Conservation

Taking The Next Step
After my son's first surgery in January, I stepped back and took a good long look at all facets of my life, which resulted in an epiphany of sorts. (…)

Shop Responsibly this Holiday Season
For many people, Christmas has become a very commercial holiday. It has shifted from being a season of giving, to being a media circus and it has become a season of excess. This year tailor your shopping to be a bit more responsible and ethical in the items that you buy. (…)

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, Green Edition
Christmas is Not Your Birthday is an initiative started by the brains behind CoolPeopleCare.org, in an attempt to redirect the typical holiday hub-bub and excessive consumerism surrounding the holiday season with local outreach, outward thinking, and overall giving. (…)

Sometimes, I'm a Big Green Hypocrite!
I am, by no means, perfect when it comes to green living.
There are many, many things I know I can easily replace in my home that consume energy. I can easily do more.

So why don't I? (…)

Save Energy & Win Green With The Home Depot
The Home Depot is running a “Save Money. Save Energy. (…)

When Good Food Gets Wasted
Have you ever wondered what kind of stuff people find in dumpster bins? Think it's all rot, filth and mold? Better think again! (…)

Green Doesn't Grow On Trees
Recently, I walked through our backyard and checked every tree and there wasn’t one coin or bill dangling from the limbs. (…)

Seeing Green In November: The Energy Crisis On All Ballots This Year
It's the middle of October and election day is fast approaching. (…)

Does Anyone Want My Lexus? IGO Car Sharing!
Car payments, leases, insurance, gas, parking, washes, maintenance, I-Pass… it all adds up. Before you know it, you are in over your head. (…)

I Bet You Can't Do This!
Remember when someone would dare you? Taunt you. Tell you, you can't do something. You wanted to prove them wrong. Well, that's sort of my theory behind this post. (…)

Is Walking Becoming Obsolete?
While I walked 20 miles each day for the Michigan Breast Cancer 3 day this weekend, I had a lot of time to look around and just think. One of my big realizations over the weekend was that we were the only ones walking around in the downtown, neighborhood and nature areas along our path. (…)

When Fresh Water Becomes the New Oil
I was shocked last week to learn about the Great Lakes Compact legislation that was sent to Congress two weeks ago. (…)
A Certifiable Backyard
I never know what to do with my backyard. I don't have a huge yard…it's just under an acre…but it's big enough for a small garden, a dozen or so trees, and a handful of flower beds. I want my yard to be as natural as possible, so we never use any chemical fertilizers or pesticides and we try to minimize mowing and watering. (…)

It's Getting Cool: 5 Easy Ways To Warm Up
With the temperatures dropping and fuel prices soaring, you may be wondering how to stay warm this winter without going broke. (…)

Walking the Talk
When I realized I was ready to take the next step in my journey going green, I signed up for the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) Leadership Program. Their mission is to recruit, train and support a network of volunteers who improve their surrounding communities and schools through environmental service projects protecting our water, cleaning the air, restoring the land and saving energy. (…)

Paradise Lost, Garbage: Found
Need physical proof we are daily polluting our most valuable and natural resources? Look no further than the Hawaiian islands. (…)

How To Green Your Home Office
It seems like every home has a "home office" these days. For some, it's their sole place of employment, for others it's simply a place to pay the bills, surf the computer, and help the kids with homework. But whether yours is a dedicated room, a corner of the kitchen table, or just a state of mind, there are lots of things you can do to make it a greener and cleaner place to take care of business. Here's how to green your home office:
Install CFLs: Replace traditional light bulbs with long-lasting and money-saving compact fluorescents that are better for the planet and better for your wallet. (…)

5 Minute Green Miracles
Making miracles happen may seem a bit daunting for a Tuesday morning, but with 5 minutes to spare, you can take it upon yourself to make something wonderful happen for our earth. (…)

Greening The Magazines
Before children, I used to love to curl up with a couple of favorite magazines and a Coke and laze away an afternoon. Important part of that sentence - "before children." Now, mmm, I don't have the time. Yeah, right, I would get an opportunity to "laze away an afternoon." That would be nice. Now, I'm lucky if I can get through 3 pages of advertisements, let alone any substance, before some small body hurls itself at me, demanding attention, and ripping any wayward page that just happens to get in the way. Or dripping Otter Pop stickiness all over the only page I wanted to read. Not to mention the dirty laundry that calls me or a number of other chores needing to be done. (…)