesting facts here too), carotene, which are pigments responsible for orange colors, and xanthophyll (yellows) appear when photosynthesis subsides in autumn. Reds however, are usually produced in the fall by anthocyanins, pigments that result from trapped glucose in the leaves.

The site also outlines a fun experiment to conduct with kids, in which you can actually separate the colors in a green leaf!