When Girlawhirl visits her country and beach house buddies throughout the summer, she makes sure to bring along a hostess gift. But she doesn't forget the kiddies and this summer that means she's toting along Real World Wonders stuffed animals in her weekend bag, and each member of the gang has a story to tell…

Will water be the oil of the next hundred years? Will fresh water be traded as a commodity, fought over at borders and considered so precious as to be called “blue gold?” More than a billion people don't have access to freshwater, and most experts – 200 scientists from 50 countries – agree that along with global warming, a water shortage is another crisis that the Earth will face…

Girlawhirl's in love with this totally transformable tote, designed to carry dry cleaning both to and from the cleaners. For drop-offs it's a roomy tote, carrying 12 men's shirts with no trouble. After everything's clean, it transforms itself into a garment bag, covering the same 12 shirts for the journey home…

It's not just the wasting of water that gets Girlawhirl's goat when she thinks of washing a car – it's all the chemicals that are used to clean both the outside and inside. That new car smell? It truly grosses her out, because she knows it's full of off-gassing chemicals and other things she'd really rather not inhale…

Cap and Trade; Girlawhirl hears it on the news, and when friends are in the midst of a political debate. And while yes, she knows that they're talking about a system to regulate carbon emissions, it seems she's in the minority. According to a recent Rasmussen poll, only 24% of Americans knew that Cap and Trade had something to do with the fight to stop global warming…

Could Girlawhirl's next car be electric? It's possible – there are a few options that will be available in the United States over the course of the next couple of years. Already a fan of the Tesla Roadster, Girlawhirl wishes there were more electric car options for the average American. Right now, the Roadster is the only highway capable electric vehicle that's being produced in the US, but with its long waiting list and high price tag, it's more of a novelty than a realistic consideration…

Girlawhirl's not the only one who finds herself staring at the clock at 3am these days. It's become the topic of conversation in morning meetings and with Super Pals over coffee; more and more people she knows are having trouble falling asleep. Whether she's worrying about a problem at work or a financial issue at home, Girlawhirl's found some help from Dr. Andrew Weil in his Night Health Collection for Origins…