As if we haven''t spilled enough ink about cruise ships lately, here comes more. At 7pm Jan. 14 in the Irvine Auditorium at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, author Ross Klein will discuss his 2002 book, Cruise Ship Blues: The Underside of the Cruise Industry.

Klein, a confessed former "cruise junkie," has taken 30 cruises and knows whereof he''s speaking when he talks about the "underside" exposed in his book.

Cruise lines have come under a lot of scrutiny lately, mostly for egregious environmental offenses like illegal dumping at sea. Locally, cruise ships made headlines last year with three scheduled visits to the Monterey Bay. More are planned for this year. The Monterey City Council got the cruise companies to agree to hold their wastewater while in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Since then, cruise ships elsewhere have been plagued with nasty viral outbreaks that have sickened hundreds of passengers and crew. It''s a dark tale, which Klein will tell on Tuesday.

Moss Landing Marine Labs Goes Green

When you''re on hold with the Friends of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, the sounds of ocean waves and seagulls crying caresses your eardrums. It''s a nature-friendly vibe that''s fitting for MLML, which just received an award from the United States Green Building Council naming it one of 65 model eco-buildings countrywide.

The lab, which sits on 21 acres overlooking wetlands and the Monterey Bay, was constructed to preserve and enhance the existing landscape, and also added 12 acres of native drought-resistant plants around the building to encourage animal and plant habitats. MLML is now working with the Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design program to pilot a national program encouraging sustainable design.

Marine lab director Dr. Kenneth Coale describes the scarcity of natural resources such as oil and water, and the impact of global warming, as driving reasons compelling green design. "These, like many of the environmental, or international problems that face us, seem so large that they can sometimes make us feel powerless," he writes."But there is a lot we can do to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reduce our environmental footprint both locally and globally."

-Jessica Lyons, Andrew Scutro and Brett Wilbur