Wine labels can be hard to read, especially when you’re new to wine, but there are a few helpful pieces of information that should be on any wine label.

I consider myself a pretty good gardener, a common sense "greenie", and a person who does her best to reduce, reuse, and recycle. But, there's something I must admit. For years now, I've resisted composting. It just seemed a bit too difficult and bit too time-consuming. That's all changed. And, if I can make it work, you can too. Let me help you Do Your Part to keep food scraps out of the garbage and turn them into something quite valuable.

The average American goes to the supermarket twice a week and is exposed to bacteria from a variety of sources - from the grocery cart handle to the melons in the produce aisle. Even when your groceries are safely at home, you still have to contend with food-borne illnesses. More than 70 million people get sick from food-borne illnesses in the U.S. each year, and roughly 5,000 of them die as a result of it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And if you're pregnant, diabetic, HIV-positive or over the age of 65, then it's even more risky for you to sample the grocery store's cheese display or skip the produce bags.

The makers of the popular Brazilian Blowout line of hair-straightening products - which can cost up to $500 per salon treatment - have agreed to change their labeling to warn consumers that the treatments can release formaldehyde gas, which is considered a carcinogen and can cause irritation of the eyes and skin, according to a report from USA Today.

If you're planting a spring garden in the U.S. this year, you may want to set aside some extra seed money. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has updated its plant hardiness zone map for the first time since 1990, reflecting how some crops are moving north as winter grows warmer.

Dear EarthTalk: I was horrified to read recently that our oceans are actually becoming acidic, that the continued burning of fossil fuels is changing the chemistry of our seas. What's going on?

It's true that hotels, motels and inns have made efforts to lessen their impact.

Imagine a space borne instrument that measures the nation's air quality in five-square-mile grids every hour.

California now gets about 5 percent of its electricity from wind power, according to data released Tuesday by the California Wind Energy Association.

Note to reader: This column addresses the "100 Days of Real Food" mini-pledge series, which details 14 weekly steps for cutting out highly processed food.