Thursday, July 31, 2008

Local Foods ... Thousands of Miles Fresher

Have you ever taken a bite of a tomato right off the vine? The taste is amazing ... so much better than anything one could buy at a store. And did you know that the nutritional content of a vegetable begins to diminish the moment it is picked? So ... if our food comes from the other side of the country ... or a completely different country ... how many vitamins and minerals are left in it by the time it hits our plate? Not much.


Buying local foods is great for so many reasons. It helps local economy ... it helps small farms stay in business ... it protects us from things like salmonella and botulism (food with less distance to travel from farm to plate has less susceptibility to harmful contamination) ... and it keeps us in touch with the seasons (by eating with the seasons, we are eating foods when they are at their peak taste, are the most abundant, and the least expensive). But one of the most compelling reasons is that local foods are kinder to the environment ... even kinder than buying organic food that has crossed the country. Here's why ... when you buy local, the food hasn't had to travel very far to get to your table. Foods that travel have to be processed (often sprayed with chemicals to increase their shelf life), packed for shipping and then they travel ... usually in gas guzzling vehicles. That contributes to global warming. Also ... and this is just my own personal opinion based on my limited experience ... but I think that people who provide local foods (usually small farmers) are concerned with sustainability so ... their farming practices are eco-friendly ... a very good thing.

Last year we joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Every other week we get a box of freshly picked veggies from the farmer that we have gone into partnership with. I love feeling connected to the farm. And the vegetables that we get are unbelievable. But CSA's aren't the only way to get local foods. There are road side stands, U-pick farms, Tailgate markets, and Farmer's markets to name a few. There are even farms that allow customers to go out and get their hands dirty by helping with the planting and harvesting.

To get more information on eating local and find opportunities near you, check out the following website:


http://www.localharvest.org/


There's another way to get local foods that we haven't talked about yet ... growing it. But I think I'll save that for another day. For now ... I hope you'll all try local foods. Check out a farm near you!

As always, I would love to hear your ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling. Just click on the comments link, located at the bottom of each post, and let me know what you think and how you conserve.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Eat your veggies …

“If 10,000 people replaced a beef meal with a vegetarian option just once a week for a year, we’d save enough water to fill roughly 605 Olympic-sized swimming pools” … Body + Soul Magazine, 2008

Did you know that your diet is one of the most effective tools you have for saving our planet? Following a vegetarian/vegan diet has the power to save water, reduce pollution and reduce global warming. Even replacing one or two meat meals a week has a positive affect on our world.

Today, livestock produce more greenhouse gases than all the cars in the world … put together. We talk a lot about cars and emission controls … when in reality; we’d get better results by giving up meat.

Livestock also use up tremendous amounts of water. Just to produce 1 lb. of feedlot beef requires 7-16 lbs. of feed grain, which takes at least 7,000 lbs. of water to grow. Pass up one hamburger, and you'll save as much water as you save by taking 40 showers with a low-flow nozzle.

And speaking of growing grain … did you know that the majority of wheat and corn grown … in excess of 70% … goes towards feeding livestock rather than going directly to feeding us? And since they require a lot more grain than we do … that’s a huge impact on the land. Now, go one step further and think about what growing the same crop, over and over and over again, does to the land. It ruins it. If you’ve watched any of the reports on growing corn lately, you quickly see that farmers can’t afford to grow anything but corn … and that is depleting the land. It’s just a thought but … wouldn’t we solve a lot of the world hunger problems by growing more food for our direct consumption as opposed to growing it for feed?

Livestock are also one of the largest sources of water pollution, contributing to “dead” zones in coastal areas and the degradation of coral reefs. How can this be? Pollution from animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and pesticides used for feed crops, and sediments from eroded pastures gets into streams, rivers and eventually the oceans. Whether it’s ammonia from animal waste killing fish or algae blooms as a result of nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, the affects are the same: devastation to the entire aquatic food chain.

It’s a well known fact that we, especially in this country, are big time consumers. Go to any fast food restaurant and you’ll see not a simple hamburger, but a double and triple burger. We aren’t content with a “normal” portion … most of us don’t even know what that is any longer. And the industry keeps up with us … producing more and more. The cost is not only our health, but the very world we live in.

So … it’s simple … eat less meat and save the world.

As always, I would love to hear your ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling. Just click on the comments link, located at the bottom of each post, and let me know what you think and how you conserve.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Your comments ...

I’ve received some great comments that I’d like to share with you. A big “thank you” to the following people for their thoughts and suggestions:

Francisco said...
I think you have the right idea. As a society we waste so much......how long can we go on wasting like there is no limit? The time has come to take responsibility for our actions.
July 4, 2008 3:51 PM

Anonymous said...
During the hot summer months, when the heat is unbearable … try taking some ice and placing it in a small towel. Wrap the towel, and put it around the back of your neck. It will cool you off considerably.
July 10, 2008 1:18 PM

SAS_Consultant said...
Another way to get extra life from your sponge is to microwave it. This supposedly reduces germs and bacteria. Make sure that the sponge is very wet before nuking it in the micro. And for those very environmentally friendly persons that do not have a microwave, you can soak the sponge in an old bowl with bleach and hot water to remove that unwanted smell of mildew. Make sure to let it air dry after disinfecting.
July 15, 2008 2:14 PM

M said...
If you use a dish pan to wash or rinse your dishes, try using a smaller one. You'll get the job done with less water.
July 27, 2008 3:00 PM

As always, I would love to hear your ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling. Just click on the comments link, located at the bottom of each post, and let me know what you think and how you conserve.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Stop Global Warming ...

There is a great site out in cyberland that offers a lot of information. It's called Stop Global Warming and their web address is:

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/default.asp

Here are some of their suggestions for things we can do to stop global warming:

Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
Replace 3 frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $60 per year.

Inflate Your Tires
Keep the tires on your car adequately inflated. Check them monthly. Save 250 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $840 per year.

Change Your Air Filter
Check your car's air filter monthly. Save 800 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $130 per year.

Fill the Dishwasher
Run your dishwasher only with a full load. Save 100 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.

Use Recycled Paper
Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled paper. Save 5 lbs. of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.

Adjust Your Thermostat
Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer. Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $98 per year.

Check Your Water heater
Keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120°F. Save 550 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $30 per year.

Change the AC Filter
Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as recommended. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150 per year.

Take Shorter Showers
Showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $99 per year.

Install a Low-Flow Showerhead
Using less water in the shower means less energy to heat the water. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150.

Buy Products Locally
Buy locally and reduce the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store.

Buy Energy Certificates
Help spur the renewable energy market and cut global warming pollution by buying wind certificates and green tags.

Buy Minimally Packaged Goods
Less packaging could reduce your garbage by about 10%. Save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide and $1,000 per year.

Buy a Hybrid Car
The average driver could save 16,000 lbs. of CO2 and $3,750 per year driving a hybrid

Buy a Fuel Efficient Car
Getting a few extra miles per gallon makes a big difference. Save thousands of lbs. of CO2 and a lot of money per year.

Carpool When You Can
Own a big vehicle? Carpooling with friends and co-workers saves fuel. Save 790 lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

Don't Idle in Your Car
Idling wastes money and gas, and generates pollution and global warming causing emissions. Except when in traffic, turn your engine off if you must wait for more than 30 seconds.

Reduce Garbage
Buy products with less packaging and recycle paper, plastic and glass. Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.

Plant a Tree
Trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breathe. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.

Insulate Your Water Heater
Keep your water heater insulated could save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.

Replace Old Appliances
Inefficient appliances waste energy. Save hundreds of lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

Weatherize Your Home
Caulk and weather strip your doorways and windows. Save 1,700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $274 per year.

Use a Push Mower
Use your muscles instead of fossil fuels and get some exercise. Save 80 lbs of carbon dioxide per year.

Unplug Un-Used Electronics
Even when electronic devices are turned off, they use energy. Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $256 per year.

Put on a Sweater
Instead of turning up the heat in your home, wear more clothes Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $250 per year.

Insulate Your Home
Make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $245 per year.

Air Dry Your Clothes
Line-dry your clothes in the spring and summer instead of using the dryer. Save 700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $75 per year.

Switch to a Tankless Water Heater
Your water will be heated as you use it rather than keeping a tank of hot water. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $390 per year.

Switch to Double Pane Windows
Double pane windows keep more heat inside your home so you use less energy. Save 10,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $436 per year.

Buy Organic Food
The chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce.

Bring Cloth Bags to the Market
Using your own cloth bag instead of plastic or paper bags reduces waste and requires no additional energy.

Turn off Your Computer
Shut off your computer when not in use, and save 200 lbs of C02. Conserve energy by using your computer's "sleep mode" instead of a screensaver.

Be a Meat Reducer
The average American diet contributes an extra 1.5 tons of greenhouse gases per year compared with a vegetarian diet. Eliminating meat and dairy intake one day a week can make a big difference.

Ditch the Plastic
2.5 million individual plastic water bottles are thrown away every hour in the US. Start using a reusable water bottle and just say no to plastic!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Solar-Powered Attic Fans

Is it like a sauna in your attic?

I once stored some holiday candles in the attic. Big mistake. Instead of beautiful tapers to adorn my table, I had flat, amoeba shaped candles.

If you own a home … or if you have a receptive landlord, here’s a tip that can reduce the heat: Install an attic fan … not just any attic fan, a solar-powered attic fan. By reducing attic temperatures, attic fans can help reduce summertime cooling loads while at the same time providing ventilation.

Solar powered fans rely on a small (10- or 20-watt) solar panel to power a DC motor when the sun is shining. The fans, which exhaust air at a rate of 800 to 1200 cfm, are installed with intake vents (such as soffit and gable vents) to provide high-capacity powered ventilation without electric operating costs. Most vents are mounted high on the roof, near the ridge, and combine with soffit or gable vents for balanced intake and exhaust air streams. Ventilation is only provided when there is ample sunshine to power the fan motor. The brightest sun (and, therefore, fan speed) typically coincides with the time of greatest need. In other words … at the hottest time of the day.

Because solar-powered fans are fueled by the sun, there are no operating costs. That makes them more affordable to use than conventional attic fans. Although equipment costs are greater than conventional attic fans (about $200 more), the cost to bring electrical wiring to the attic to supply a conventional ventilator closes the gap on installed cost.

Solar fans eliminate potential problems: If there is inadequate attic intake air and poor sealing between the conditioned space of the home and the attic, powered attic fans can potentially draw air from the house into the attic. Not only can this compromise energy efficiency, it can increase the risk of attic moisture problems as well as increase the risk of drawing the byproducts of combustion into the house (a process called backdrafting). These problems are eliminated with a solar-powered fan.

With an attic fan, melting candles will be a thing of the past.

As always, I would love to hear your ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling. Just click on the comments link, located at the bottom of each post, and let me know what you think and how you conserve.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Practice makes perfect ...

Incorporating new conservation techniques is, like anything else, something that takes practice.

The other day we returned from a weekend getaway and, as I always do, I went in to give my cat clean water. I took the large bowl of water that had been left out for her and, without thinking, tossed it down the drain. I could have used that water on my plants (which were crying for a little sip) ... but I didn't think.

I got busy unpacking our bags ... tossing certain things in the laundry ... putting some things away in the closet ... and, all of a sudden, realized that practically every light in our apartment was on as I ran around, putting things away. Again ... I just didn't think.

It sounds simple when I hear people say that we just have to think before acting ... but the reality, for me anyway, is that it's not so simple. I seem to run on autopilot a great deal of the time.

There is hope, however. Today when I gave my cat clean water, I thought about it ... and instead of tossing it down the drain, I watered my tomato plants. It's a small thing ... but then, every little change we make helps.

So keeping practicing until the world we live in is perfect!

As always, I would love to hear your ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling. Just click on the comments link, located at the bottom of each post, and let me know what you think and how you conserve.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my father's birthday and it got me to thinking of the ways in which he's taught me to walk a little softer on the earth. Of course there were all the usual things ... reminding us to turn off lights when we left a room and telling us not to stand in front of an open refrigerator while we browsed the contents. But there were also other ways.

I remember once when my Dad took my brother and I hiking. He taught us to be careful how we walked ... to make no noise so that we would see animals. We hiked to a natural spring ... the water tasted so good. Later we had lunch ... Vienna Sausages cooked over a fire. When we were done, he taught us to clean up after ourselves ... to leave the forest as we found it.

One of our summer jobs was to mow the lawn ... not with one of those riding mowers but with one of those energy friendly, kid powered mowers ... the push variety. He had a catcher on the mower and told us to pile up the grass clippings. Then he'd toss them into his compost.

We saved all of our compostable material for his bin. He'd use it for a garden he had in the back yard. He grew everything and it all flourished. I can still remember how plums off his tree tasted and how I loved to pick cucumbers and eat them, sitting in the yard.

My Dad has always reused things ... go to his garage and I'll bet you'll find used jars, plastic containers and bags ... some holding nuts and bolts ... some just there for when you need one.

I think that many of our values come from our parents and the way they have lived their lives. My parents taught me, at an early age, to value the world we live in. So ... Thanks, Dad! And Happy Birthday!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Solar Powered Tea ...

Before we get into today's topic, I'd like to ask that you take a minute and answer the question that appears in the left sidebar. Thanks!

And now ... on to the subject "du jour".

Do you love ice tea? Yeah ... me, too!

Here's a quick tip for making energy efficient iced tea. Fill a glass pitcher full of water and 3-4 tea bags (my personal favorite is green tea), or loose tea if you prefer and don't mind straining out the leaves. Cover the pitcher and set it outside where it'll get plenty of sun.

A few hours later ... or when you get home from work ... grab a glass of ice because your tea is ready. And maybe it's just me ... but I think sun tea tastes better than the conventional method of brewing.

And a word about automatic ice makers ... if you let them run, they use a lot of energy and water ... and in most homes, the cubes sit there and get that freezer burn taste. A better option is to turn on the ice maker until you have a few ice cubes ... one or two trays full ... then turn it off. Better still ... use old fashioned, do it yourself, ice trays.

As always, I would love to hear your ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling. Just click on the comments link, located at the bottom of each post, and let me know what you think and how you conserve.

Friday, July 18, 2008

And now for the rest of the story ...

In a previous post (Splish splash, I was taking a bath), we talked about doing the wash only when there is a full load. So now that there is a full load of dripping, wet clothes ... what are some energy saving ideas for getting them dry?


Once again, old fashioned ideas and methods are the best ... line drying is by far the most energy efficient way to dry laundry. The added benefit is a bit of exercise to hang them up and ... when they are dry ... they smell wonderful ... like sunshine and fresh air.


Unfortunately, line drying laundry when living in an apartment or a small space without a yard ... or line drying clothes during inclement weather or the winter ... means that laundry takes up every corner of living space. And ... call me crazy ... but having company drop by, only to have to duck under a line of my underwear ... well ... it just doesn't seem socially acceptable to me. So I opt for using a dryer.


There is a way, however, to maximize the use of a dryer and minimize the energy used ... and planning ahead is the key. If two or more loads of laundry need to be dried, the second (and subsequent) load will use less energy if it immediately follows the first load ... even if the dryer has a cool down stage. Basically, the elements in the dryer are already warm so they don't have to spend extra energy gearing up from cold to hot. Rather than do a load of wash today and then a load of wash tomorrow ... plan ahead so that more than one load is done in succession.


This tip is, however, not without it's pit falls. In this age of multi-tasking, many of us start a load of clothes just before we head out the door to run other errands ... and, unless things are timed perfectly, being home at the exact moment that the dryer buzzes complete so that we can toss in a new load is ... well ... difficult.

But, picture this ... one day a week, or maybe one day every two weeks, you set aside a day as laundry day. Not just any, ordinary, laundry day ... but one that you look forward to. I know you're laughing and rolling your eyes ... but what would you do with a quiet day at home? Can you imagine spending the day reading, or working on art projects? Would it be nice to have some quality family time? Or maybe you'd like to watch some old movies on TV. In between all this fun you'd be having at home on "Laundry Day", you could actually do the laundry ... efficiently ... in an energy wise way. It's a thought!


As always, I would love to hear your ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling. Just click on the comments link, located at the bottom of each post, and let me know what you think and how you conserve.


Friday, July 11, 2008

For Me?

Last week, I celebrated a birthday (and no … I’m not saying how old I am … those of you who know … “mums” the word). I woke up to beautifully wrapped gifts … so beautiful, in fact, that I’ve put the wrapping paper on the wall. And that brings me to today’s idea:

Get creative when wrapping and giving gifts. The person I live with is very creative. He can create something beautiful from the most ordinary items. We create a lot of blueprints in our business. They are printed on huge, sturdy pieces of paper. Instead of just tossing them, he finds creative ways to reuse them. In this case, he glued two pieces together to form a good, heavy canvas and then … he painted a beautiful picture. The painting included some of my favorite things … flowers, the mountains, critters … and when he was done, he used the painting to wrap my gift. The result was a beautiful, colorful and very personal gift wrap. And, not that the gift itself wasn’t wonderful, but … I’m sure that years from now, what I’ll remember the most is the very special gift wrapping, made with love … just for me.

There are all kinds of ways to give gifts without adding to the surplus of stuff that gets sent to a landfill. The gift, itself, can be something you make with recycled materials. Rather than use a cardboard box to wrap a gift, use something creative and useful such as a flower pot, bowl, casserole dish or keepsake box … make the container part of the gift. Wrapping paper can be something as special as my “painting” or as simple as a towel that can be reused. And imagine how beautiful a package becomes if you use a bouquet of flowers on top instead of a bow.
So the next time that you have a gift to give, get creative … you’ll not only show kindness to the earth, you’ll thrill the person who opens the package.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

This just in ...

I just discovered that, if you wanted to send me a comment, you needed to sign in with a Google account. Sorry about that. I've changed the settings on my blog so that you can easily send me a comment. Just click on the comments link at the bottom of each post and a comments screen will come up. At the bottom of the screen, you can choose "Anonymous" ... and your comments will be delivered to my mailbox. I review all comments ... just to be sure that there aren't any inappropriate words, etc. ... and then I publish them.

So .. send them my way!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Hot Times in the Summertime

Ah summertime ... outdoor activities, sunshine ... and temperatures that sometimes become stifling. It's tempting, as the temperature rises, to make ourselves comfortable by turning on the air conditioner. But wait ... don't touch that dial. Well, at least until you've considered some alternatives.

Where we live, the mornings are usually cool. So we take advantage of the refreshing air by opening all the windows. Within just a few minutes, the temperature of our apartment goes down. We have ceiling fans and they help move the cool air throughout our home. If you don't have ceiling fans, inexpensive oscillating fans work just as well.

As the sun moves around the house, we close the windows and adjust the blinds to block out as much sunlight and heat as possible. Once the sun goes down (along with the temperature), we again open the windows and the cool, night air comes in.

This method has kept our home comfortable without using air conditioning. When the temperatures got close to 90 recently, our apartment stayed nice and cool ... around 77 degrees.

We are also conscious of those sneaky little heat producers ... have you ever touched the top of your computer monitor? And how about light bulbs ... they produce a lot of heat. So, turn off any heat producers when they aren't in use.

For those of you who leave the house early and don't return until late afternoon or evening, these methods still work. Opening the windows in the morning, even for a few minutes will lower the temperature in your house. Leaving the curtains or blinds closed all day will block out a lot of heat. And here's another tip: if you find that your house is still too warm when you get home, put a box fan, or an oscillating fan, next to the window, pointing out. That's right ... turn it so that it blows the hot air from your house, outside. This works amazingly well.

Air conditioning units, even the most efficient ones, use a lot of energy ... much more than ceiling fans or a few, well placed oscillating fans. And my personal belief is that breathing "conditioned" air isn't real healthy ... have you ever noticed how there's a tendency to get congested when the A/C is on?

If, after giving these methods a try, you're still too warm and want to use the A/C, set the thermostat as high as possible ... 78 degrees or warmer.

I hope you'll try these ideas ... and ... "Be Cool, Dude".

As always, I would love to hear your ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling. Just click on the comments link, located at the bottom of each post, and let me know what you think and how you conserve. Maybe you'll see your ideas in an upcoming post.

Monday, July 7, 2008

It's in the Bag

I recently read that Americans use over one billion plastic bags a year. That's a lot of bags ... and most of them get tossed into the garbage and just end up polluting our earth. It seems that using paper bags isn't environmentally friendly either.

When I first thought about buying a reusable shopping bag, they were quite expensive. Yes, I will admit that my dedication to the environment is tempered, somewhat, by the personal cost and inconvenience associated with saving the planet. The fact is, I'm all for saving the planet if it doesn't cost me too much and if it's relatively easy. So, for a long time, I carried plastic bags back to the store and reused them until they fell apart. This worked and while it wasn't ideal, at least I wasn't getting a new bag each and every time.

I'm happy to say that reusable bags are now affordable and can be found in many stores. I recently bought two of them from the local whole foods market. They are made from recycled soda bottles and are tougher than tough ... and they carry most everything that I come home with in a shopping trip. I received another one from a special cousin (a Trader Joe's Bag) and it, too, is durable and big. Between the three bags, I'm covered.

Now my biggest problem is remembering to bring them to the store with me. I keep them in the car which, one would think, should make it easy. But, I have a tendency to fly out of the car without thinking about them. I'm getting better at it, though. And when I forget them, I simply pass on the plastic bags, tell the cashier that I will bag them at the car and off I go.

There are times that I end up bringing home a plastic bag but I've reduced the number that I use dramatically. And when I do end up with plastic, I try to extend it's life by using it to line garbage pails, tie up stinky garbage or to wrap up fresh veggies.

I encourage everyone go out and buy at least one reusable bag ... think how proud you'll feel when you can say, "No bag, please ... I have my own".

For more information on this subject, click here: BAGS

As always, I would love to hear your ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

We're in Hot Water

In my never ending search for ways to reduce our energy consumption, as well as our electric bill, it occurs to me that our water heater uses up a lot of energy. It's on all day and ensures that the very moment hot water is called for, it is delivered to our tap in a seemingly endless supply.

As convenient as that has been, the truth is that we don't use that much hot water. And, with a little planning, waiting for an hour for the water to be fully heated isn't all that bad. So, we've started to turn off our water heater except for one hour a day. Some of you may have access to a switch on the side of your water heater than can be turned on and off. We live in an apartment and management doesn't really appreciate our messing with their equipment, so we simply turn it off at the circuit box. This works even better if your water heater is insulated. One hour of heating a day gives us enough hot water for all of our needs. When I do laundry (the white stuff) I turn it on for a bit longer. But did you know that most loads of wash come out perfectly clean with cold water? Yep ... it's true!

It's also a good idea to turn down the thermostat on your water heater. And if you're used to luxuriating in a steamy, hot shower long after you've taken care of business, try taking a cooler, shorter shower.

As always, I would love to hear your ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling. Just click on the comments link, located at the bottom of each post, and let me know what you think and how you conserve. Maybe you'll see your ideas in an upcoming post.