1/3/09

Make it a new habit to order a drink "with no straw, please." In restaurants, it's a force of habit for the server to bring you a beverage with a straw already inserted or on the side. If you always make sure to request "water with no straw," though, servers will go out of their way to not bring one, and you'll save yourself from using a wasteful plastic straw.

1/2/09

There are lots of great eco Web sites online that are full of tips, ideas and resources to help you go green. Here are some of my favorite bookmarks: www.treehugger.com (great eco news source), www.ecorazzi.com (eco gossip!) and www.re-nest.com (resourceful decorating solutions for your home).

1/1/09

One way to go green is to reduce all the waste and unwanted (or unneeded) items in your own house. Follow this simple rule: When you bring something into the house that you need, take something out that it is replacing. For example, if you buy a new sweater, throw an old sweater into a donation bag and give it to a nonprofit center like Goodwill or The Salvation Army. If you buy a new cell phone, don't stash the old one in the junk drawer; instead, bring it to your cell phone store and have it recycled. One goes in, another goes out: It really is that simple.