Will Stink for 'N Sync

Melanie A. Lasoff

How far would you go to prove your love of a musical group? Young Philadelphia fans of the boy band 'N Sync were ready to live in garbage for the teen heartthrobs. Radio station Q102 in July initiated the "'N Stink for 'N Sync" contest, in which four people lived in a Houston-based Waste Mangement Inc. garbage container in a mall parking lot.

The contestant who remained in the dumpster the longest won front-row tickets to the 'N Sync concert and a backstage pass to meet the band members. Among the rules: the lid of the container was to remain open, and whatever was brought into the dumpster remained in the container, including food waste, beverage containers and clothes. Contestants took 10-minute breaks every two hours, with 15-minute breaks in the morning and at night to use restrooms at the mall. Let's hope the winner got time to freshen up before the concert - contestants were not allowed to shower for the duration of their stay in the can.

Source: Q102, Philadelphia

A Compost Incubator Some might call them lazy, but the Brush-turkeys of Australia actually are resourceful. These birds build compost piles to incubate their eggs so the birds do not have to sit on the eggs to keep them warm. First, the birds build mounds of decomposing vegetation. The heat produced keeps the eggs 20 times warmer than a resting Brush-turkey sitting on them. Therefore, more eggs can be incubated.

Additionally, the birds treat their compost with utmost care - they turn the piles and add or remove vegetation to regulate the temperature, which they sense through their bills.

To catch a glimpse of their nests, visit Kangaroo Island in South Australia.

Source: Cornell University Center for the Environment, Ithaca, N.Y.