Natural and Sustainable

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.

Ahimsa literally means, “the voidance of violence.” Your tax dollars that you pay in each year go to support violence more than you know. And anymore the violence you go to support is quite high on the scale of “things you don’t want to help pay for.” But, your tax paying dollars also go toward a lot of good thing as well, such as, road construction, public schools and assisting the poor, including some $4.4 billion in aid to Africa alone. Our taxes have a negative and positive effect on our world currently, but you can’t know whether the dollars you pay it will go for good or to the bad. But failing to file taxes will lead to jail time, interest, penalties, and tax liens.

Americans overpay the government an average of $1 billion every year, some 11 million people fail to take the Earned income Tax Credit and various education credits. Hire a tax professional (a CPA or and Enrolled Agent) to make sure you are maximizing the deductions available to you.

Do your duty by paying taxes, but be aware of not overpaying. Here are four ideas for making your contributions count in a good way toward the earth:

• Give to charity, engaging in voluntary (rather than involuntary, government-directed) philanthropy.

• Contribute more to your 401 (k) or other tax-deductible retirement accounts, or set one up if you are self-employed.

• Invest, with your tax adviser’s blessing in municipal bonds instead of bank savings, CDs, or table bonds. Many of these securities pay interest that is tax free.

• Avoid giving Congress an interest-free loan. Most people allow their employer to withhold more than they end up owing in taxes, leading to a big refund each April. Instead, work with your payroll department to lower your withholding so that they more closely match the actual amount of tax you will owe come year’s end. (Source: YJ 2008)

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip:
What Counts:

• 1/3 Amount of earth’s natural resources that have been mined, chopped, blown up, or otherwise extracted in the past three decades alone.

• 3 to 5 Number of extra planets we would need if everyone consumed at American rates.

• 5 Percentage of earth’s population living in the U.S. (yet Americans use up to 30 percent of the world’s resources and create 30 percent of the world’s waste.)

• 100,000 Number of synthetic chemicals used in commerce today, many of which wind up in our bodies (human breast milk is the food at the top if the food chain with the highest level of many toxic contaminates.)

• 99 Percentage stuff we harvest, mine, transport or otherwise produce that is trashed within six months (many products are specifically “designed for the dump”).

• 30 Percentage of kids in Congo ho have dropped out of school to mine metals, the majority of which end up in cheap and disposable electronic products bought by Americans.

• 75 Percent of global fisheries that are fishes at, or beyond, capacity.

• 4.5 Pounds of garbage each American makes each day (twice as much as we made 30 years ago).

• 3000 Number of advertisements targets at American consumers each day.(Source: Conscious Choice 2008)

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.

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.

Bring to your home some of their best eco-friendly kitchen practices.

1. DRINK LOCALLY: Water filtration systems are a great alternative to constantly buying water in plastic bottles. Local water systems are tested daily and contaminates are caught before they reach your water glass. Water bottles sit on store shelves for months before they are purchased and all the while they are being contaminated with chemicals from the plastic they are bottled in.

2. SALVAGE STILL-GOOD FOOD: Cut way bruises or soft spots in otherwise good produce, and use what’s left. By the same token, a little speck of mold needn’t ruin a whole block of chese-remove moldy bits and eat what’s left. Recyle semistale bread into breadcrumbs or bread pudding ingreients. Be creative and generate less waste.

3. SAVOR SCRAPS: Don’t toss vegetable scrps. Bits of carrot, onion. mushrooms, celery, and any other vegetable trimmings make great ingredients to add to soups or stocks. It’s a great way to eliminates unnescessary waste and cut food costs drastically.

4. CLEAN GREEN: Most cheap, store-bought cleaners with harsh chemicals, bleach, and phosphates in favor of biodegradeable products like Simple Green and those that use natural cleaning ingredients like hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and citrus oils. These cleaning solutions may cost a bit more but as far as your health and impact on the earth, you shouln’t mid paying a bit more for those cleaning products.

5. BAG THE PLASTIC: Plastic wrap may be a convenient storage tool, but it’s also am environmental nusiance. Spend more money and buy containers for storage to reduce the amount of unnecessary plastic wrap. You can use recycled bakers’ parchment paper to wrap up your food. IT’s recycled and biodegradeable, so it doesn’t stick around on the earth forever.

6. LOOK FOR THE ENERGY STAR: Next time you buy a new appliance or other household product (even eindows qualify), be sure it bears the blue-and-white Energy Star label. This label tell you the product has net the quality and energy-efficency guidelines of both the Environemental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. That means they use less energy, save your money all around, and protect the environment.

**Toni over at Watching the CW says she was left “hanging” after the last episode. Read her story behind how she felt about it and see if you don’t agree. While you’re there leave her a comment on how you felt as well.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Shred old paper for packing insteadof using Styrofoam peanuts. Even use shredded newspaper or left over material. If it’s soft, pretty much anything will work for packing material.

Always leave a smaller footprint on the environment than when you came. Here’s travel destinations that will help you achieve that.

• Creekside Inn & Resort: Set in Sonoma County, California, the Creekside uses native plants in its landscape, natural cleaning products and guest room soap, shampoo and lotion dispensers (which means no plastic waste from mini disposable bottles.)

• Kimpton Hotels: Kimpton’s EarthCare programs includes paperless check-in and checkout, fair trade coffee along with organic and locallay grown food and discount room rates for hybrid-car drivers.

• Beaches Resort: Throughout their various locations, Beaches has an extensive compost and recycling program that includes kitchenb grease, cardboard boxed, paper and bottles. The hotels also conserve energy and water by using water efficient showerheads, energy efficient light bulbs and solar powered water heaters.

• Hotel Punta Islita: This Costa Rican resort is nestled in a tropical dry forest (unlike a rainforest, dry forests have long periods without precipitation) in the Nicoya Peninsula of Guanacaste. Adventurers can zoom on a zip line above the forest canopy, kayak on the Ora River and ride horses on the beach, while others can enjoy hiking the dry forest while learning about the local species of plants and animals or watch sea turtles hatch.

• Lapa Rios Ecolodge: Founded by two former Peace Corps Volunteer, Lapa Rios is located in Central America’s last remaining lowland tropical rainforest. Set on the Osa Peninsula, its water comes from natural spring, the landscaping contains only local plants and the lodge promotes guest-volunteer programs.

• Carlisle Bay: This Antiguan resort recycles water for irrigation, donates kitchen waste to local pig farmers and gives used equipment to the community.

**Get your kids outside to help them play better and respect nature in a whole new light. Over at Globally Green Living, Sandra Williams has some ideas to help you get them out in the world. Read them here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Print on both sides of the paper, or print paper and after your done use it as scratch paper or add it to your compost pile so it can biodegrade back into the earth.

Five Steps To A Greener Yard: (Source: Conscious Choice Magazine)

• Go Native: Native vegetation requires less water (if any) and attractsbeneficial bugs, butterflies and birds, and because native plants are adapted to the area, they are more resistant to disease and pesky insects, negating the need for pesticides. The EPA’s web page Green Landscaping with Native Plants and The Washington Native Plant Society’s page are great places to start in looking for great native plants that will work in your garden.

• Eat Your Estate: You have head the stat: grocery store produce travels and average of 1,5000 miles before reaching your plate. But what could be more local than replacing your front with food for your family and your neighbors maybe. Start at these sites to give you the push in the right “gardening path”. How to Turn your Yard Into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community; The Edible Estates initiative, a national project designed to replace ther American lawn with fruit and vegetable garden.

• Keep The Rain: Growing in popularity, rain gardens are depressed areas of a yard that collect runoff instead of letting the water be carried to storm drains, collecting pollution along the way. In turn, the garden feeds native wetland plants, wildflowers and animals. Try Pond Appeal under their Eco-Friendly Rain Gardens to get started.

• Swap Your Shingles: If you live in an urban area and want a patch of green, or if you are looking to utilize the space on top of your house, consider swapping your shingles for a rooftop garden. Roof plants drink in storm water, mitigating runoff. They also absorb less heat, helping control temperaturs (particularly useful in metropolitan areas. Check out Green Roofs to get some ideas on where to begin.

• Give A Hoot: If you must have a lawn, don’t pollute. Reel mowers keep the air clean. Try organic fertilizers (the new generation of products on the market is far more effective). Gather your orange peels and grass clippings from composting. Rain barrelks can help with irrigation, or conserve water by using drip irrigation systems or watering by hand. With a few changes, you’ll be on your way to a more sustainable yard. Check out Safe Lawns and In Harmony to get a good idea of how easy it is to start a change for the positives right away.

**Find out the about the wonderful world of Apple over at Apple Reporter. Kristian Freeman, walks through the 2007-2008 year, at-a-glance with Apple Inc. Read it here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: When lighting a fire use sustainable matches from a sustainable company or use a refillable variety so it won’t end up in the landfills later after the flame is out.

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.

46. Campaign for a national health care system: If more and more people demand it, in the future the demand has to be met.

47. For the college bound, take some general classes at a state school ort community college where the tuition is lower: Even if you plan to take most of your classes a a more expensive college it’s a good idea to take the basics at a community college. Just check with the college you plan to go to after the community college to make sure the classes will transfer.

48. Attend an in-state college: Establish residency for a year or two beforehand, if you need to. You will save more money in the long run then just jumping right into a college.

49. Buy you college books online: Don’t give into the cost of the books at the college bookstore, they are there to make money for the college not help you out.

50. Watch for unique scholarship opportunities: Even the ones that help you gain help from other sources than cash. You may even get into opportunities where you get something for making the Dean’s List, or something similar.

51. Audit classes if need be: Especially in classes where you just want the knowledge not the credit.

52. For lessons, try bartering: Such as doing some work in photography in exchange for some dance lessons. Or sewing in exchange for some computer lessons.

53. Discontue your internet service and take advantage of a wireless “hotspot”: You can go in some towns to an internet cafe or even take advantage of someone else’s unsecure wireless. Even the smallest towns are now getting free wireless for residence.

54. Rediscover the radical notion of the library: You can get almost anything at a local library for free with a signed up membership and card. Even DVDs are at the local library.

55. Volunteer to usher: Get into plays, concerts and other events if you ask to volunteer and help out. All you have to do is ask.

56. Find low-cost fun in your local paper: Take full advantage of free concerts, events and even some movies.

57. When at a concert or movie, avoid buying anything to eat or drink while you are there: Some place will even let you bring in your own snacks or drinks.

58. Take turns entertaining with friends or neighbors: Potlucks and parties are a great way to entertain and get others involved.

59. Occasionally, go ahead and spend money: Spend money on things you know you will benefit from in the long run.

60. Volunteer: Organizations such as Willing Workers on Organic Farms

**JM over at Fiction Scribe has her “Thirteen Goals for Next Year”. Read her goals and while you’re there leave her a message and tell her your goals for 2008.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: If your shelves are overstuffed with books you’ve already read, check out BookMooch, a free service that help you trade books with others around the globe. You rack up points for each book you give away. Make a wish list and redee3m your points when a book you want becomes available. And here’s the cool thing: BookMooch has a list of charities it works with, so you can donate your points and shre in the literacy wealth with someone in need.

31. Do as Many Errands as Possible with Each Car Trip: Especially if they are around town. You will save a lot on gas.

32. Book any Airplane Trips Well in Advance: You will get the lowest possible fare.

33. Don’t go Into Stores Unless You Need Something: Always write up a shopping list. Most stores are designed to get you to buy things you don’t really need. The best thing I enjoy doing is window shopping. I can see what the stores carry without going in and I can also get birthday and Christmas present ideas that way as well.

34. Hit The End-Of-The Season Sales: When colder seasons hit, summer items will be on sale at the time and when hotter seasons hit, winter items will be on sale.

35. Before You Ship, Try Borrowing: Share large items with a family, friend or even a neighbor. Set up a borrowing co-op with your tools and large farm equipment, such as lawn mowers or Bushhog® tractors.

36. Try to Find it Used: If you shop yard sales, estate sales and thrift stores you may be able to find what you need and it probably will be ten times cheaper. Even though it’s used, it will be new to you.

37. When Buying New, Choose High-Quality, Durable Items: Think long term not quick and easy and cheaply mad. Even if the item cost more, if it last twice as long as it’s cheaper counter part then it will be worth the extra cost.

38. Instead of Shopping Scavenge: Watch the curbs are the end of a semister in a college town. If you live near a school, talk to the janitor the last day of school when the lockers are being cleaned out.

39. Buy Clothing Used Whenever Possible: You may have good luck finding clohtes at garage sales even too. Consignment shops are a great place to find well-made, and even some name-brand clothing.

40. Have a Clothing Exchange Party: It will be fun to trade clothes with friends and family and tell stories behind the clothing you are trading.

41. Try Sewing: Look for cheap material in thrift stores. Or if you get or are really good at sewing turn your outfits into something new.

42. Watch the Clearance Racks: Some stores may mark down even more off the price just to get it out of the store.

43. Ask a doctor or dentist if they have sliding scale fees: Some may even give you a break if you just ask.

44. Look for free or low-cost clinics: Maybe even a medical school. But be careful sometimes you get what you pay for.

45. Do preventive maintenance on your body: Exercise and eat well, try yoga for stress management and quit smoking or using tobacco chew products.

**Over at WWE Daily you can watch a tribute video to John Cena. Scooter has the whole scoop here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Green Buy: Ship your next package in a recycled box from Used Cardboard Boxes. The online store rescues trash-bound boxes and packing materials and sells them at a discount, so you will save money and trees.

16. Barter for Service with Carpenters: Try Time Banks.org.

17. Buy Into a Piece of Land with another Family or Your Neighborhood: Be sure to check local zoning ordinances to be sure you can legally sudivide a property before you buy it.

18. Build with Natural Materials Found On-Site: If you have wood, the equipment to mill it yourself is relatively inexpensive compared to buying lumber. If you want to really go all-natural build with stone or straw and use clay as plaster.

19. Close Off Unused Rooms: Especially in the summer when you run an air conditioner. It will save on cooling your home in the heat.

20. Be efficient with Your Appliances: Have a big baking night when you are going to use the oven. Let your woodstove also be your dryer and water heater.

21. Take Advantage of Natural Weather Patterns to Heat and Cool your Home: In the summer, open the windows at night and close them again by noon.

22. Place your Refrigerator in the Coldest Part of the House: It will require less energy to keep the temperature low.

23. Wash your Clothes in Cold Water: It’s the friction of the clothes rubbing against each other that does most of the cleaning, not the heat. For serious stains, use hot water only on those clothes.

24. Switch off Your Water Heater: When you are not going to use it for an extended period of time, like going on vacation.

25. Buy Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs: The savings on your electric bill adds up fast when you use these over time.

26. Unplug any Unused Electric Items with Lights, Clocks or Timers: They use some much power just sitting there.

27. Carpool with Friends or a Co-Worker: Some cities maintain online listings to help people connect with other carpoolers.

28. Ask if Your City Has a Carshare Program: Or start one with some people you trust.

29. Covert a Diesel Car to Run on Used Vegetable Oil: You will pay once for the conversion kit, but after that all your fuel will be free. All you have to do is find a restaurant that wants to dispose of their used oil and will let you cart it away.

30. Keep Track of Your Gas Milage: Look for ways to improve it. Keep your tires properly inflated and don’t speed. (Source: NH 2007)

**Ever wonder what else you can use an avacado with besides just for dip? Over at Earthly Eating, there are several recipes given to help you with that. Read them here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Pass on the paper towels and paper napkins, opt for cloth ones and just wash them. At your favorite restaurant, ask them to switch to cloth napkins instead of the paper ones.

1. Buy Raw Ingredients: Instead of prepackaged foods, save on food bills, and your body will thank you for it in the long run.

2. Buy In Bulk: From a local health food store, or place bulk orders directly with mail0order companies.

3. Avoid The Middleman: Buy directly from the farmer. Look for farm stand, cummunity supported agriculture programs and farmers markets.

4. Eat Fruits and Vegetables In Season: They will be less expensive. If you buy them when they cheap, buy a lot and freeze or can whatever you can’t eat before they go out of season.

5. Keep Up With What’s in Your Refrigerator: Make sure nothing spoils. Once a week, make soup or casseroles to use up vegetables and other leftovers.

6. Calculate the Price of Food Per Pound: When you visit the supermarket do your math. Doing the math will help you spot the good deals.

7. Don’t Overeat: When you do, you are flushing money down the drain. When you are full, you’re full. Trust your own body.

8. Find a Live-In Elder Care Position: It not only helps someone stay out of a nursing home. Even if it is to help out around the yard, get involved in that.

9. Help Renovate a House: In exchange for lodging. It maybe the way you aquire your next home.

10. Become a Housesitter or Pet Sitter, For Short-Time boarding: Watching someone’s pet while they are out of the country is a great way to have room and board for a short-time.

11. For Longer-Term Stays, Become A Long-Term Caretaker of Property: Try Care Taker.org

12. Look Beyond Realtors’ Listings: Thumb through penny or nickle ads. A lot of great things are listed in those tiny papers.

13. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask: If you find a piece of land you really like talk to the owner and find out is they are willing to sell. Just by asking the price may be cheaper than you think.

14. Salvage Materials for Your New Home: Look for a house that’s being renovated and might let you take materials from the site. Look in the yellow pages for used building materials, or look for online groups such as Freecycle, or one I started entitled The Repurpose Foundation. Join The Repurpose Foundation’s Group here. Where people trade all kinds of unwanted items and find new purpose for them.

15. Never Skimp on Insulation or Good Windows: Build your home tight enough, and it will cost much less to heat. Even a wood stove will help on heating, but be sure to burn clean with what wood you use. (Source: NH 2007)

**Looking for the best deals on televisions? Over at Home Theaters blog here at 451 Press, Marc Klink has some ideas for you. Read which ones are the best deals here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Use organic beauty products. If you have makeup in your cabinet that is not organic, use up what you have so there will be no waste, then as you run out of a product, replace it with an organic choice. An organic choice, most not only have better ingredients but put their products in recycled containers.

Mixing your own cleaners at home almost always will save you more money than buying then. You are not only paying for the cleaner, you are also paying for advertisment, packaging. Here is a list of cleaners everyone should have on hand to make yourself and save that extra money:

• Baking Soda: This mild alkaline powder can be used for a variety of household cleaning purposed, such as absorbing odors, cleaning the inside of the refrigerator, loosening baked-on food from pans, and removing stains from tile, glass, oven doors, and even fine china. It also acts as a stain remover for fruit juices and other mild acids.

• Castile Soap: A mild soap in liquid or bar from that can be used for general purpose cleaning. It was once only made from olive oil, but now might even include vegetable oils. It is a great cleaner because it is free of petroleum-based ingredients.

• Hydrogen Peroxide: A mild alternative to chlorine bleach, its oxidation abilities make it useful in stain removing and sterilizing.

• Lemon Juice: This familiar acidic ingredient can be used to lighten stains and cut grease. It also can be used to remove tarnish on brass, copper, bronze and aluminum. Never use it on silver or sterling silver though.

• Washing Soda: A stronger slternative to baking soda, washing soda can be used as a water softener in conjunction with laundry detergents (gloves are recommended as it may irritate the skin; do not use with solks, woolens or vinyl). It’s also good when trying to lift oil or grease.

• White Vinegar: Good for a variety of household cleaning tasks, vinegar may be used to help kill germs and deodorize, removes some carpet stains, and clean coffee makers, chrome, cookware and coutertops. It’s acidic enough to clear minor drain clogs. Vinegar has an odor when it’s wet, but once it’s dry the odor is gone. Don’t use vinegar on some delicate fabrics because it will eat the fabric.

**Pushing Daisies wins satellite award. And over at the Pushing Daisies blog here at 451 Press, Lira Cruz has the whole story behind the award winning show. Read it here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Buy Fair Trade products whenever you can. If you can’t buy Fair Trade, at least buy organicly grown products. It’s better for your health and the environment.

There have been trace amounts of antimony, a toxic metal found in several brands of bottled water. Because water in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles have a considerable amount more antimony than water in glass containers. It’s been suspected PET is the problem the bottles have been tested by adding water to PET bottles. The longer the water sat in the bottles, the more antimony was released. While levels were still below drinking water guidelines, it’s not currently known what the long ter, effects might be. One more reason to do away with plastic polyethylene bottles all together.

More information for you:

• Kids with asthma and dogs don’t play well together. While it’s not surprising that they have more severe symptoms than kids with nop petsa. they also farced worse than cat-owning children.

• Eating lots of carrots, tomatoes and leafy vegetables reduces your chances of having asthma. A daily diet containing at least 90 grams of leafy veggies has a risk 22% lower than the viggue-averse person who consumes less than 40 grams of leafy veggies.

• Conserve energy by using power strips (many electronics suck power even when off-but power strips in the off position don’t.)

**Over at Watching KVille, Lulu Mcgrew has the latest “Writer’s Strike” update for you. Read it here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Carpool whenever you can.