Are houseboats the next big thing in coastal architecture? Did anybody get a free sample of Heather Mills’ vegan treats in the Bronx yesterday? Who’s side are you on in the Beer Wars: the Rebel Micro-Brewers or the Imperial Beer Forces? Today’s Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Brad Pitt’s Make it Right Debuts Floating House Yesterday, Make it Right unveiled their latest bouyant creation in the NOLA rebuilding effort. Part boat, part house, it’s designed by Morphosis Architects to roll with whatever the rising tide brings in. Don’t worry about floating away, it’s anchored by two 12′ tall anchor posts.

Heather Mills VBites the Big Apple The former McCartney mistress opened the doors to the very first US location of her popular vegan restaurant chain VBites in the Bronx yesterday. Mills could be seen handing out free samples to the neighborhood kiddies. Ahh, isn’t that nice.

Top 5 Green Home Myths Do you have a pie-in-the-sky master plan to revolutionize your home’s energy use, you’re just waiting to win the lottery so you can get started? You can make improvements in almost every aspect of your home’s footprint without making a huge impact on your wallet.

Beer Wars Movie: Battle of the Microbrews Beer connoisseurs, you’ve probably noticed that the diversity on the beer aisle has been skyrocketing. Local, organic, and sometimes even renewably-powered micro brews have been winning the uphill battle into the nation’s alcohol-stream. “Beer Wars” is their story.

Finally, A Theft-Proof Folding Bike Until now, an urban cyclist’s best hope was to buy a cheap frame, get a degree from Bike Lock University, and cross their fingers. Now, Biomega has unveiled the revolutionary Boston Bike, which has a lock integrated into its folding frame. Awesome.

Green in a Flash:

• Speaking of bike commuting, need some extra cargo space?
• Check out this awesome, eco-chic bamboo charging station.
• Something about the term “irradiated food” just kinda rubs me the wrong way.

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Is “Old Christine” up to some new green tricks? Can Evander “the Real Deal” Holyfield help deliver a knockout blow to his latest opponent, global warming? Should you invest in a solar hot-water heater? Today’s Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Goes Green on the Set On the set of “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” Julia works to keep the show’s footprint as small as possible. Says Julia: “Every light bulb is a compact fluorescent. We have a big recycling program. We tried to get rid of water bottles last year and failed at it.”

Holyfield Steps in the Ring with Climate Change The four-time heavyweight champ has partnered up with Global NES Georgia to convert 40 acres of his estate into a solar energy farm while converting another acre into a organic community garden for the neighborhood kids. Awesome.

When to Replace that Old Hot Water Heater Sure, that old energy-hogging heater needs to go, but what should you put in its place? A tankless, on-demand heater, maybe? Or a renewable solar hot water heater? Grist has all the info to help you decide whether you can go zero-emissions in the shower.

US National Park Fail Their Physical If you watched Ken Burns’ fabulous new documentary on our national parks, you now realize just how important it is for average, ordinary citizens to monitor the health of our parks. Well, after their latest exam, they’re not looking too healthy.

Nature Scenes Make Us More Caring One more very good reason to buy one of those National Parks calendars and hang it up in your cubicle: University of Rochester researchers have discovered that people are more relaxed, relationship-oriented, and generous after looking at beautiful naturescapes. No kidding.

Green in a Flash:

• There are only 209 female bike commuters in Mississippi.
• What big prank are The Yes Men planning for Copenhagen?
• Starting in 2010, the EPA will require that 10,000 industrial facilities report their estimated greenhouse emissions.

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Is Michelle Obama engaged in a hideous plot to teach children that veggies don’t grow at the supermarket? Need some recession-friendly fall decorating ideas, courtesy of mother nature? Will you take your EV for a cruise on the electric highway? Today’s Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Michelle Obama Live On Sesame Street Did you miss the First Lady’s appearance on Sesame Street? Yeah, so did everybody else who’s lucky enough to be gainfully employed these days. Thankfully, you can watch Michelle’s enlightening gardening tips (aka commie food witchcraft) at your leisure on the interweb.

Fall Decorations You Can Literally Scoop Up for Free These days, decorating your abode with flowers you picked out of the field next across the street isn’t cheap — it’s sustainable. CasaSugar has a ton of ideas to help you steal designs (don’t worry they’re public domain) from mother nature and enhance your home’s aesthetic.

China Masters the Art of Cloud Seeding Using what they learned during the Beijing Olympic Games, Chinese officials sprayed a cocktail of miraculous chemicals into the sky to ensure that their parade — celebrating 60 years of communist rule — didn’t get rained-out on Thursday.

California’s Highway 101 Goes Electric For the next few weeks, those lucky enough (and wealthy enough) to drive a Tesla Roadster will get to charge up for free at stations between LA and San Francisco. Eventually, Solarcity will equip the stations with universal chargers for all e-cars to “fill up” for a fee.

Wyclef Jean Launches “Earthkeeping” Campaign Timberland has hooked up with Wyclef to launch one of those campaigns that blend music, commercialism and environmental activism. As part of the campaign, Wyclef will host a series of urban greening events, then head to Haiti to build a tree nursery with his nonprofit Yéle.

Green in a Flash:

• Iowa State researchers can boost wind turbine production by 35%.
• Droughts in the Southeast were caused by population growth.
• Banish bum wipes from your bathroom with a toilet top add-on called The Blue Bidet.

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Is the all-star version of “Beds Are Burning” the eco-jam of 2009? What actress found happiness in a pile of goat manure? Prius drivers, have you heard about the danger lurking in your floor mat? Today’s Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

“Beds Are Burning” Video Hits the Web Much like Sting’s eco-centered “Message in a Bottle,” a gaggle of green celebrities have lent their voices to a new celebrity sing-a-long version of Midnight Oil’s “Beds Are Burning.” Duran Duran, Fergie, Lily Allen, and Bob Geldof are just a few of the stars making an appearance.

Ellen Page Lived in a Eco-Commune After the immense success that followed “Juno,” Ellen Page apparently felt the need to lay low for a while and study the art of permaculture at an eco-village outside Eugene, Oregon. There, she learned that shoveling goat poop was one of life’s hidden treasures.

Toyota Issues a Recall on Prius, Other Models Yeah, a Prius can save you big bucks on gas … as long as you don’t drive with a lead foot. While I’m sure most hybrid drivers would never drive like that intentionally, due to a flaw in the the floormat/accelerator pedal design, your pedal could get stuck to the floor!

Will the 2016 Olympics be Mankind’s Last? While I find the prediction ridiculous a tad on the alarmist side, the governor of Tokyo (one of the cities vying for the 2016 Olympic games) has gone on record, saying “It could be that the 2016 Games are the last Olympics in the history of mankind.” Talk about a hard sell.

A New Frontier in the Anti-Smoking War In the fight to improve air-quality for non-smokers, lighting up has been banned almost universally in all bars, restaurants and public places. Now, a Dallas woman is suing her neighbor for smoke that has allegedly wafted through their shared firewall.

Green in a Flash:

• Mahindra’s diesel-sipping pickups will hit showrooms in 2009.
• How a brief overview of the brand new 800-page Senate climate bill.
• Put some pesticide-free hemp in your doggie’s dish; it’s all-natural and 100% legal.

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Who is Sting’s latest message in a bottle addressed to? Can the First Lady bring sustainable gardening to Sesame Street? Why the heck are school kids forbidden to ride bikes to school? Today’s Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Sting Helps Trees Send Out an SOS The latest celebrity to join forces with Prince Charles’ Rainforests Project, Sting is lending one of his most famous tunes to the cause. He hopes that leaders at the climate talks in Copenhagen get his message in a bottle. Watch Sting’s latest “Message in a Bottle” video.

Michelle Obama Brings Green Thumb to Sesame St. Want some elementary gardening tips mixed with some awesome muppetry action? The First Lady will share some of the lessons she learned in the White House veggie garden with the furry denizens of Sesame Street and you, of course.

Salad Engineering 101 Grab some of the tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce that Michelle Obama taught you to grow on Sesame Street and get to work on a leafy masterpiece that eats like a complete meal. FitSugar has some tips to turn your low-carbon appetizer into a superfood.

Refuting the Car Idling Myths Should I warm the car up for a few minutes in winter? Are frequent starts rough on my starter? Is idling more fuel efficient than turning the engine on and back off? Or are we needlessly idling our way to a hotter dirty planet? The short answer to the last question is: Yes.

School District Bans Biking/Walking to School In the middle of a child obesity epidemic, schools in Saratoga Springs, NY, have actually banned students from biking or walking to school. Why would a school district enact such a ridiculous policy? Thankfully, at least one family is standing up to the ban.

Green in a Flash:

• Is Dell’s new wireless charging system an energy sinkhole?
• Check out these awesome shipping container offices!
• Will the climate bill end up like a promiscuous teenager in a slasher film?

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