It's hard to know what's up with the Bush administration's decision to pull funding for the so-called "FutureGen" coal plant that was awarded only a couple of months ago to downstate Mattoon, Ill. The reason given by Energy Secretary Sam Bodman is that costs have grown beyond reason, but not surprisingly, the coal and oil companies behind FutureGen are disputing that.

I've been wanting for a while to get in a mention of "It's Not Easy Being Green," an 8-episode show shot in Cornwall, England in 2005 and 2006 that I've been watching. It is the made-for-TV attempt by the Strawbridge family to revive a 300-year-old farm via technology and self-sufficiency.

Whole Foods announced Tuesday that it will no longer offer plastic bags after April 22. Love That! After that date, which is Earth Day, the choice will be recycled paper bags or reusable bags, which of course will not be free. We've been trying to use only cloth and/or polymer mesh bags for several years in our house, but I have to say, we have been far from perfect.

According to my WordPress blog stats counter, this is my 21st post touching on some sort of green topic, but it's the first that features my byline. This story ran in the Sunday Globe this morning. I got onto the idea by meeting a fellow at Boston Green Drinks, which I'm fairly sure I mentioned in one of the 20 green posts. I'm looking for more story ideas, and ideally, more publications to place them. Share your thoughts in comments, please...

Popular Mechanics has a 6-minute video on a three-wheeled electrical vehicle that's either a wave of the future, or a fairly interesting trifle on the road to somewhere else. Link via Ecogeek.org.

Seth Godin is always interesting, but doesn't often tread into green-tinted areas, so this post adds even greater value to what he usually brings. He starts off wondering why a Poland Spring bottle weighs half of what a Gatorade bottle does, and winds up, via input from a friend/reader, explaining some of the factors that govern which bottle type a manufacturer uses into it while offering perspective on how packaging affects sales.

About 15 years ago, I sent an omnibus, holiday-timed update letter to family and friends, mostly back in Connecticut, chronicling my first year in Boston. I thought it was a fair portrayal, neither positive nor negative, but the feedback I got was that things weren't that great and I was depressed. This is, in effect, one of those letters, but I doubt I'll get the same feedback. This has been, I think, the best year I've ever had. Here are some of the reasons:

Obviously, I'm not running for office, ever.

And, I assure you, I'm as money-focused as my fellow Americans. I would like to earn more, while doing less. I would like to win the lottery. Get a huge inheritance from some surprising source. Have an even nicer computer. Build a wicked cool off-the-grid-but-still-warm-and-comfortable house, with a nice view. Further hybridize our Prius to make it even more efficient. Or get one of them Teslas!

My increased focus on the green side of life has produced actual action, in addition to a shift in blog-reading (others’) and blog bloviating (mine):

* We have ordered replacement windows for the first floor of our house, and are considering forgoing a trip to Mexico in April in order to apply the saving to a better (but also far more efficient) back door. Partly we were motivated by the expiring tax credit for such work, and have to be sure to pay for it before the end of the year, even though the installation won’t come until January.

I was pleased to read in the Globe this morning that the state is announcing today a $68 million effort to subsidize the installation of solar cells on homes, businesses, and schools in the state.