Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Today's Globe: carbon footprint, digestible labels, gifted parrot, designs on a cure

Customers buying Timberland shoes now have something to think about other than style, comfort, and price -- global warming. The shoe maker is among a growing number of companies seeking to capitalize on consumers' growing concern about climate change by developing "carbon labels" for everything from shoes to shampoo.

Next month, General Mills Inc. and Kellogg Co. will begin labeling their cereals with symbols that summarize complex nutritional information - part of the growing use of logos to steer harried grocery shoppers toward healthier choices.

Brandeis scientist Irene Pepperberg knew that Alex, an African gray parrot whose advanced language and recognition skills shattered science's understanding of the avian brain, would not be around forever to greet her in her lab each morning. But his sudden death Thursday after 30 years of research has left Pepperberg and fellow researchers shocked, scrambling to piece together the remaining data from their latest work with the bird, and feeling as if they had lost a colleague.

Breast cancer survivors Dr. Carolyn Kaelin (second from left) and Dr. Julie Silver (right) modeled fashions by designer Sara Campbell (second from right) during a runway show in Boston's Fashion Week to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. WCVB's Kelley Tuthill (left), also a breast cancer survivor, was the event's MC.

Posted by Elizabeth Cooney at 06:57 AM

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