Merry Christmas to all Treehuggers celebrating today, and best wishes to all as the year comes to an end. Although our Treehugger poll suggests many treehuggers do without a tree or prefer a reusable (artificial or rooted), there are many who have decided to prioritize a cut tree to capture the spirit for their friends and loved ones. You probably already have your recycling plan in mind, but just in case you want to recycle your tree and are not sure how: check out Earth911 for tips on the tree recycling options nearest to you (in the USA/Canada only). Treehugger earlier suggested Earth911 as a valuable resource for other periodic waste challenges such as batteries or used oil, but it seems timely to point out their service of the season. MerryCycling to all, and to all a good night! R... 12/23/2009

Want a unique, fun activity for fall in the Somerset County, NJ area? Find apple picking orchards, apple farms, apple festivals for Somerset County, New Jersey. Here is a list of the best 'pick your own' apple orchards and apple farms in Somerset County that offer the best apple picking in and around Somerset and the state of New Jersey! View all New Jersey Apple Picking Orchards and Apple Farms Guide All the best from the Garden State. Paul Stillwaggon, For All Your Real Estate Needs Contact New Jersey EstatesReal Estate Group E-mail: njestates@gmail.comWeb: http://www.newjerseyestates.net908-561-5492 (Paul S) 908-310-1358 (Cell) NJ Estates Real Estate GroupWeichert Realtors908-561-549255 Stirling Road, Watchung, N.J. 07069 Equal Housing Opportunity Current Listings Info Luxury New Hom... 12/15/2009

Boston College researchers have observed the "hot electron" effect in a solar cell for the first time and successfully harvested the elusive charges using ultra-thin solar cells, opening a potential avenue to improved solar power efficiency, the authors report in the current online edition of Applied Physics Letters.   When light is captured in solar cells, it generates free electrons in a range of energy states. But in order to snare these charges, the electrons must reach the bottom of the conduction band. The problem has been that these highly energized "hot" electrons lose much of their energy to heat along the way. Hot electrons have been observed in other devices, such as semiconductors. But their high kinetic energy can cause these electrons, also known as "hot carriers," to degr... 12/11/2009