Saving the planet is serious business so it is time for a little levity. I found some clueless packaging along with people with creative environmental solutions.

Last year, Wolfgang Puck introduced packaged coffee drinks in self-heating containers. A reaction between water and calcium oxide in a sealed inner cone warms up the drink in eight minutes. This ten ounces of coffee is contained in an eight ounce single-use package that will quickly end up in the garbage.

In attempt to get more wine drinkers, several vintners are trying new packaging. Italian wine maker Casalnova is marketing wine in single serve glass bottles. Floot is offering sparkling wine in aluminum cans with a straw attached. Stone Cellars sells wine in plastic bottles for tailgate parties.

Wine bottles are currently exempt from the California Redemption Value deposit because wine was not sold in single serve containers. If these new containers are successful, maybe that law will change.

France's wine makers had a glut of wine that they needed to move and move it they did. Last year, France's vintners distilled about 133 million bottles of surplus wine into ethanol which will be added to gasoline. This will help the European effort to increase use of biofuels and decrease their dependancy on petroleum. Winemakers hope this diversification will help vintners stay in business without tearing out their grape vines.

In Boston, Don Levy geared up for a chilly winter by getting rid of the furnace in his restaurant. Levy replaced his old heating system with a boiler that runs on 100 percent vegetable oil thus avoiding high natural-gas heating prices and disposal costs for his leftover oil.

I spotted a Volkswagen Bug in downtown Vallejo recently with a bumper sticker touting its conversion to Biodiesel. We hope to featured it at our Earth Day celebration.

The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers is promoting Green Gyms; not a green building but the green outdoors. The Green Gym offers people an alternative to improve their fitness by involvement in practical conservation activities such as planting hedges, creating community gardens, or improving trails.

There are several opportunities to burn calories locally. The Bay Area Ridge Trail which traverses the hills between Vallejo and Benicia needs periodic maintenance. Call Rollye Wiskerson at 707 642-9870 to volunteer.

Loma Vista Farm, our nonprofit educational farm and garden, needs volunteers to maintain structures, work in the garden, and groom the animals. For a list of work days contact Bob Talley at 707 556-8765.

Volunteers are needed to tend the California Native Garden located at the Vallejo Community Center (225 Amador Street). Contact this writer at 707 644-9183 for information.

The Jepson chapter of the California Native Plant Society needs volunteers for propagation, planting and plant sales, Contact Becky at 707 429-2494.

Earth Day

Mark Saturday, April 22 on your calendars for our annual Earth Day celebration at Farmers' Market in downtown Vallejo. If your group would like to set up a table or help with the event please contact VALCORE at 645-8258 or register on our web site.

Waste Free Parties

Kudos go to Boy Scout Troop 64 and the Loma Vista Farm for taking the extra step and using biodegradable plates, cups and cutlery at their recent events. All used items will be added to the compost piles of the organizers. Over 600 people attended these events and were exposed to an environmentally friendly way to have an event. Congratulations to those who are willing to walk the walk.