Give thanks to the Earth!

By: Melinda Toussaint

This time of year most of us are thinking about stuffing turkeys, baking pies, and crazy Christmas shopping, but are we thinking how to be more eco-friendly? Well if not I have provided five ways in which you can make your Thanksgiving a little greener, without having to give up mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Here are ways to make your tabletop eco-friendly.

1. Dinnerware. It’s not what you put on the plate but the plates themselves that is important. By using porcelain plates you will not only save yourself from more garbage but also from repurchasing plates down the line. Porcelain is made by firing materials at a very high temperature to prevent breakage and chips. They are extremely durable and versatile enough to mix and match with other specialty dinnerware making them useful for years. You could also consider using plates made from recycled glass, confetti or even bamboo to create a higher demand for green alternatives. Check out Target, Crate & Barrel, and Pier 1 Imports for the best and inexpensive options.
2. Glassware. Consider buying recycled glassware. Found at most retailers, recycled glass is the best green option around. The Green Glass Company, who sells their products to such stores as Pottery Barn, creates great alternatives to stay green. They make recycled glass in all sizes, colors, and designs as to satisfy all customers’ wants. Check out www.greenglass.com to learn more or check for recycled glass labels wherever you are shopping.
3. Textiles. When choosing napkins, placemats, and table runners choose the ones made from organic cotton. This way you know that no harsh pesticides and chemicals were used when making them. Also, buy the traditional design that you’ll be able to use for many Thanksgivings to come. You’ll save money and the Earth in the long run.
4. Soy. If you are considering using candles for your table centerpiece… use soy. Soy candles are made from natural wax and have 100% lead free wicks. They burn very clean and even which produces little to no smoke. And most packaging is bio-degradable! Major candle retailers (Pier 1 Imports, Kohl’s, & Yankee Candle Company) are carrying soy in many scents and sizes, but I suggest using unscented or a mild fragrance as to not distract your guests from the smell of their meal. Don’t forget to put them in recycled glass candleholders or trays as well!
5. Décor. When putting together the rest of your centerpiece/table try using real leaves, acorns, etc from your yard instead of buying artificial pieces. You can make wreaths, garland, or just scatter them throughout the table for a real feeling of fall. After you meal is over, throw the leaves into a composting jar. This way you have reused, recycled, and reduced your consumption.

If you have followed some or all of these tips when you set your table and your guests have arrived, you can be satisfied knowing that to have your traditional Thanksgiving meal you didn’t have to sacrifice the environment. And when you are giving thanks for your family, friends, and your food… thank your Earth as well-- It deserves it and so do you!

Ethanol: Missing the Bigger Picture

By: Christopher Forestieri

Ethanol has played a big part in the news cycle over the last few years, with many viewing them as a sure way to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil. Much of its support is a result of lobbying by the agricultural community seeking subsidies for corn or other crops which can be converted into “flex fuel.”

Like any movement, the “ethanol revolution” has met resistance. Many environmental groups have been quick to point out the problems associated with using a food source for fuel, such as its effects on soil quality. There is also growing evidence that agricultural based fuel is responsible for a portion of the rise in food costs.

But aside from ethanol’s residual effects, there is one main reason ethanol is not a solution to our energy problem: It cannot replace a barrel of oil.

According to Robert Bryce, in a recent article on Slate.com (http://www.slate.com/id/2202314), “When it is refined, a barrel of crude yields several different "cuts" that range from light products, such as butane, to heavy products, such as asphalt. Even the best-quality barrel of crude (42 gallons) yields only about 20 gallons of gasoline. Furthermore, certain types of crude oil (such as light sweet) are better suited to gasoline or diesel production than others. The overall point is that even the most technologically advanced oil refineries cannot produce just one product from a barrel of crude—they must produce several, and the market value of those various cuts is constantly changing.”

Ethanol only replaces one part of what we get from a barrel of oil. In doing so it fails to address the growing demand for the other parts.

Bryce notes, “the problem for the ethanol advocates is that there's very little growth in gasoline demand, while the demand for other cuts of the barrel is booming. In short, the corn ethanol producers are making the wrong type of fuel at the wrong time. They are producing fuel that displaces gasoline at a time when gasoline demand—both in the United States and globally—is essentially flat. Meanwhile, demand for the segment of the crude barrel known as middle distillates—primarily diesel fuel and jet fuel—is growing rapidly. And corn ethanol cannot replace diesel or jet fuel, the liquids that propel the vast majority of our commercial transportation machinery.”

I had never really considered the overreaching use of crude oil. There has been such emphasis on replacing gasoline for travel, that many, myself included, have neglected the other uses for crude oil, and thus the need to replace those as well.

Ethanol subsidies do more to boost the economy of agricultural communities than to reduce our carbon footprint or our nation’s dependence on foreign oil. In fact, they may even cause the price of oil to rise. Bryce quotes an anonymous executive of a domestic oil refiner as saying, “ethanol is making diesel more expensive relative to gasoline because it's expanding the pool of gasoline. But to make diesel, we have to process more crude, which in turn is raising the price of crude.”

The real question is why lawmakers have put all of their efforts (and our tax dollars) into addressing only part of the problem, if they do indeed have our nation’s best interests in mind. Bryce’s article makes some thought provoking points and asks some extremely relevant questions, I would recommend it to anyone interested in the alternative fuels debate.

The point is, until we start to examine completely phasing out crude oil, we are essentially wasting time and money. As Bryce puts it, “ethanol is doing absolutely nothing to reduce overall U.S. oil consumption or imports because refiners have to buy the same amount of crude (or more) in order to meet the demand for products other than gasoline—that is, jet fuel, diesel fuel, fuel oil, asphalt, etc.”

GM Knows Green, Even if It Isn’t Seeing Any

By: Rachel Tanis

It’s well-known these days that GM is short on the green stuff. That’s right, the company and its two American automotive manufacturing counterparts, are running out of cold, hard cash. In the past few weeks there has been much speculation about the long-term (and even short-term) viability of the companies. Their request for low-cost government loans (note that I said “loans,” not “hand-outs”) has been met with fierce opposition, mostly by Republicans in Congress and import-lovers. The largest accusation is that General Motors is not making interesting, nor eco-friendly, vehicles.

This gives me pause. Few people seem to remember (or are aware) of General Motors early endeavor in the world of eco-friendly vehicle development. With government help and oversight (which was necessary because this type of research and development is extremely costly with very little promise for reasonable returns in any less than a decade), GM led the way to current technology, way back in the 1960’s. With the help of intelligent engineers on the forefront of hybrid and electric-car technology, General Motor’s outfitted a working hybrid car back in the 1970’s. Sadly, the government (specifically the EPA) ended the project and its assistance, just as it was picking up steam, in 1976. General Motors did not throw away any of their research and hard work, though. Instead, GM would be first on the electric-car scene with its innovative EV1. GM leased the EV1 during the 1990’s, even though it lost money while doing so. The batteries for the EV1 were so expensive that GM lost money on the vehicles. They ultimately ended the EV1 project, when it was determined that despite the sacrifice (translation - lost dollars) made for knowledge of the electric car, the endeavor was too expensive. Nearly a decade later, foreign automotive manufacturers (namely Toyota and Honda) came out with the first profitable production hybrids. Still, much has been debated about their affordability for the consumer, especially when gas prices dip and with the high cost (about $10,000) of battery replacement (it is not currently known how long a battery will last, with most estimates coming in at around 5-10 years). Note the clear distinction here: General Motors was on the leading edge of the technology, not the first to introduce a product to the public that may or may not end up costing them huge amounts of money in the long run. GM took on that cost itself with the EV1, instead of passing it on to consumer guinea-pigs. General Motors has continued to forge ahead with plans for hybrid vehicles and even an electric-car with an all-new battery concept.

General Motors current products are also highly fuel-efficient, especially when considering their size. Looking for a large, luxury SUV that gets over 20 miles per gallon (which is, by the way, the best mpg rating in its class)? You have only one choice, and it’s not a Toyota. Wondering what it is? See it now! Think that I’ve narrowed the fields to skew the results? Think again. Head to non-bias www.edmunds.com and ask for the SUV with the highest mpg rating. Surprised at what you find? Edmunds will provide you with two options: one is the 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid; the other one is the 2009 edition! Looking for an eco-friendly sedan that comes in at 25-30 mpg? You’ll get plenty of choices, but GM will tie with Toyota for having the most options available in this class. Looking for a hybrid but can’t decide what type of vehicle you want? No one offers more hybrids than… GM. You read that right – not Toyota, not Honda – General Motors. (Plus, who can argue that the line-up of GM products aren’t stylish and innovative? Check out the Malibu, Tahoe, Enclave, and more!)

The American automotive industry is not without fault, and has certainly made its fair share of mistakes. However, before you make your final opinion on what Congress should do in this situation, consider the facts and then re-consider the trendy notion of which companies the masses believe to be the leaders of the green movement. GM has overcome poor management of the past and is fighting for a brighter, greener future. The good news for GM is that they are closer than anyone to finding a lasting green solution.

Love is patient, love is kind, love is… green

By: Melinda Toussaint

Being green in your everyday life can be very challenging… that’s why you need someone to help you through it. I have composed a list of 10 ways you and your partner can stay green while maintaining a fun and interesting relationship.

1) Reservation for two… at home: Instead of going out to dinner with your significant other, make dinner. You’ll not only save money and hopefully eat healthier… but a quiet setting in your dining room is more romantic than any crowded restaurant could be. A little candlelight, no interruptions, and best of all no check!

2) Blockbuster is Back: A classic date has usually consisted of dinner and movie, but bringing dinner indoors forces the movie to be as well. The good news is cuddling up to a rental from Blockbuster for $4 and making microwave popcorn at $1 per package… saves you at least $20. Plus you determine when the movie starts!

3) Start reading again. Now staying away from Barnes and Noble might not be so easy. It is one of my favorite places on Earth, but this summer (with my boyfriend’s suggestion) I became a member at our local library… again! You can check out all the latest bestsellers for FREE! You can’t beat that. So cozy up to your partner and read. Silence is definitely golden and makes the times for conversation that much more meaningful.

4) Be creative… together! Make time for arts and crafts. As silly and summer camp as that sounds it is actually fun. You can make home décor like mug racks and picture frames from old materials (newspaper, magazines, wood, or accessories) for a lot cheaper than purchasing at the store. Not only will you feel great that you saved money and reused materials…you and your partner will have created something that is a conversation starter in your home.

5) Who needs a gym? Instead of spending way too much money on a gym membership that, if you are me is wasted, do yoga in your family room or run outside. Running outside is refreshing and challenging, not to mention totally free. By working out with your partner you can help motivate one another much better than you could on a treadmill.

6) One Click Away… Shop online together. Most people think that the materials used to ship your package costs more than shopping at your local mall, well that’s not true. Shopping online costs about 1/10 of the gas, money, and time you take to shop at the mall. Granted you can’t try things on, but that’s why you need to ask yourself “Can I live without this?” Most of the time the answer is yes. Save yourself the hassle of returning by saying no to unnecessary purchases.

7) Don’t Do Duplicates: If you live together… donate your duplicates of CDs, DVDs, books, and appliances to friends or Goodwill or sell them on EBay to make money. There is no reason to have two of anything, so don’t! If you don’t live with your partner, pass CDs, books, and DVDs back and forth. It will be fun and save both of you money. Why both have them when you can share?

8) Move the “Night on the Town” Indoors: When wanting a fun night out, think of moving it in. Have friends over for cocktails and conversation to avoid crowds, smoke, and tipping the bartender. In this case the bartender is you! To really mix things up have themed parties or play unusual games. Halloween isn’t the only time to be someone else! Have fun while you are young. Best thing of all you’ll save money and no one drives home drunk.

9) Support Each Other. Be a support system for your partner throughout your daily lives. Remind them when they aren’t being as green as they could. Practice the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) together so it gets easier to do on your own.

10) Sharing is Caring. Find out what works for you and your partner to live green and share those tips to friends and family. Hearing about how someone else makes it work is inspirational and motivational. So start sharing!

Need another reason to start paying bills online?

By: Christopher Forestieri

Online banking and bill paying has been around for a while. Most banks and credit unions offer their members ways to handle virtually all their finance without ever actually stepping foot inside one of their branches. And, to the delight of environmentalists, they also offer their members the ability to manage their finance and bills without a single scrap of paper.

Paper checks, account receipts and needlessly long statement printouts, once commonplace in most American homes, have been slowly relegated to relics of banking past. This not only eliminates a large amount of waste but also saves money.

I was once employed by a Credit Union in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They were very insistent that we tellers, “push the online banking.” While they acknowledged their ecological responsibility, they also were quick to point out the amount of money they would save themselves.

For example, something as simple as eliminating paper statements saved them as much as $5.00 per account. This may not seem like much, but when you think about tens of thousands of accounts, or in the case of many large banks Millions of accounts, that can amount to a lot of money—and paper too. This is helpful to the environmental movement in that companies are finding that eco friendly choices are also savings friendly choices.

One bank is now taking the idea a step further. Charter One Bank is offering members 10 cents every time they “pay without paper.” According to a release from Charter One, “we'll pay you 10 cents every time you pay without paper - like when you use your debit card, pay a bill online, or have an automatic payment charged to your checking account or debit card. You can earn up to $120 a year!”

There is really no reason to not use online banking assuming you have access to a computer with an internet connection and understand how to use it. Aside from the money saving incentive from financial institutions such as Charter One, there is also savings from eliminating stamps as well as the convenience of being able to manage all your bills in the same way. In short, online banking saves time, money and a whole lot of paper.

Clean Green

By: Rachel Tanis

There’s been a lot of hype lately on cleaning green. Some people are even hosting parties where the main event is making eco-friendly cleaners. These cleaners are usually organic or natural with no harmful chemicals. If eco-friendly cleaning is something that you can tackle, try on some of these “recipes” and tips for green cleaning supplies. Just remember to exercise some caution. Even though these are natural ingredients, they are still very abrasive, aggressive cleaning agents. They might damage upholstery, metal, ceramic or fixtures. Be sure to test in a conspicuous spot first. While preparing these cleaning products do so in a well-ventilated area.

RECIPES AND TIPS FOR GREEN CLEANING SUPPLIES

TO CLEAN A GARBAGE DISPOSAL
-Clean and freshen the scent of a garbage disposal by slicing a lemon and throwing it into the disposal. Run the disposal until the lemon is gone. You can also throw ice cubes into the disposal to sharpen its blades.

TO REMOVE STAINS, SUCH AS CARPET STAINS

Ingredients:
-First try: Soda Water
-If stain still persists, then try: Hydrogen Peroxide
Directions: Apply liquid and then wait 10-20 minutes. Blot – don’t rub!


WINDOW CLEANER
Ingredients:
-2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
-1 quart of warm water

Directions:
Mix ingredients thoroughly and pour into a spray bottle.
Spray onto windows and wipe clean with a towel or microfiber cloth.


TO WHITEN OR REMOVE STAINS, SUCH AS GROUT STAINS
Ingredients:
-1 cup hydrogen peroxide
-2 cups water

Directions:
Mix together and wipe or spray onto stain. This works especially well on grout.
Let sit for a few minutes until dry and wipe with a damp cloth.

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER: Lemon-Baking Soda Cleaner

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup of baking soda
-Liquid soap
-1/2 of a lemon

Directions:
Combine baking soda with enough liquid soap to form a paste.
Rub paste onto ½ of a lemon – or squeeze lemon juice into the paste for a fresh scent.
Use cleaner on ½ of the lemon to scrub stove tops, sinks and more – or – use paste with lemon juice in it with a rag.
Wipe clean with a fresh rag.

TUB CLEANER

Ingredients:
-Vinegar
-Water, optional

Directions:
Dilute with water in a spray bottle, or use undiluted for a more powerful cleaner. But be careful with vinegar – it is powerful enough to etch tiles and corrode some fixtures. Vinegar works especially well on soap scum and mineral deposits.

Dress Green in 3 Ways

By: Melinda Toussaint

For most of us shopping for clothes is fun but can also be very frustrating; between trying things on, waiting in line, and well the all around pesky customer service. But when we do find that perfect outfit, handbag, or pair of shoes…what are we really paying for? How can we know that this item wasn’t made by a 14-year-old girl that works for 15 hours without so much as a bathroom break? How can we know that a farmer didn’t get an unfair price for his goods? How can we know that our favorite t-shirt didn’t pollute the environment by the chemicals used to dye it? The answer is easy… research! Take the time to find out where your clothes are coming from and take a stand against injustices.

The first step is to stand up against sweatshops. Sweatshops are harsh work environments in which the people are treated poorly for very little pay. Companies use sweatshops for cheap labor and therefore a huge profit. But we need to take a stand against companies using them by boycotting their clothes. Send the company an email saying that until they change their process you will not wear their clothes. Encourage your friends and family to do the same. If enough people boycott, the CEO’s in their big expensive offices will have to reconsider their practices. Visit www.sweatshopwatch.org and join the fight against sweatshops.

Boycotting sweatshops is only the first step. Start purchasing clothes that are supporting the green fight. Make sure the materials used to make the things in your closet are organic but are also constructed organically (which means that no harsh chemicals, pesticides, or dyes that pollute the environment were used). Once upon a time organic fabrics/clothes were expensive and hard to come by but now many companies are going green including H&M and Victoria’s Secret, but that’s not all. Visit the following sites for more organic buys: -www.sweatfree.org; -www.nosweatapparel.com; www.americanapparel.com

The last step is to support companies that use Fair Trade. Fair Trade ensures that the farmers get a fair price for the goods they supply and are treated equally. For awhile now the main focus of Fair Trade products were chocolate and coffee, but with your help hopefully clothes can become a big focus as well. So the next time you are shopping take a look at the labels. If it has the “Fair Trade Certified” label opt for that one; you might be paying more money but that money is helping better people’s lives. So you can feel good about that! Visit www.transfairusa.org and click on “Fair Trade in Stores” to find out just how many fair-trade-products are at your local store.

If you have taken a look at all these sites I encourage you to check out one more: www.factorygreen.com. Factory Green was started by two college guys wanting to make a difference in the world. They have created an eco and fashion-forward clothing line that brings green to the highest level. They make everything from an organic t-shirt to a clutch made from candy wrappers to a watch made out of an old basketball. All of their products are made from recycled materials and are shipped using recycled cardboard and packing peanuts; even their shipping label is on recycled paper. But that’s not all… all of their products are “Fair Trade Certified”! So go ahead and order a cool organic tee for only $10. You’ll be supporting a company on the cutting edge of green clothing and whenever you wear it you’ll know that you are protecting the Earth and that is a feeling better than any designer label can provide!

Should We Pretend Gas Still Costs $4 a Gallon?

By: Christopher Forestieri

Weather you drive a car or not, lower gas prices are good news. The cost of the many goods that crisscross the country each day are impacted. Airplane fares are dropping and price tags begin to look normal again as overhead costs lower. But, as the price of a gallon of gasoline drops nearly $1.50 from where it was this summer, I can’t help but consider the negatives.

Surely, a lack of demand is responsible on some level. Just months ago, it seemed the Shell station down the street from me had to hire someone just to change the numbers on its sign as the price edged toward $4.00.

With those of us who are lucky enough to have a job struggling to pay bills and buy food, driving suddenly turned from a necessity to a luxury, something we learned to live without, or at least leaned to cut back on.

Around Washington, D.C., metro ridership reached an all time high and traffic, though still the burden we have come to know, was noticeably reduced.

According to the Associated Press, “In the month after gas prices peaked at $4.11 per gallon, Americans drove 5.6 percent less, or 15 billion fewer miles, in August 2008 compared with August 2007 — the biggest single monthly decline since the data was first collected regularly in 1942.”

The oil industry, like other industries, despite record profits, sought to mitigate the effects of a tanking stock market and lowering demand. OPEC drastically reduced oil exports, cutting oil production by 1.5 million barrels per day. The idea, ostensibly, was to increase demand by cutting off the supply.

But despite this, Americans have continued to drive less. It is still too early to know if this trend will continue. But, if it does, we have a chance to flip the tables in a sense.

Sure, we could fall into the trap of the oil industry and react to lower gas prices by retuning to driving excessively and watch the price of oil rise as Americans fight over a reduced supply.

Or, we could learn from the last year.

The first step towards a viable alternative to oil is to stop using oil. But in the meantime, people need to get to work, buy food and survive in a world where petroleum affects us and virtually everything we use. If we can sacrifice excess and continue to try and reduce our petroleum consumption, we will not only send a message that oil is on the way out, but we can keep the price low until we reach the finish line.

5 Simple Steps to a Green Holiday

By: Rachel Tanis

The end of Halloween means the beginning of a fast-paced holiday season. While their certainly is a lot to think about from November to January, don’t forget to think green and protect the environment in the busiest time of year. Here are five simple first steps to a greener holiday season.

1. Recycle your wrapping paper – For an economical and green solution to your holiday wrapping, opt for recycled wrapping paper. Most paper product companies produce wrapping paper made from recycled goods. You can also wrap in old editions of the newspaper or even scrap paper from your printer. Don’t throw away packing peanuts received in all of those packages ordered online either. Use the peanuts to fill gift bags or boxes instead of tons of tissue paper.

2. Eat leftovers – Eating turkey sandwiches everyday for a week after Thanksgiving looses its appeal after Friday’s lunch. But, arming yourself with leftover recipes can provide you with unique ways to re-prepare turkey and keep it from getting old. Eating leftovers is smart not only after turkey-day but all year through. Too much food is thrown away every day in the United States – food that is hard-earned and hard-grown. For great leftover recipes check out www.allrecipes.com or www.foodnetwork.com, and start planning now to eliminate waste.

3. Save your receipts – Failing to save your receipts can result in gifts that are not returnable. Save your receipts and return the gifts that aren’t exactly what the receiver wanted. Letting a gift sit in the box in someone’s basement, or hang un-used in their closet is wasteful – and that’s not green.

4. Make a list – Too many trips to the store result in wasted gas and an extra-big carbon footprint around the holidays. Make a list of all of the things you’ll need. Take ten minutes before you go to the store to mentally run through everything you need to prepare. Think about wrapping accessories like bows, scissors, tape and gift tags as well as things like stocking stuffers and gifts for everyone on your list like a neighbor, teacher or co-worker.

5. Make your gifts – Give gifts that aren’t pre-packaged in tons of eco-un-friendly plastics. Everyone loves homemade gifts that really speak to who they are and the skills of the giver. Consider food gifts like homemade marshmallows, chocolates, toasted cinnamon-sugar pecans, pies, quick breads or spice packages for warm drinks like cider. Consider other handmade gifts blankets, socks, organic face wash or foot scrub. A break from the ordinary, these gifts will be well received.

Green Your Parents

By: Melinda Toussaint

So far the green movement has been successful at influencing our young generation to live more eco-friendly but what about our parents' generation? The baby boomers are the biggest generation in America, and also our biggest challenge. If your parents are anything like mine they are stuck in their ways. They have plans, habits, and lifestyles that they have been living happily with for years, so change doesn't come easy. But helping them live green is now easier than ever. I believe that if you can get your parents to be greener in three areas: laundry, cleaning, and recycling, helping them compost, reuse, and perhaps buy greener can be easier down the line.

First up is the laundry. Most households do laundry more than once a week and sometimes everyday if necessary. So making your parents do the laundry in a more eco-friendly way will be a huge improvement to the environment and to their wallet. The average household does 400 loads of laundry per year (that's 13,500 gallons of water used) however there are ways around that. If your parents have the means to switch to Energy Star appliances they could be saving 7,000 gallons of water per year as well as $550 in operating costs according to www.energystar.com.

But if your parents can't afford new appliances, they can buy green and reduce their usage. By cutting down your dryer usage you could be saving yourself a lot of money. Dryers are ranked as your #2 energy hog in your household, right behind the refrigerator, and can rack up about $70 per year in energy bills. Use a clothes line or drying rack and you could save money as well as energy.

Making your parents laundry green is just the first thing that you can do. If you also teach them to clean more green it will help the earth tremendously. Recently Arm & Hammer has created a new Essentials line of cleaning products that are not only plant-based to protect the environment from harsh chemicals often found in cleaning products but they have also created reusable bottles. By reusing the bottle and refilling the product your parents can save 25% of their money as well as reducing plastic waste found in landfills. And don't think just because it's green that it won't work. Plant-based products are actually tougher on grease and stains in your home! Visit www.armandhammeressentials.com for their full list of products ranging from glass cleaners to fabric softeners.

If you have trained your parents to clean green and wash green now is the time to teach them the new rules to recycling. Your parents might already think they do a good job recycling paper, plastic, and aluminum cans, but that's just the start. With growing efforts to keep waste out of landfills, Waste Management has been working to help us recycle a lot more. Your parents can now recycle batteries, cell phones, printers, computers, and even their Christmas tree!

According to www.earth911.com the current recycling rate in America is 33 percent. If we could get our parents to recycle more affectively, imagine what that rate would be. With technology expanding at a rapid rate e-waste is becoming the largest and most dangerous waste to end up in landfills. Waste Management is already providing at least one e-waste collection site per state by the end of this year. Wisconsin has five already, how many sites does your state have? To find out, visit www.earth911.com.

This is just the start to your parents living green… from here you could help them turn green in every aspect of their lives. If we can teach our parents to clean, wash, and recycle greener the impact on our earth could be powerful. Maybe then they could decide to compost their fall leaves or even consider driving a hybrid all on their own.

Don't underestimate your parents' power to learn. If my 82-year-old grandma can learn how to email the family jokes I think we can green our parents. Baby boomer celebrities like Bono and Julia Roberts have already been doing their part for our Earth…help your parents do theirs! Sit down and visit www.treehugger.com with your parents for more helpful green tricks to help save the Earth and your wallet.