If you hear croaking coming from your Christmas tree, turn on the lights and prepare the Orajel. As cute as he may be, and as sweet his song, the camouflaged frog ornamenting your branch will need to die before he hops a ride up the chimney with Santa.

I will soon be flying home to Seattle—one of five cities chosen for a major trial run of the electric car. Within two years, at least 900 Nissan Leafs are expected to be (silently) cruising the region's hilly backroads and highways, and recharging every 100 or so miles at one of 2,500 stations. Data on how often the cars are driven, and where they are charged, will "help governments figure out how to build a charging network across the continent," according to The Seattle Times.

Especially if they are parents, some Leaf owners may find themselves driving to the latest beat from the band, They Might Be Giants.

Gunjan Karun via Flickr

While we often hear conflicting reports about whether or not a cup of joe is good for us (the latest news says it's good for men's prostates), there's no doubt that—if grown right—coffee is good for birds.

Wikimedia Commons

As the 15th United Nation's Climate Change Conference (COP15) gets underway today in Copenhagen, the world will be expecting reports of heated negotiations, anticipated actions, and possibly some disappointing delays. But both delegates and followers from afar may be surprised to see and hear a lighter side of the meeting, one filled with sculpture, fashion and song.

Jwallis313 via Flickr

The birds arrived in the thousands, as if out of a Hitchcock thriller: white-winged scoters, surf scoters, loons, grebes and murres. All washed up dead or dying on Oregon and Washington State shores, with the natural oils that protect them from hypothermia stripped away by a frothy soap-like substance produced when waves churn decaying algae.

Navy SEALs may be the most rigorously trained men and women of the U.S. military, but a couple of other mammals also harbor stealthy underwater skills—with no need to wear a wetsuit.

LGEPR via Flickr

Is a new flat-screen television on your holiday wish list this year? Or maybe you'd rather not wait for Santa and plan to purchase one yourself on Black Friday? Before swiping your credit card, or asking Santa to put his electrical engineering elves to work, you may want to carefully consider your choices—beyond just sound quality and color sharpness: How much energy does that set drain?

David Gonnerman/St. Olaf College

"Um Ya Ya!" Like any proud St. Olaf College alum, I couldn't help but call out our spirited cheer when I heard the news: The school's new Regents Hall of Natural and Mathematical Sciences has been awarded platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

Dry river bed in India (Anks via Flickr)

It's getting more and more difficult to ignore the warnings: Global warming is wielding its wrath upon the planet. But, for many, the concept is still vague—an abstract threat that lacks any personal urgency. If only climate change could speak to something most basic and important in people's daily lives. Oh wait, it does.

[Photo: RachaelKathrynGiles via iStockPhoto]

There's been a lot of barking and hissing this week over reports that the ecological pawprint of a beloved pet may be higher than even the most notorious SUVs. The calculations were presented in a new book, Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to sustainable living. Given the combination of cuteness and counterintuition, it's no surprise that it got a fair amount of press.