Photos via the BBC In the remote, flood ravaged region of Bihar, India, a scarcity of trees has led the local people to adopt an alternative to traditional cremations. They've begun using cow dung in the burial ritual instead--a move that saves an entire tree for every ceremony. Strange as it may seem, the people in Bihar have no aversion to cremating their dead with cow dung--it's entirely socially acceptable, rapidly growing as a practice, and is now done by 40% of the population. And it's one of the oddest and best conservation stories to emerge in some time. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo credit NASA via Discovery News Of all the strange ideas I've heard, this tops the list. The amount of catalogued space debris within our planet's orbit increased by nearly 50% since 2007, so DARPA wants to gather ideas for how to clear space junk from Earth's orbit. James Hollopeter of GIT Satellite lends one idea - launch rockets full of water out to space. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo: Wikipedia, Public domain 2004 to 2009 Prius Included in Toyota's September 2009 Recall Toyota has just announced a huge recall. About 3.8 million vehicles are included, and that includes the 2004 to 2009 Prius hybrid. Since that's probably a fairly popular car with our readers, we thought it would be a good idea to let you know. Other models affected are: 2007 to 2010 Camry; 2005 to 2010 Avalon; 2005 to 2010 Tacoma; 2007 to 2010 Tundra; 2007 to 2010 ES 350; and 2006 to 2010 IS 250 and 2006 to 2010 IS 350. More details about the reason behind this Toyota recall below.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image: OFF Architecture Green Roof School in Revin, France Some lucky students in Revin, France, will soon be attending a cool school. With undulating, grass roof buildings terraced into the hillside, the Lycee Jean Moulin is practically invisible when seen from a distance (image overleaf). From the inside, students will enjoy an environment with a natural feel, and plenty of exercise climbing to their next class (image overleaf).... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo: Tesla Motors Tesla Plans to Recycle its Platform In a blog post where they try to explain how they will use the DOE loan (and make it clear that it's unrelated to the bailout money that went to Detroit automakers), Tesla revealed that the platform of its upcoming Model S electric sedan will be used to create other electric vehicles: An electric minivan, an electric crossover, and an electric utility van for fleets. Something for everyone, it seems.... Read the full story on TreeHugger