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Reducing your paper towel waste is unbelievably easy.  So easy that it’s a little hard for me to understand why so many people still use paper towels in excess.

If you’ve always wanted to try cloth diapering but you’re not sure where to start and you’re convinced you’ll be over-whelmed by laundry, how about beginning with just the wipes?

Diapers aren’t the only thing filling landfills as a result of baby bottoms.  Wipes take up a lot of space, use a lot of resources for their creation, and are often soaked in unnecessary chemicals.

A few months ago, the School Committee hired Siemens Building Technologies of Canton for $12,900 to audit the school's energy use. Earlier this month, Siemens presented its findings, including recommendations for improving the school's energy efficiency.

This past weekend, before putting my child to bed, I turned out all the lights in my house.  By 8:20, when I emerged, Earth Hour had begun.  For the next 40 minutes, I read by candle light and slowly but surely my body relaxed into sleep.  By the time I could, with a clear conscious, turn my lights back on I actually had no desire to do so.  All I wanted to do was go to sleep.  Without the awake-inducing distraction of lights, computer, and the general visibility of the pile of dishes in my sink, my body began its nightly shut-down much earlier than usual.  For once, I got a full night’s sleep.

This weekend made me realize that not only does turning off as many lights at night as possible reduce my energy consumption, but it allows me to wind down sooner and more effectively.  This doesn’t mean I’ll be reading by candle light every night.  But at sundown, I will be relying on a single table side lamp instead of multiple overheads.   Like most environmentally conscious choices, turning off my lights is healthy for the earth and healthy for my body.

Help build an innovative ride sharing program for the Pioneer Valley. 

An organizational meeting and community forum will be held on April 3rd at the Jones Library.  Join community organization and civic leaders to get involved and support an important pilot program that will revolutionize carpooling!

Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at the Jones Library, 43 Amity St., Amherst, MA. 

For more information go to www.ridebuzz.org.