By Marilyn Mandala Schlitz, Ph.D., Cassandra Vieten, Ph.D., Tina Amorok, Psy.D

"There is a huge and rising hunger on the part of just about everybody for authentic experience and reconnecting with what's deepest and best in ourselves in an ever accelerating and complex world." --Jon Kabat-Zinn

Last week I attended an evening lecture by two dynamic and brilliant women from the Institute for Noetic Sciences

(IONS), the organization founded by the Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell after his journey to the moon. Since then they've been studying and researching the science of consciousness and spiritual experiences. This is a profound synthesis of ancient mystery schools with modern science.

The BP oil spill has inflicted enormous harm in the Gulf of Mexico and will continue to do so for months, if not decades, to come. While we will need a wide array of efforts to address this complex problem, mycoremediation is a valuable component in our toolset of solutions. Mycoremediation has demonstrated positive results, verified by scientists in many countries. However, there is more oil spilled than there is currently mycelium available. Much more mycelium is needed and, fortunately, we know how to generate it.

Here is what we know about mycoremediation, based on tests conducted by myself, my colleagues and other researchers who have published their results.

WMR has been informed by sources in the US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Florida Department of Environmental Protection that the Obama White House and British Petroleum (BP), which pumped $71,000 into Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign -- more than John McCain or Hillary Clinton, are covering up the magnitude of the volcanic-level oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and working together to limit BP's liability for damage caused by what can be called a "mega-disaster."

Two decades after the worst oil spill in U.S. history, huge quantities of oil still coat Alaska's shores with a toxic glaze, experts say. More than 21,000 gallons of crude oil remain of the 11 million gallons of crude oil that bled from the stranded tanker Exxon Valdez on the night of March 23, 1989.

When he was just in his mid-20s, Denis Hayes was made national coordinator of the very first Earth Day. That was forty years ago, and a lot has changed. Over his career as a lawyer, technologist, investor, and advocate, Hayes has watched Earth Day become a global phenomenon, aggregating the efforts of myriad causes in many places (occasionally co-opted by corporations). Hayes shares his thoughts on the current significance of Earth Day, Obama's weaknesses and strengths, the future of cleantech, and what real climate legislation should look like.

Ashland is supposed to be committed to a path of sustainability. Apparently some of our city leaders have gotten lazy with regards to the pesticide issue.

The world's only pink Bottlenose dolphin which was discovered in an inland lake in Louisiana, USA, has become such an attraction that conservationists have warned tourists to leave it alone.

Charter boat captain Erik Rue, 42, photographed the animal, which is actually an albino, when he began studying it after the mammal first surfaced in Lake Calcasieu, an inland saltwater estuary, north of the Gulf of Mexico in southwestern USA.

SAN FRANCISCO - The Center for Biological Diversity, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Sierra Forest Legacy, and the Environmental Protection Information Center today filed a formal notice of intent to sue the Department of the Interior over its failure to protect the Pacific fisher — a relative of the mink and otter that has been decimated by historic fur trapping and logging of old-growth forests.

Huffington Post Impact has put together a comprehensive list of links to donate and get involved in relief efforts for victims of Tuesday's devastating earthquake. You can also go to The Goods: Help Send Relief To Haiti, an online store by Causecast and HuffPost Impact, where you can purchase products for organizations that will be directly used on the ground in Haiti.

The U.S. State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747

A strong earthquake (magnitude 6.5) hit Northern California today, breaking windows and taking out power lines in some areas. The quake hit at 4:27 pm PT, with the epicenter around 25 miles from Eureka.

Dear EarthTalk: I am very concerned about the amount of chlorine in my tap water. I called my water company and they said it is safe, just let the tap run for awhile to rid the smell of chlorine. But that just gets rid of the smell, perhaps, not the chlorine? -- Anita Frigo, Milford, CT

While the articles that drove the most clicks this year were a combo of lists and FAQs, we know our loyal readers came back on a daily basis to check out our solid reporting, our trend-spotting, our startup profiles and our scoops. We worked hard in 2009 to cover the entrepreneurs and innovators of green technology and we’ll work even harder in 2010. Happy New Year’s!