Natural and Sustainable

1. Plug your computer, fax machine, copier, scanner, TV, DVD player, and even your Ipod and phone chargers onto a power strip and then simply switch it off when you are not suing them.

2. Replace 10 incandescent bulbs in your home or office with CFLs. Carpool to the office; donate used gear and sporting goods and even well worn older shoes that are good condition as well.

3. Turn down your water heater, air-dry your dishes and even use rechargeable batteries when you can.

4. Replace your clogged car filter; recycle plastics, paper, metals and glass no matter what. Look for recycled products as well and keep them in circulation.

5. Remove your car’s roof rack when you aren’t using it, drink filtered tap water instead of water that has been bottled and BYOB, bring your own bottle to places and refill it. Eat vegetarian twice a week at your home or at the office. Turn off the lights with you leave a room and turn off the ceiling fan when you aren’t in a room as well. Bike to most of your in-town errands and walk to places close like a friend’s house, or the library.

6. Cut down on your car washing, and sweep your driveway off instead of using the hose to spray it. Accelerate your speed gradually in your car to help save gas as well. Use the cruise control on the interstate and open highways. Always drive the speed limit, it’s better to be late then over-use your gas and even get a ticket.

7. Take a Navy shower by turning off the water while you soap up. Shave in the sink and not in the shower to help save water as well. Don’t overfill the bathtub.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Use environmentally friendly insulation on your home. It will help cut your heating and cooling cost as well as helps with your impact on the earth as well.

• Collect rainwater from downspouts and use it to water your won garden and plants.

• Say no to carpeting. Carpet contains more contaminants and pollen and dust than anything else in your home.

• Buy green power when you can and ask your utility company to off it if they don’t already. The typical U.S. household uses about 10,000 KWH a year.

• Repair, and don’t replace appliances. Each fix means your won’t be buying a new one and it will keep your old one out of landfills. IF you feel you must replace, then donate the broken or semi-broken one to a company that refurbishes or repairs then and resells then.

• Buy energy-efficient appliance when you do replace. Energy Star appliance use 10 to up to 50% less energy and water and must meet EPA efficiency guidelines.

• Dry your dishes on the dishwasher rack and if your dishwasher offers the air dry option, use that as well.

• Buy secondhand clothing or household items as tag sales and save the carbon cost of new production.

• Hang your laundry out to dry on a clothes line and eliminate one dryer cycle per week or more.

• Clean AC filters or replace them when necessary to keep your AC unit running smoothly.

• Run ceiling fans instead of the air conditioner in hot climates; this can save you more than a ton of CO2 waste within your won home.

• Use cold water to wash and rinse your clothes, only use hot water when the laundry is very dirty and always wash your bedding in hot water to kill bed bugs and dust mites.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Go for low flow showerheads, this switch can save you 1800 in eclectic cost and 43o in natural gas depending on how your water is heated. Not to mention the savings in water cost and waste as well. Consider putting in a low-flow toilet as well.

The best way to change for a greener lifestyle is to eat more fruits and vegetables and it’s a healthy way for the body, as well. The Environmental Working Group estimates that you can significantly reduce your family’s exposure to pesticides, chemicals and other harmful toxins by as much as 90 percent by going organic. There is a category known as “the dirty dozen” that every family should eat organic anyway. Pesticides are used in great amount on these 12 fruits and vegetables and it’s a great practice to get into by taking a list of these foods when you grocery shop.

The Dirty Dozen:
• Apples
• Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Imported Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries

Try this recipe to help get more veggies in you and your family’s diet.
Veggie Quesadillas
Serves: 4

1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup cooked corn
1 cup refried beans
4 taco-size whole wheat tortillas
1 cup grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup steamed vegetables such as spinach, squash, zucchini, etc.
Salt and pepper to taste

Steam the bell pepper with 1/4 cup water in a large saucepan with a lid for 2 minutes. Add the corn and other vegetables, and refried beans, cooking on low until heated.

Arrange the filling on 2 tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with remaining tortillas.

Arrange quesadillas on a nonstick baking sheet and bake at 400°F or until tortillas are golden, about 12 to 15 minutes.

To find out other ways to eat more “green” visit Earthly Eating here at 451 Press.

Also check out Local Harvest to find the “greenest” farms around in your own area.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Save water in more ways than one.
1. Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth to save 50 gallons a week per person.
2. Keep a water pitcher in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run.
3. Cut your showers to about five minutes or even less.

• CFLS: The Philips Soft White CFL comes in a recyclable packaging and according to Philips, they claim that it contains the lowest mercury levels of any CFLs on the market. To find a CFL disposal site near your own home, visit Earth 911

• Local Eating: You can’t get anything better than something that is organic, locally grown and even purchased from your neighborhood farmers’ market. So Support them. Do it for yourself, your family and your local farmer. Find farmers’ markets in your own area by visiting Local Harvest.

• Hybrids: The Toyota Prius (48 mpg city/ 45 mpg hwy) leads for a fifth straight year in a row as the best hybrid purchase anyone can make. The Honda Civic Hybrid (40 mpg city/ 45 mpg hwy) also places high with U.S. News, and CNET.

• Biofuels: Not everyone knows how to make up an alternative fuel in their own garage, but there is help. By going to Biodiesel America you can find someone that can and has. You can start today in converting your own vehicle to take an alternative fuel source.

• Bioplastic: Opt for a durable, reusable carryall like the compact Chicobag or Baggu tote. And some markets now offer their own, like Safeway, Fred Meyer, Whole Foods, and even Wal Mart now.

• Bamboo Clothing: Bamboosa and Certaintees are tow of the most environmentally responsible brands that carry the best clothing line from bamboo materials. Their clothing is soft and durable and will last a lifetime if they are taken care of.

• Mineral Makeup: Companies like Larénium Mineral Makeup and Afterglow Cosmetics, they are both free of nano-particles and bismuth oxychloride. Companies like Avon and Mary Kay also have their own line of mineral makeup that is great for your skin. Just be careful when picking a mineral makeup product and read labels.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Save water all the time. Take shorter showers and if it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down, when it comes to your toilet that is.

Americans throw away enough office paper to build a 12-foot-hgh wall from Los Angeles to New York. Recycling one time of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, a 380 gallons of oil. Making new paper from recycled paper used 30 to 50 percent less energy than making paper from trees, and it produces 95 percent less air pollution. Encourage everyone in your office to print and photocopy only when necessary, use both side of the paper when you do print, and try to reuse paper. Fro when you must print, here are a couple of accessories and ideas to help you work more green:

1. Recycled paper with 30 to 35 percent post consumer content, which is available at Office Depot stores.

2. Paper from nonwood fibers, such as Ecopaper made in Costa Rica from agro-waste. Paper made from agricultural residue is pricey, but this does encourage careful paper usage. The price will come down as production increases.

3. Recycled paper with 100 percent post consumer content, processed without chlorine, from The Green Office. Locating a green paper resource near your office will minimize pollution from transportation.

4. Use refillable pens made from recycled plastic.

5. Recycle your printer cartridges-for every ink or laser toner cartridge that is recycle, two quarts of oil are kept out of landfills.

6. Chlorine free and tree-free papers are the most ecofriendly choices to go.
(Source: Organic Gardening 2008)

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Always turn the lights out in a room or closet when you are finished. What’s the point of leaving the light on anyway?

VERY GREEN HOUSE: Building a new home or redecorating a room? Visit the Green House at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. It’s a 7,00-suare-foot re-creation of the Glide House, a low maintenance, affordable modernist home. Guests can check out 60 eco-friendly products from countertops to carpets. If you can’t make the trip visit the website for ides to use in your own home.

Material:

1. Solid Wood:

• Pros: Is widely available; FSC certification ensures sustainablity; Comes in an infinite cariety of styles.

• Cons: Rewuires felling of trees; Stock FSC-certified cabinetry is not usually available. (Custom orders are more expensive.)

• Cost: Medium to high in cost.

2. Wood Sheet Products (medium-density fiberboard or MDF, plywood, particleboard):

• Pros: Are inexpensice and widely available; Some sheet goods have high recycled or waste-wood content; FSC certification is available.

• Cons: May contain formaldehyde or binders that emit VOCs; FSC-certified products are used by few cabinetmakers.

• Cost: Low in cost overall.

3. Bamboo and Biocomposite Boards (made from wheat, sorghum, rice or sunflowers):

• Pros: Are made from rapidly renewable sources; Agricultural waste is used; Has an unusal, attractive grain; I susually formaldehyde free with low-VOC binders.

• Cons: Is slightly more permeable and prone to warping than wood; There’s little certification available yet for organic or pesticide-free biocomposites.

• Cost: Medium to high in cost.

4. Reclaimed Wood:

• Pros: Is widely available is a variety of species and textures; Can be acquired from local sources; SmartWood certification ensures sources.

• Cons: Some new wood may be sold as reclaimed; May be shipped long distances or imported.

• Cost: Medium to high in cost.

Build your home the energy efficient way.

When you build or have a contractor build for you, ask about and shop for an energy-efficient home. You can end up getting $2,000 in government tax credits for enviro-smart construction. Typically, these homes have state-of-the-art heating and cooling systems, as well as features like windows with insulation coatings and energy-saving lighting and appliances. Many owners of these new modern age homes have cut up to 50 precent or more off their utility bills.

Upgrade and save: You don’t have to buy a new home to reap the rewards of energy efficiency. Just upgrade the house you already own. Invest in double-glazed windows, a high-efficiency furnace, and other energy-saving products and techniques to save big on repairs and energy bills. You will also benefit from nice tax breaks. Here’s an idea of some energy break down in billing:

• Solar Panels (San Diego; difference between efficient and standard models): Cost-$20,925; Premium (above-average electric rates and sunlight)-N/A; Savings per year-$4,350 (includes one-time tax credit)

• Double-Glazed Windows: Cost-$2,700; Premium (above-average electric rates and sunlight)-$550; Savings per year-$310 (includes one-time tax credit)

• High-Efficiency Furnace: Cost-$2,000; Premium (above-average electric rates and sunlight)-$480; Savings per year-$230 (includes one-time tax credit)

• Composite Decking: Cost-$2,000; Premuim (above-average electric rates and sunlight) -$950; Savings per year-$203

• Upgraded Insulation: Cost-$580; Premium (above-average electric rates and sunlight)-N/A; Savings per year-$155 (includes one-time tax credit)

• Duct Sealants: Cost-$1,200; Premium (above-average electric rates and sunlight)-N/A; Savings per year-$133

• A total of $5,381. That really starts to add up once you crunch the numbers out and find out where the savings can happen within your own home or a newly build home with energy-saving beenfits.

Building a green house for the ground up is easier than you think. Here are some ideas to keep in mind when planning your house plans out.

1. Solar panels mean lower energy costs all around.

2. Insulation is key to preventing heat loss, even in the hottest parts of the house.

3. Duct sealant stops ait leakage at connection points. Be sure and include duct sealant inside the home as well where the duct work meets the furnace or visa versa.

4. Windows with coated glass reflect heat back into a room. You can also have this put on or do it yourself to your existing windows.

5. High-efficiency furnaces reduce costs and greehouse gases. If you model is older than 1998, even if it is in good shape you might want to consider an upgrade to a more efficient one to help curb energy useage.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Living green is good for the environment, but did you know it’s also good for you wallet too? With energy-saving light bulbs to affordable solar paneling for you your roof. You could very well save more than a thousand dollars a month in these changes alone.

With Valentine’s Day coming up more and more people are headed to the supermarket for Valentine’s Day card retailer to grab “mass-producted” valentines. At our home we make eco-crafts whenever we can. From dehydrating fruit rings and making our own homemade potporri to handmade crads made with all-natural materials. Here is one craft that I love to make and it doesn’t just have to be made for Valentine’s Day, it can be made for any occasion when you just want to tell the one you care for that you love them.

Materials Needed:
• Freezer paper
• One cup of water, in a bowl
• Paper towels
• Iron and ironing board
• Towels
• Cardstock and envelopes
• Craft glue
• Scissors
• Soy Silk Fusion Kit
• Embroidery floss and needle
• Small paper punch
• Glitter
• Sewing machine and thread (optional)
• Decorative all-natural paper

To make the soy silk for projects:
1. Place a sheet of freezer paper (about 18″) shiny side up, on a flat surface. As if your were pulling apart a cotton ball, seperate the Soy Silk fibers. Lay seperate pieces out on the paper, overlapping and crisscrossing each layer while taking care to leave at least a 1″ border between the fibers and the edge of the paper. Make the final product about 1″ thick. You can also add some glitter or yarn scraps to the top layer.

2. Once you’re happy with the look of the fiber laid out, lay mesh over the whole thing. Mix one part medium to three parts water and sprinkle lightly over the fibers. Starting in the center and working outward, gently massage this mixture into the fibers, adding more water when necessary. Watch the fusion take place.

3. Slowly remove the mesh and set it aside. Keep the fiber backed by the freezer paper. Let it dry for several hours. Then, cover the fusion fiber with a towel and press it with a medium-heat iron for 15-30 seconds. Now you’re ready to create anything you want with the silk creation you just made.

To make a card:

Cut out soy sil in the desired shapes for your card design. Print out messaged in font on yoru computer on plain paper. You can cut a card out of a paper sack and what you don’t use you can print your messages on the discarded paper bag scrap. Use your imagination. To make a cupid’s arrow: Cut our a heart from the soy silk and attach it top a card front with your sewing machine. Just follow the edges of the heart or sew an arrow shape through it in a contrasting color with the soy silk. Use a little glue around the edges if needed.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Replace your lightbulbs in your home and office with compact fluorescent ones.

Clothing has come along way in ways of protecting us. They can block UV rays, insects and even help if you have alergic reactions. Here is a guide to help you understand the latest on high-tech threads.

• Insect Repellent Apparel: Buzz Off clothing keeps mosquitoes and other bugs away with permethrin. A safe synthetic version of a natural bug repellent, permethrin is applieth to the clothing and lasts for 25 washes. Like Coolibar clothing.

Who needs it: Any tots spending a lot of time in buggy areas (you won’t have to slather them head-to-toe with chemicsl anymore. They carry pants, shirts and outerwear.

• UV-Protection Factor (UPF) Clothing: Sunscreen applied to the fabric guards against ultrviolet radiation. The clothing is rated like sunscreen, look for items with a UPF of at least 40 and the Skin Cancer Foundation seal. Like Jonano clothing.

Who needs it: Kids who should-circuit when you attempt to apply lotion; fair-skinned kids who need extra protection.

• Hypoallergenic Attire: Clothing made from natural bamboo or a silky sunthetic fabric called Dermasoft soothes delicate skin. Both fabris wick away moisture and anre antimicrobial.

Who needs it: Little ones with irritated skin caused by allergies or conditions like eczema (particularly common in babies).

**Want to know how to make Salmon Croquettes? Over at Coaching Cooking, Farley Walker has an easy and delicious recipe for you to try. Read how to make it here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Fix all the leaky faucets in your home, whether they are outside or inside. Water that is just dripping from a leaky faucet waste more water than it would 5 baths a day in a week period. Leaky faucet (fast drip): 20–30 gallons per day. Leaky faucet (slow drip): 5–10 gallons per day. You can determine how much water your faucets waste during a 24 hour period by clicking here.

One of the most familiar insects in the world is the Honeybee (Apis mellifera). This member of the insect order Hymenoptera plays a key role in the human and natural world. More has been written about honeybees than any other species of insect. The human fascination with this insect began thousands of years ago when people discovered how good honey is.

But, with everything taking place day to day, we send out young men and women to the Middle East to fight terrorism, then we hop into our SUVs and buy the fuel that supports this violence. We are working all day everyday, all to pay our monthly brain-killing cell phones, our cable TV, our iPods, our $200 jeans, but during all of this busy work and non-thinking tasks does it occur to anyone that insects are all around us, suffering while we lay in luxury? More and more people are getting involved in saving one of the most important insects on the earth, the honey bee. Most pollinators are becoming scarce. Be it global warming, infestation be it diseasebe it anything, the fact it they are disappearing. The honeybee disappearance is called Colony Collapse Disorder, and as best as anyone can tell, it began last winter.

Beekeepers everywhere are seeing the change. They go to open their hive and see less than half of their previous years colony. Bees have been disappearing inexplicably at an alarming rate, threatening not only their livelihoods but also the production of numerous crops, including California almonds, one of the nation’s most profitable, as well as apples, nuts, avocados, soybeans, asparagus, broccoli, celery, squash and cucumbers. And lots of the really sweet and tart stuff, too, including citrus fruit, peaches, kiwi, cherries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and other melons. Honeybees don’t just make honey; they pollinate more than 90 of the tastiest flowering crops we have.

What can be done?

• Sign a petition to “Save the Honeybee Now”.

• Plant Bee-friendly seeds for bee supporting plantings
including but not limited to Beebalm/Buckwheat and
Clovers.

• Never spray insect repellent on your flowers or flowering plants. For one it is bad for your to consume those chemicals and for two, it kills off the pollinators that your plant needs.

• Elevate public awareness of the catastrophic
decline of the world wide bee populations of most if
not all species.

• Go as far as setting up “hive-housing” in your own yard.

• Encourage bees to stay within your yard and garden buy having flowering plants blooming.

• Never kill a honeybee, their life is short enough as it is. Unless your life is threatened, never kill a honeybee that is on a flowering plant or flying nearby.

• Visit the “Save The Honeybee” website and educate yourself more on the honeybee.

• Join the Natural and Sustainable “Ride for the honeybee tour” July 19th & 20th in Oregon.

**Have you tried Smilebox for your photos? You can get the basic edition free, sign up for a free 14 day trial and then get a the Club Smilebox for only $4.99 a month. Or you can go for the Professional version. Over at TV Boyfriends, Jerri Reason shows one of the ways you can use Smilebox and she also shows you how easy it is to get started.**

Here’s some ways to get started now.

• Try free video clip sharing with Smilebox. Amazing slideshows hold your photos, videos, plus your own music.

• Create a free Smilebox scrapbook in 5 minutes. Just drag photos into amazing e-designs. Email them free.

• Create amazing slideshows with your photos & video–free!

• Free ecards include your photos and videos, plus your own music.

• Blog your photos & videos using Smilebox

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Volunteer your time at local conservation agencies. Start with Volunteer Match to get started.

How long ago was the last time you checked your tires air pressure? Three months? Six months? Longer? With today’s high gas prices, that inefficiency can add up to significant money. At $3 a gallon for gas, a 25 mpg vehicle with neglected tire pressure will require an extra $60 of gas each year compared to a car with properly maintaned tires. The bottom lins is you have to start with a good tire gauge to maintain that pressure. Most digital gauges cost between $10 and $40, depending on the models’ specific features. Like a backlit screen, LED flashlight, and/or programmable memories that retain your car’s recommended front and rear tire pressure.

Here’s how to improve your car’s fuel economy:

Not everyone is in the market for a new vehicle. But that shouldn’t stop you from improving the fuel economy of the car or truck in your own driveway. Below are a few standard maintenance tips, and the precentage improvement they can house on your vehicle’s mpg.

• Replacing a dirty air filter-up to 10 precent.
• Getting an engine tuneup-average of 4 precent.
• Keeping tires inflated to the proper pressure-up to 3 precent.
• Using the recommended motor oil grade- up to 2 precent.
• Seek out low-resistance tires-up to 6 precent.

How to calculate your fuel economy:

1. Fill up your tank. But don’t top off-the extra gas more than likely will get sucked back into the station’s tanks anyway.Even if it doesn’t, the backfire vapors contribute to air pollution.

2. Reset your trip meter to zero. Now you’re on your own vehicles fuel economy clock.

3. Fill your tank when the time comes. In warmer months, you iwll get more gas for your money in the early morning or late evening, when the temperatures are cooler and gas is densest. Cooler conditions also mean less evaporative emissions from pumping gas, smog forms more easily when it’s hottest outside. In winter months, it’s a good idea to keep your tank at least half full for safety and to prevent freezing.

4. Write down the number of gallons it took to fill your tank and the number of miles on your trip meter. A receipt is an easy place to write these down; most already include the number of gallons you bought. Reset the trip meter before you restart the car.

5. Divide the trip miles by the gallons of gas. Bingo, that’s your fuel economy. For example: 293.1 miles divided by 8.374 gallons= 35 mpg

6. Keep a small notebook in you car or make a simple spreadsheet on your computer to track the numbers over time. There you could also records basic notes on mpg influences such as speed, tire pressure, driving conditions and use of air conditioning. If you see a dramatic drop from one tank to the next and don’t have an obvious explanation, your vehicle might need some maintenance. ( Source: Car and Driver 2007)

**Are you a Chris Daughtry fan, well he is the People’s Choice. Over at American Idol, Reed Dunn has the particulars on the rising star and his band Daughtry. Read about it here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Keep your shades down in the summer and up in the winter to help conserve energy. If you have thick shades leave them down in the winter to help hold in the heat if your windows are drafty. To help conserve even more energy, you might consider replacing your windows with Energy Star approved ones.

1. Bloomington, Indiana:

• Population: 68,779
• Climate: Mild, four-season weather. January average temperature; 30 degrees. July average; 76 degrees.
• Median House Value: $150,6000 as of August 2007
• Natural Assets: Elevation is at 840 feet. Near various large wilderness areas, picnicking and fall colors. Nearby lakes are great for canoeing, kayaking and bass fishing.
• Sustainable Initiatives: The city signed the U.S. Mayers Climate Protection Agreement to meet the standards of the Kyoto Protocol, and international agreement to address alimate change by reducing greehouse gas emissions. Bloomington also has a major sustainable development program empowered by a citizen/government commission.
• Also: Bloomington residents describe their hometown with words such as “homey”, “affordable” and “politically active.”

2. Bellingham, Washington:

• Population: 72,992
• Climate: Mild weather with a long rainy season, January average temperature; 35 degrees. July average; 62 degrees.
• Median House Value: $252,000
• Natural Assests: Access to Bellingham Bay, San Juan Islands and Mount Baker as well as the 241-acre Whatcom Falls Park that features four waterfalls and well-maintained walking trails. During the summer, Whirlpool Falls is a popular swimming hole where locals jump off cliffs as high as 50 feet into the natural pool below.
• Sustianable Initiatives: Strong municipal and county commitment to resource efficiency and stewardship. Bellingham has signed the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and administers the Vluntary Metering Program that promotes residental and commercial water conservation.
• Also: Some locals insist that snowboarding was invented and prefected on the slops of Mount Baker, a 10,800-foot glacier-covered mountain clearly visible from the streets of Bellingham.

3. Ukiah, California:

• Population: 15,580
• Climate: Mild in general, warm summer afternoons, buffered by coastal breezes. January average teperature is 45 degrees; July average temperature is 73 degrees.
• Median House Value: $330,000
• Natural Assets: Elevation: 615 feet. Within an house of the Pacific coast, and neat the virgin redwoods of Montgomery Woods State Reserve, one of the few remaining redwood groves you con’t drive through.
• Sustainable Initatives: Local activism, renewable energy, drafting of a new comprehensive plan for Ukiah.
• Also: Edowed with ecological wealth in the form of a mild climate, fertile soil, and surrounding forests of oak and some remaining redwood, Ukiah and Medocino County are a mecca for all things sustainable.

4. Eau Claire, Wisconsin:

• Population: 62,570
• Climate: Chilly winters and warm, potentially humid summers. January average temperature, 14 degrees. July average, 72 degrees.
• Median House Value: $139,900
• Natural Assets: Chippewa River State Trail, a spectacular riverside trail from Eau Claire to the city of Durland. Access to Wisconsin’s 15,000 lakes and 44,000 miles of rivers and streams.
• Sustainable Initiatives: Extensive use of bicycles and bicycling infrastructure. Methane generator at a local dairy operation and increasing use of solar energy.
• Also: This west central Wisconsin city is not a hige tourist destination, and that’s OK with most of its residents.

5. Paonia, Colorado:

• Population: 1,589
• Climate: January average temperature. 25 degrees. July average teperature, 72 degrees.
• Median House Value: $124,300
• Natural Assets: Great rafting, fishing and camping at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and West Elk Wilderness Area; bicycling on beautiful country roads.
• Sustainable Initiatives: Citizen activism (such as the Western Slope Environmental Resource Council) to protect Paonia from over development and create local self-reliance.
• Also: This little western slop gem was first established as a home base for coal miners, many of whom still occupy the bungalow houses of the downtown area.

6. Dixon, New Mexico:

• Population: 1,529
• Climate: Mild summer, erratic in winter. Average January temperature is 31 degrees, July average is 72 degrees.
• Median House Value: $220,000
• Natural Assets: Confluence of Embudo River and Rio rande; pastoral countryside of rolling hils, characterized by sagebrush, apache plume, cliffrose and pinon pines.
• Sustainable Initiatives: Passive solar architecture, local economy, preservation of land, water rights and watershed.
• Also: The housed and farms in Dixon (about half an hour from Taos and an hour from Sant Fe were built failry close together to make use of meticulously maintained acequais, which is irrigation ditches fed by snowmelt.

7. Ocean Springs, Mississippi:

• Population: 17,698
• Climate: Hot and muggy summer. Annual precipitation is 62 inches. Average January temperature is 68 degrees. July average is 82 degrees.
• Median House Value: $120,5000
• Natural Assets: Elevation, 30 feet. Accessto 170,000 acres of public lands in Jackson and George Counties and the 80-mile stretch of the Pascagoula River that is protected from development. At this year’s Wild Wing festival, more than 200 or 342 species of birds in the region were identified.
• Sustainable Initiatives: Restoration of natural wetlands; replacement of destroyed houses with smaller, more energy-efficient homes; and creation of an eco-tourism industry around the unspoiled mature of the area; birds, marine life and other wildlife on huge tracts of undeveloped land.
• Also: If you have survived a hurrican with the fury of Katrina, the word sustainability is partly synonymous with survivability. The dowtown area of Ocean Springs was one of the few commercial districts on the Mississippi coast to come through Katrina intact, or nearly so, but 177 houses in the small city did not.

8. Brattleboro, Vermont:

• Population: 11,994
• Climate: Winters that usually make the holiday season white (average annual snowfall is 68 inches). Average January temperature is 25 degrees. July average is 73 degrees.
• Median House Value: $180,000
• Natural Assets: Skiing at Mount Snow, Haystack and Stratton ski areas, kayaking on the Connecticut River, mountain biking and hiking in the Green Mountains.
• Sustainable Intiatives: Civic activism to preserve quality of life (for instance, no billboards allowed.) Recently, 200 residents took the “localvoe” challenge in which they pledged to eat locally grown foods for either a week or a month.
• Also: Faced with the challenge of preserving their agricultural heritage and their beautiful landscape, the residents of Battleboro created a local tradition that has captured New England’s heart: “The Strolling of the Heifers,” a feminine version of Span’s famours “Running of the Bulls”. (Source: Some information pulled from M.E.N. 2007)

**Need a question answered about wine, or a wine flavor? Or how about making a day of wine touring through different wine countries or just through one winery alone. Over at Wine Outlook, Farley has the latest and greatest on what’s happening now in the world of wine. Read more about it here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Pop your sponges and plastic scrubbing pads in the microwave at full poer for two minutes. This will kill 99% of all the living germs and bacterial spores, including E. coli. Be sure and dampen your sponges and any others before doing this, so that it doesn’t create a fire. This is a environmentally safer alternative to bleaching them.

You can cut your own gasoline use by following these recomendations from the U.S. Department of Energy:

1. Drive sensibly (obey the speed limit and avoid rapid acceleration and braking).

2. Replace your car’s air filter when it’s dirty, boosting gas milage by 10 precent.

3. Keep tires at the recommended air inflation; 3 precent improvement.

4. Use the recommended grade of motor oil; 1 to 2 precent improvement.

5. Buy a more fuel-efficient vehicle. Drive less; carpool; plan car use. Or better yet take the train.

Looking for more alternatives seems to be the topic of conversation in most environmental circles. Natural and Sustainable has posted many posts before stating the urgent reason an alternative needs to be found. Of the various plant materials that can be used to make ethanol, cellulose (found in the plant leaves and stems) is the most promising. Nonfood perennial “bioenergy crops”, such as switchgrass or fast-growing trees, can be grown on subprime leand using much less fertilizer, water, and pesticides than used for corn. Switchgrass potentially yields about four times the amount of energy needed to produce it. They also generate a good income for farmers as well.

Trying to boost national energy security without giving consumers access to the information they need to avoid compromising national soil, water and air security is unacceptable. Using bioenergy crops as ethanol sources would likely result in less soil erosion. But changes to these crops would not rule out the use of fertilizers (although at lower rates than from corn) and synthetic herbicides.

**Over at Writers Unbound, Allena Tapia has a way for freelance writers to find their minimum rate and their ideal rate. Read how by clicking here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Install dimmers or motion sensors for your lights indoors and out. They will help ward off unwanted criminals when you are on vacation as well.

Did you know manufacturers are not required to list all of their ingredients unless they are active disinfectants or known to be potentially hazardous. Unlike food package labels, when a cleaning product’s ingredients are listed, the order doesn’t necessarily represent relative amounts. The following steps can help:

1. Know The Warning Labels:

• “Danger”: refers to products that are corrosive, extremely flammable, hgihly toxic or poisonous. Commercial toilet bowl, oven and drain cleaners often have these labels on their containers.

• “Caution” or “warning”: Are all catchall terns for manu other hazords, so scan for specifics, such as “vapor harmful”, “causes burns” or “may be fatel if swallowed.”

• “Irritants”: Refer to substances that can cause injury or tissye inflammation on contact.

• “Corrosives”: Refer to chemicals that destroy tissue.

• “Sensitizers”: Are ingredients that can cause allergic reactions and chronic adverse health effects that become evident only after continuous exposure.

• “Chronic Health Hazards”: May include effects ranging from sterility and birth defects to cancer.

2. Avoid Harmful Ingredients:

• Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs)
• Anitbacterials
• Ammonia
• Chlorine Bleach (sodium hypochlorite)
• Diethanolamine (DEA)
• Trithanolamine (TEA):
• Hydrochloric Acid
• Ethylene Glycol Butyl Ether (EGBE)
• Phosphates
• Sodium Hydroxide (lye)

3. Don’t just assume that manufacturers’ environmental and health claims are true: Some maufacturers’ will add labels that are neither independently verified nor regulated. Among those claims on labels are the following.

• Natural
• Nontoxic
• Environmentally Friendly
• Biodegradeable

Some safe cleaners and choices to consider:

1. AFM SafeChoice
2. BioKleen
3. Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds
4. Ecover
5. Holy Cow
6. Mountain Green
7. Planet, Inc.
8. Seventh Generation

Just do your homework and find out if the label claims are true before assuming that the are true.

**JM over at Fiction Scribe wishes everyone a Happy New Year, jump over there and wish her one in return. While you are there, you can read her Top Ten of 2007.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Get on the list. Find out if your city pledged to meet Kyoto Protocol emissions targets; if not, contact your mayor or city council.

61. Trade your home: If you trade your home with friends around the country you can enjoy vacations and stay for free.

62. Go camping, or rent a cabin: Don’t over look state parks and national forests, they are often less crowded and less expensive than you think.

63. Tray a local vacation: There are several things in your own town or even own state. Check out your states website and look what’s right in your own backyard.

64. Ask hotels about discounted distressed-traveler rates: If there is inclement weather you may get a discount.

65. There is no law against haggling with a hotel on the room rate: You never know if you don’t ask.

66. Make your vacation pay for you: If you volunteer or do a little helping out while you are on vacation you may get a room or even a cabin for free.

67. Buy food at local supermarkets when traveling: It’s much cheaper than eating at restaurants.

68. Choose a vehicle with fold down seats: If you are traveling and need a quick nap or to snooze for the evening and can’t find lodging, if you have a rental car with fold down seats you have an instant bed.

69. Definately choose used clothes for babies: Unless you receive them as a gift only buy new clothing for special occasions.

70. Trade babysitting time with other couples: This is a great one to use especially on short notices.

71. During the holidays, draw names for gift giving: Use this one for large families or even do a dirty santa or white elephant gift giving way.

72. Invoke a gift giving spending cap: This is a good one to use if you draw names.

73. Give homemade gift certificates: You can even make ones that they can redeem for summer tasks as well, such as mowing the lawn or helping plant a garden.

74. Donate to a good cause: The Heifer International is a great one to give as a gift instead of buying a gift. You can even get that money spent back when you get your taxes done at the end of the year.

75. Swallow you pride and except help when you need it.

**Lessa over at Big Brother Craze has the top ten Big Brother moments for your. And some are quite laughable. Read them here.**

*Natural and Sustianable Living Tip: Buy recycled toilet paper.