A recent article in Slate points out both the advantages and detractions of a vegetable garden. Two, in particular, are especially strong—one from each side of the coin.

The first is the effacing of the myth that growing vegetables yourself is less expensive than buying the same vegetables at the grocery store. Most of the time, it’s about the same, when you factor how many seeds are required to grow an adequate number of vegetables.

But the good point is a really strong one: A vegetable garden looks pretty cool in your backyard. And when you take into account the fact that you get to eat what you grow, we’re still behind a vegetable garden. Give back to the Earth and get something pretty great in return: A righteous garden and some excellent food to go with it.

While there is a certain irony in chopping down more trees to make treehouses, the fact is that a treehouse would likely conserve more energy and harm the environment far less than the average household. Plus, Swiss Family Robinson is awesome.

WebUrbanist has a post where they have pictures of some of the coolest treehouses around, with such elaborate features as glass roofs, swinging vines, and even one that looks like the treehouse in the Ludacris video for “Saturday (Ooh Ooh).” Judging from these pictures, once you have kids, you may need contractors to compete with the neighbors.

The high-power boat Earthrace is an eco-friendly mode of transport that is run, partially, on the liposuctioned body fat of its owner.

Pete Bethune had 100ml of his own fat removed from his body and mixed with the other biodiesel fuels that run this oddly incredible aquatic vehicle. However, what makes Bethune’s Earthrace truly special is not the fact that he has literally placed a little bit of himself in his beloved boat.

The Earthrace’s most spectacular feature is its physique – it’s been specially built for speed, featuring a hull that slices through the waves instead of riding them. And it needs every advantage it can get as it speeds around the globe, trying to beat the record set by the British boat Cable and Wireless Adventurer 10 years ago.

However, even if the Earthrace doesn’t beat the record – it was a great way for Bethune to lose weight!

How could ice cream possibly be environmentally unfriendly? The culprit could be the refrigerated trucks in which they are transported. However, in Sweden – apparently one of the largest consumers of ice cream in the European Union – they are taking steps to make sure ice cream is a whole lot more “green.”

No, that doesn’t mean spinach-flavored ice cream. Treehugger reports that more Swedish ice cream distributors are looking into having their icy treats transported via the far more eco-friendly train. But, even better, Ben and Jerry’s European flavors are made close by in the Netherlands, and have been designated last year as climate neutral. That means a greener experience all around – from the cows who make the milk to more efficient logistics for transport.

A misconception of going green is that we would be sacrificing technological awesomeness for the sake of the environment. Lies!

A post on WebUrbanist highlights seven ideas that would make the Earth a better place. All of these look incredible and really futuristic, or, to be blunt, they’re bad ass. Check out the eco-island, which is an actual ISLAND that benefits the environment through its mere existence! It looks cooler than the island from Lost.

While many of these ideas are outrageously expensive and would require years of planning and construction, it’s a good sign that we’re beginning to think of helping the Earth on a large scale. And it’s an even better sign that they’re going to look like something from Blade Runner.

In what might be the most metal (or goth, whichever your preference) display of green living we’ve seen yet, the site Eco-Chick has a post entailing some examples of eco-friendly coffins. That’s right, coffins that actually benefit the environment.

While one may not think that coffins would be damaging to the environment, the truth is that as we place them in the ground, they obstruct areas where plant life could potentially be thriving. As such, new companies are offering options such as biodegradable coffins and coffins with partially opened bottoms that allow your body to decompose into the ground, thereby benefiting plant life. Sacrificing your dead body to the Earth? Sounds like a Slayer song!

No, you are not hallucinating, the title of this blog entry is very much true. Via SmartPlanet, we have happened upon this competition for Friends of the Earth, in which you make a one-minute film with the theme being “Which bit of the Earth are you a friend of?” Personally, gingerbread men are my best friends. And yes, I consider them to be bits of the Earth. The delicious Earth.

Friends of the Earth has the full details. The deadline is August 29, 2008, so get moving!