Some time ago, I switched over to reusing my paper grocery bags instead of just recycling them. You’d be surprised just how many shopping trips you can get out of these things … however, I don’t recommend putting your frozen turkey in one on a warm day …ouch!

Besides getting a cool nickel off my grocery bill for every bag I reuse, I have to say I feel good about doing it. Sure, I know it’s only a small deed, but I’m enough of an optimist to think that if every one of us did more of these “little things” we’d make a big impact on our world.

But don’t stop there. Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lighting; invest $1.99 in a nice travel cup to fill from your tap at home and stop buying bottled water; if you don’t want or need those plastic bags at your local retailer, don’t take them.

When shopping for appliances, don’t buy strictly on price. Inquire about the unit’s life testing. Major appliances continue to clog our landfills and dumps party due to their size as well as their shorter lifespan. Choosing commercial quality appliances with longer life testing will help curb this trend … not to mention save you money in the long run.

There are countless opportunities for us to “green-up” our lives. We all can do something. So what are you doing? Feel free to e-mail me at the address below and offer your own green hints that I can share with readers.

Randy F. Radtke, Editor
comments@alliancels.com