While the future of health care in the US is uncertain, taking responsibility for your own health now could save you money in the long run.

Did you know that chronic diseases account 75% of health care costs in America? Many are treatable, even reversible, when managed properly. But your best chance of avoiding the health care morass is prevention. The Hipsters discuss ways to take control of your own well-being. Bonus: these ideas impact your health without impacting the planet! Also, Val gets ready for her cinematic debut, but Dori can't get a movie date. *sigh*

Beer: Needing hydration on a stinkin' hot day, we opened a big-ass bottle of Floating Rock Hefeweizen from Mammoth Brewing Co. Not our fave, but a pretty good thirst-quencher.

Chocolate: Fonda in Missouri has once again claimed the title of New Favorite Listener by sending a box of Shaman Chocolates. Val loved the Organic Milk Chocolate with Macadamia nuts and Hawaiian Pink Sea Salt. Dori remained nutless, braving the 82% Extra Dark. Fonda, you rock!

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Thing! Yes, her dryer has had balls for years, but now Nellie's PVC-Free Dryer Balls have taken the experience to a whole new level. Get your own pair, then add a fragrance stick for good measure.
• Blue is the new green. Head for SoCal this Labor Day weekend, so you can attend the Blue Planet Film Fest. Tickets to this very green event in Santa Monica are available through InTicketing, which will plant a tree for each one sold.

   

• Cures what ales you. Need another reason to enjoy a frosty glass of brew? A study finds that drinking beer regularly could stop your bones from going brittle! Nice to know as you're about to fall off your barstool.

Contain yourself! Listener Meghan came up with several clever ideas for those used yogurt containers.

• carry cherry tomatoes at the farmer's market
• sort and hold small household items and hardware
• sort and hold little toys, like Barbie shoes
• use as rinse cups for watercolor painting
• hold crayons,etc. in the car
• donate to a preschool or kids' museum
• cut the bottom out of 2, bind them into binoculars!

Did you know that chronic diseases account 75% of health care costs in America? Many are treatable, even reversible, when managed properly. But your best chance of avoiding the health care morass is prevention. Eat fresh food, wear sunscreen, use natural cleaning products; the Hipsters discuss ways to take control of your own well-being with a few tips from our friends at Yahoo! Green. Bonus: these ideas impact your health without impacting the planet!

• Exercise to prevent chronic disease and control weight. Obesity rates rose in 23 US states last year.
• Sleep at least 7 to 9 hours per night. Missing even an hour every night can raise your blood pressure and make you a grouch.
• Wash your hands, but stay away from anti-bacterial soap. Triclosan is not your friend.
• Tap water is best, but you can change things up with the original energy drink: coconut water. Try flavored Vita Coco or ZICO.

Be a part of our show! Send an e-mail to hip@greenfeet.com. Check out our new blog! And remember to post articles, links and tips for staying healthy at our MHTH forum!Send Val at least 25 beer caps or labels for her patio project, and get a free MHTH bottle opener! Mail them to More Hip Val, 275 Fairchild Ave. #107, Chico, CA 95973. No Sierra Nevada please!

• Robin in New Jersey has 3 menfolk willing to pee on her compost pile, but wants to know if she should dilute it first. Indoors=yes, outdoors=no. Now let it flow.
• Rebecca in Oregon wonders which is the greener choice, homemade or locally produced ice cream? No need to worry about your footprint in this situation...but you might want to watch your assprint!
• Kyle in Davis, CA works hard to bring sustainable dining practices to the UC Davis campus. Can you make us honorary Aggies?
• Patrick gets a charge out of hybrid batteries from Rayovac and Sanyo. Speaking of batteries...
• Michelle in NY introduced us to the aptly-named website RecycleMySexToy. An idea whose time has, er, come.

Show the world you're More Hip Than Hippie! Grab some merch for Labor Day or anyday!Twitter goes green on #EcoMonday! Follow us on Twitter: GrnDiva, MoreHipDori and JRich9 at your service! Add us to your friends on Facebook and MySpace! Remember to vote for us at Podcast Alley, and leave a glowing review at iTunes! More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com.

The popular "Cash for Clunkers" program, or CARS, has new automobile sales in overdrive.

As an economic stimulus program, "Cash for Clunkers" is a big success. New cars are flying off the lots and automakers are putting employees back to work. But is the program taking gas-guzzlers off the road, as intended? What repercussions are being felt down the supply chain? The Hipsters motor through the facts surrounding the Car Allowance Rebate System, as it's now called. Also, Val attends her family reunion and gets locked in a brewery. Really, is anyone surprised?

Beer: The Heirloom Amber Ale from Pike Brewing Co. in Seattle is a crowd-pleaser. Crisp and refreshing, weighty enough for ale drinkers, but accessible to those just starting to leave the cheerleader beer behind.

Chocolate: Our new favorite listener is Tony in Chicago! He resisted the urge to bust open the Cafe-Tasse Chocolat Bio bar, sending it to us intact. Sweet little cocoa bits wrapped in velvety organic chocolate...almost as delicious as George Clooney!

Finds:

• Book 'em, pt. 1. OK college students, stop the madness with the bookstore prices! Check out Chegg and BookRenter for textbook rentals. You even get a prepaid return envelope.
• Book 'em, pt. 2. You say you'd rather own a used copy? Go to Bookfinder, Campus Books or eCampus for some deals.
• Book 'em, pt. 3. Or go treeless! Six campuses are testing a program using the Kindle for accessing textbooks. Make sure you get a huge bottle of Paperback to go with it.

   

• Hot wings. Good ol' Exxon Mobil will pay a fine for killing migratory birds in 5 states. Their gas pits and oily wastewater apparently do not make a successful marinade.
• Mass. transit. Officials in Boston are creating a citywide bike-share program. Wicked pissah!

Got sawdust? Put it to use in your compost bin or pile. Tossing a handful of sawdust on top of fresh scraps helps to break the material down quickly, with less odor.

As an economic stimulus program, "Cash for Clunkers" is a big success. New cars are flying off the lots and automakers are putting employees back to work. But is the program taking gas-guzzlers off the road, as intended? What repercussions are being felt down the supply chain? The Hipsters motor through the facts surrounding the Car Allowance Rebate System, as it's now called.

• The rules. Find all the details about Cash for Clunkers at the program's official site.
• Top 10. Which cars are the top trade-ins? Which new cars are rolling off the lots? Oddly, Ford tops both lists!
• Sticker shock. The popular program is giving used car dealers a bit of a headache.
• A Hummer? Really? Environmentalists find the Cash for Clunkers program isn't as green as they had hoped.
• Load of scrap. Auto recyclers keep busy these days, but are upset with limits on their ability to recover car parts.
• Mercury rising. General Motors has dropped out of ELVS, a partnership that collects toxic car parts to prevent mercury pollution.

Be a part of our show! Send an e-mail to hip@greenfeet.com. Check out our new blog! And remember to post articles, links and photos of your trade-in at our MHTH forum!Send Val at least 25 beer caps or labels for her patio project, and get a free MHTH bottle opener! Mail them to More Hip Val, 275 Fairchild Ave. #107, Chico, CA 95973. No Sierra Nevada please!

• Nicole in Connecticut wants to cut down on wasted yogurt cups. You can recycle them or buy bigger containers to scoop from...or you can make your own yogurt! We have faith in you!
• Charlie in Los Angeles (she's a girl!) liked the story of a teenage boy who figured out how to make plastic decompose in just 3 months. We'll all be working for that kid someday.
• Lynda in Florida spent time bonding with good beer at Portland's Brewfest. A stop at Voodoo Donuts didn't yield any glazed genitalia, sorry to say, but she did share a chocolate recipe with us. We're sitting by the mailbox waiting for those Brewfest mugs!

Show the world you're More Hip Than Hippie! Grab some merch for back-to-school or anytime!Twitter goes green on #EcoMonday! Follow us on Twitter: GrnDiva, MoreHipDori and JRich9 at your service! Add us to your friends on Facebook and MySpace!Remember to vote for us at Podcast Alley, and leave a glowing review at iTunes! More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com.

Is yellow the new green? Learn about the surprising benefits of urine, one of nature's most abundant untapped resources.

"Civilized people ought to know how to dispose of the sewage in some other way than putting it into the drinking water." President Theodore Roosevelt was onto something when he said that, over 100 years ago. Forward-thinking folks are taking a fresh look at urine as a resource rather than a source of waste. The Hipsters flush out some compelling arguments for harvesting this nitrogen-rich substance; in fact, when it comes to agricultural fertilizers, urine is #1! (sorry.) Also, Val reports from her trip to the X-Games, Dori leaks some personal info and we close the show with the poetic stylings of Woody Harrelson.

Beer: Yet another find from Val's trip to Idaho, Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock offers a hint of citrus in a mild lager. Not bad, but didn't really blow our skirts up.

Chocolate: What's this? A chocolate-covered crouton? Theo Chocolate's 3400 Phinney collection includes the Bread and Dark Chocolate bar, a combo that didn't really satisfy. Flavor Fail!

Finds: >

• Val's Favorite Thing! Now that you've invested in a quality garden hose, keep it in good shape with the Kink Free Adapter by Melnor. Connect the hose to one end, the faucet to the other; no more kinky, twisted hoses (unless you're into that sort of thing...)
• Back among the Living. Planet Green announced that the third season of Living With Ed starts on October 21st. It stars that guy who didn't remember us.

• Recharge. President Obama announced a $2.4 billion investment in electric vehicle and battery technology.
• Carp diem. After years of decline, some global fish populations begin to show signs of rebounding. The key? Policies based on science, implemented with transparency.

Chex it out! Why not turn an empty cereal box into a magazine holder? If you can operate a pencil, a ruler and a box cutter, you're ready to save that Cheerios box from the landfill. You'll also save on the cost of a plastic holder. Tip: for heavier magazines, line several boxes next to each other for support.

"Civilized people ought to know how to dispose of the sewage in some other way than putting it into the drinking water." President Theodore Roosevelt was onto something when he said that, over 100 years ago. Forward-thinking folks are taking a fresh look at urine as a resource rather than a source of waste. The Hipsters flush out some compelling arguments for harvesting this nitrogen-rich substance; in fact, when it comes to agricultural fertilizers, urine is #1!

• Eco-san, aka ecological sanitation, recognizes that human "leavings" are not waste, but a resource for the benefit of agriculture.
• Urine contains plenty of phosphorus, which may soon be in short supply.
• Cabbage fertilized with human urine proved hardier than its conventional counterparts, according to a Finnish study.
• Fertilize your garden with diluted urine. Really. Here are the "golden" rules.
• Toilets designed to separate solid from liquid waste are becoming all the rage in Sweden.
• SOS Mata Atlantica is a Brazilian environmental group whose new media campaign encourages folks to pee in the shower!

Be a part of our show! Send an e-mail to hip@greenfeet.com. Check out our new blog! And remember to post articles, links and the results of your latest urine test at our MHTH forum!Send Val at least 25 beer caps or labels for her patio project, and get a free MHTH bottle opener! Mail them to More Hip Val, 275 Fairchild Ave. #107, Chico, CA 95973. No Sierra Nevada please!

• Dale in Seattle created his own take on the topsy-turvy tomato plant! Thanks for writing in and giving Dori the chance to say "Oshkosh".
• Jen in Long Beach also loves the smell of books, and found the perfect Demeter fragrance: Paperback.
• Sandy in White Plains, NY has a 7 year-old Greenie who thought all batteries are rechargeable!

Show the world you're More Hip Than Hippie! Grab some merch for back-to-school or anytime!Twitter goes green on #EcoMonday! Follow us on Twitter: GrnDiva, MoreHipDori and JRich9 at your service! Add us to your friends on Facebook and MySpace!Remember to vote for us at Podcast Alley, and leave a glowing review at iTunes! More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com.