Posters and public service announcements and "Inconvenient Truths" can attract only so much attention to green causes. That's why, when they wanted attention, a few green organizations have brought in something guaranteed to get our undivided focus: pretty girls in skimpy clothes.

The leader in this movement was the Philadelphia Eagles. The pro football team printed its annual cheerleader calendar on recycled paper, with the girls wearing only eco-friendly clothing and accessories, as part of the team's Go Green initiative in August. I'm sure you're eagerly awaiting a link to the photos; a slide show is here. No word on which specific Eagles green initiatives receive the proceeds from the calendar.

In his speech yesterday detailing his economic proposal for the country, Barack Obama stated that green jobs should be created for economic stimulus. The full transcript of his speech is here.

Some excerpts:

"We'll create 5 million new, high-wage jobs by investing in the renewable sources of energy that will eliminate the oil we currently import from the Middle East in 10 years, and we'll create 2 million jobs by rebuilding our crumbling roads, schools, and bridges."

Green jobs—a prevalent buzzword on this year's campaign trail—are a growing sector of careers, ranging from forest ranger to corporate social responsibility consultant. Check out our guide to finding a great green job here. But you don't have to be an architect, engineer, or scientist to use your green knowledge in a job interview. According to Megan Cohen of Planet Green, your environmental smarts can impress potential employers in any sector.

Many companies are going green, and they're certainly competitive about it. They're also looking for candidates who can save them money—a feat that goes hand in hand with being green. Cohen recommends that you discuss the ways you're green and how they relate to your leadership skills. "Your future boss wants to know that you can be proactive and take initiative," she says. "Showcasing how you've stepped up to the plate in greening your lifestyle is a great way to highlight those qualities." You could also study up about green developments in your field and discuss them with a future employer. It will show them you're forward-thinking.

For more on green jobs, check out our guide:

• Hot Green Jobs Keep Evolving
• 5 Steps to Finding Out if a Company Is Green
• 10 Hot Green Careers for You
• Is Your Company Really Eco-Conscious?

Everyone is feeling the squeeze right now, with our investments being decimated and our 401(k)'s withering away. Consumers across the country are looking for ways to cut back. Luckily, some of the best ways to save money are also simple steps toward living a little greener. And, as we recently learned, simple steps can have a big impact. So, try these green tips to save some needed cash—no excuses.

• Bike to work. Or bike to public transit.
Excuses: "But bikes are expensive! And I have to look nice for work."

Why Your Excuses Are Lame: Often, you can buy a bike for the price of a tank of gas on Craigslist. It won't be titanium frame, but it will get you around. It's easy to bring a change of clothes and change at work, especially if your office has a locker room. If not, you can bike to public transit if it's available in your area, and walk the remainder. Another way you'll save money: By walking and biking more, you can cancel your gym membership.

Reduce, reuse, recycle: You know the drill. But when you set that bin out on the curb each week, are you sure that everything you put in it is going to good use? If you recycle incorrectly, all your best-intentioned plastic bottles may end up in a landfill. Lori Bongiorno of Yahoo Green breaks down the five items that should never end up in a recycling bin:

• Pizza boxes. The oil from pizza can contaminate cardboard boxes, making it impossible to process them into clean paper.
• Napkins and paper towels. It's not the paper goods themselves that present a problem, but the fact that they're typically used to wipe up food, cleaning products, and other "hazardous waste."
• Sticky notes. Their size, color, and the adhesive strip make them a better bet for the trash bin.
• Plastic caps. Curbside programs won't recycle them, but Aveda collects them and turns them into packaging for new products.
• Wet paper. Paper fibers that have been exposed to water are shorter and therefore less valuable to paper mills, making it unprofitable to collect and recycle.

The materials that recycling centers accept vary widely from region to region, so always check your recycling company’s website for details. There are some general guides, such as this one, that may help. Always check the number on the bottom of the plastic bottle or container before you throw it into a bin—companies are very specific about what they will and will not accept. And if you have some really unusual items that you’d like to recycle, check out How Can I Recycle This? The site offers recycling tips for anything from karate belts to television wires. And don’t forget that recycling can earn you some cash.

A common argument against going green (prevalent also in the comments section of this blog) is that the little steps we take to improve the environment—eating less meat, biking to work, and cutting out plastic bags and bottles—don't do any good, because corporations will continue to pollute, negating our efforts.

Nice try, but McKinsey & Co. has just debunked it. In a study on consumers and carbon emissions, McKinsey researchers found that 37 percent of emissions were under direct consumer control and caused by things like cars (which made up 17 percent of all emissions) and residential heating and appliances. Things that fall under indirect consumer control, like shipping miles for food and other goods, or landfill emissions, constituted 28 percent of carbon emissions. Finally, 35 percent came from industry, agricultural emissions, and other sources beyond our control. This means that two thirds of all emissions are directly or indirectly within our grasp.

It's a morale booster for any uncertain environmentalists, that's for sure. It's also good news for our uncertain economic times, as many of the little steps to go green also help you save money. So, recycle, bike to work, make your home energy-smart, eat less meat, try to buy local foods, use reusable bags—the list goes on, and each item on it counts.

Three new measures that will aid green consumers passed through Congress as part of the massive bailout bill last week. Here’s the rundown:

• The Bicycle Commuter Act was added on to last week’s bailout bill and will provide a $20 tax credit per month to employers of bike commuters. The credit is intended to go toward adding provisions for bike commuters, like racks and locker rooms, for those who decide to go car free. However, many are decrying the act because it is part of an assortment of pork added to the bailout that some find frivolous--other items of which include tax credits for NASCAR track owners, film companies, and manufacturers of wool clothing.

As the pundits continue to analyze last night's performances on both sides, let's turn a critical eye to the section of the debates that dealt with the environment. A transcript of the segment follows. (You can read the full transcript on CNN.) In the comments, tell me: Who do you think won this part of the debate?

IFILL: Governor, I'm happy to talk to you in this next section about energy issues. Let's talk about climate change. What is true and what is false about what we have heard, read, discussed, debated about the causes of climate change?

Yesterday, I experienced the full Kathleen Parker effect of lowered public discourse in the responses to my entry about Palin's latest gaffe, saying that the cause of global warming "Kinda doesn't matter." Readers suggested that I was a hack for picking on Palin for a phrase that, in the words of reader Captain America, was "the way normal people talk—Mom's [sic] not politicians."

Many commenters agreed with Palin that the cause of global warming didn't matter. But here's why it does. Whether you agree with studies about global warming or not, the cause of the problem—and of any problem that Palin will face in office—will be what determines the solution. Will a lackadaisical attitude about a problem facing our country bode well for the other challenges she may face? What will she take seriously? These are all legitimate questions to ask of someone running for public office. Other bloggers have addressed why the cause of global warming kinda matters, too.

In the continual stream of open-mouth-insert-foot sound bites from Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric is this latest tidbit:

"I'm not going to solely blame all of man's activities on changes in climate because the world's weather patterns are cyclical, and over history we have seen changes there. But it kinda doesn't matter at this point in the debate what caused it. The point is it's real; we need to do something about it."

Aside from sending the markets into a tailspin and lawmakers scrambling for other options on the Hill, the failure of the bailout package on Monday had consequences for environmental legislation and green-thinking consumers. Here's a roundup:

• Upon news of the nonbailout, solar stocks plummeted. Distracted by the financial crisis, the House and the Senate can't reach an agreement on how to extend energy tax credits that are key to making solar panels more mainstream. Congress is unlikely to approve the measures before the session ends.

I've written before about the benefits of reusable shopping bags, but the Wall Street Journal brings up an interesting point today: How many of us have reusable bags that just sit at home? Sometimes, it's hard to break old habits. Other times, a run to the grocery store isn't premeditated, and you find yourself being forced to make do with plastic. Until cities ban plastic bags outright or stores cut down on the number of disposable bags they produce (as Wal-Mart recently announced it would), using a plastic bag is consequence free. And if we're still producing mass quantities of plastic bags in addition to reusable bags—well, that's not doing any good at all.

• Any tips for remembering your reusable bags? Let us all know in the comments below.

Because it's Friday, and the world is preoccupied with economic collapse, here's a bit of levity. In honor of the 20th season The Simpsons will be on the air, Lisa Simpson, the greenest member of one of America's most famous families, recently chatted with National Geographic about the ways that she's encouraging Homer and company to go green. And no, it doesn't involve organic doughnuts.

Some excerpts:

What is your family doing to "go green"?
Well, my Dad said his bald spot is "a solar panel for a love machine." I don't know what that means, but I'm looking into whether we can hook it into the grid and get carbon credits.

Environmentally minded folks will go to great lengths to live sustainable lives. Sometimes, they go too far. Here are five eco-trends that won't be going mainstream anytime soon.

1. City chickens—Buying organic eggs at Whole Foods isn't enough for some city dwellers. To eliminate the carbon emitted during transportation, and the chance that a single feather on their chicken might have been harmed in the production of their eggs, some urbanites have taken to building chicken coops in the backyards of their rowhouses and stocking them with egg-layers. Some city ordinances permit this, while others don't. Though chickens are relatively easy to care for, they don't make for much of a pet. And what would the neighbors think?

Yesterday, Congress ratified the Great Lakes Compact, which prevents the diversion of fresh water from the lakes by any state that does not immediately border them. The bill is supposed to protect the largest source of fresh water in the country (90 percent of America's fresh water and 20 percent of the world's) and also to encourage other states to conserve water. President Bush is expected to sign it into law.