A rookie hit the biggest ninth-inning grand slam of her fledgling career, single-handedly beating a team that included: Beyonc; Steve Jobs (making two appearances at bat -- once when retiring, once while expiring); the Japanese earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown; and Ashton Kutcher's unfortunate mis-tweet.

As the New Year approaches and as we move past the holiday season, the frenzied language of cutting and slashing is fill the air with vows to cut carbs, slash prices, and reduce spending! This season, I'm challenging myself to adopt a rhetoric of sustainable "creation" to accompany a long-standing philosophy to "reduce."

As 2012 approaches, green marketing will be as important as ever for both company image and bottom line. It should come as no surprise that using social media is the most effective way to take advantage of green marketing initiatives and establish a better relationship with the consumer. Unfortunately, some still aren't well versed when it comes to the social media landscape. In 2012, this will not be a good position to be in.

Proclaimed "the biggest wildcard for the future of oil and gas" by The New York Times, shale gas and the controversial process by which it is extracted from the ground, called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," has captivated a worldwide audience.