The Food Scout

What do the Queen of England and PepsiCo have in common? This week they were both featured in the news for their decision to be more “neutral” -- carbon-neutral, that is. On Monday, May 7, PepsiCo is expected to announce its decision to purchase 1 billion kilowatt hours of renewable energy credits in 2007, to help offset the emissions from its own manufacturing efforts. The Queen of England likewise announced she would pay $20,000 to compensate for the carbon emissions caused by her trip to the U.S., which would be used to plant trees and support projects in developing countries, and was planning to make her residences carbon neutral by 2012.

Nothing is more depressing to a consumer than the reality of strictly following a diet for weeks or months and losing only a few pounds as a result. But now there’s a diet that promises to knock off not hundreds -- but thousands -- of pounds in just 30 days. Best of all, it requires no exercise and doesn’t ask you to cut fat, calories or even your favorite foods.