The Park Spark is a generator that Matthew Mazzotta created to burn dog waste. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the first Park Spark lit up a dog park at night, reducing its reliance on the grid.
 
The homestead and history savvy of us may vaguely remember reading that people in need of fuel sometimes burnt manure. Manure contains a lot of methane, which is not only a more harmful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but it’s going to waste because too many of us are afraid of cooties. Power generation that burns things is usually not ideal because it uses non-renewable resources and creates carbon, but this case is different: turning methane into carbon is actually a good thing, and methane is certainly renewable.
 
There are several manure-burning generators out there, but the Park Spark is very accessible. Anybody who has picked up after their dog may use one. Dog poo often sits sealed in plastic bags in landfills for as long as the bag lasts, when they could at least be decomposing. A generator is a better place to throw that bag, even a biodegradable bag.
 
More on the Park Spark at Inhabitat
 

You might want to get into fair trade fashion before it gets cool. Katherine Martinko just alerted TreeHugger readers to the idea of fair trade clothing. Fair trade doesn’t stop at coffee and chocolate. Anything that currently involves nastily underpaid factory or farm workers may have a fair trade alternative.
 
Visit TreeHugger and hear it from Katherine.
 

Gadzooki has a list of five new gadgets that power themselves in renewable ways. Ranging from a clock to a barbecue, these items are more than novelties. Their power sources differ too, including chemical, water, and solar. Click on and you may find gift ideas for the environmentally savvy in your life.
 
Gadzooki!
 

Slow fashion supports the beauty of artisanal textiles worked in traditions from around the globe. Block Shop Textiles is Lily and Hopie Stockman’s company that works with a wood block and flower dye printing co-op in Bagru, India. Block Shop can get you a garment or piece of fabric precious enough to hand wash and hang.
 
Learn their slow-fashion details at StartUp FASHION.
 

While not all dogs are the same, keeping your dog clean can help you keep your house clean. Paula Rodney has 8 ways to keep your dog clean. Depending on where you live, you’ll find her ideas useful and maybe her product suggestions, too.
 
Visit Life.Style.etc to see them.
 

Do you polish your stainless steel appliances with a small amount of oil? An even application of oil requires the perfect touch. However, Shifrah Combiths just realized that oil in a spray can applies lightly and evenly. So if you’re the stainless steel type, try a natural cooking spray to polish your surfaces.
 
Source at Apartment Therapy.
 

Depending on where you live, the variety of craft supplies in your local shops may be limited, or you may have to visit several stores to get the supplies for a project. Shopping online opens up more possibilities and requires less driving from you. Ashley Phipps suggests you visit Consumer Crafts for supplies.
 
She’ll explore the site with you at Simply Designing.
 

December is a time to make things for people. Craftsy has a pile of free online classes, so be sure to visit and peruse them for this holiday season. Out of 39 free classes when I checked, there are plenty of sewing, fibre art and cooking classes in the mix.
 
Thanks, Money Saving Mom and Moms by Heart.
 

Dirty Diaper Laundry is an awesome place to find cloth diaper reviews. What I’ve noticed about the Thirsties One Size All in One is, boy, do the authors love this diaper. This video shows the diaper’s features, while the blog has more details. If you do or are thinking of cloth diapering your baby, let Kim Rosas tell you why to look at Thirsties.
 
Read the full review.
 

Sword & Plough is a fashion company that repurposes fabric from military surplus material. Three important points about Sword & Plough are:

• They help ensure that military textiles don’t go to waste.
• They create quality bags while paying their craftspeople living wages in the USA.
• They employ veterans.

On Factory45, Shannon Whitehead interviews Sword & Plough founders Betsy and Emily Nunez.
 
Hear it from the source.