Saturday's celebration of Earth Day has sent us looking for ways to celebrate and make every day Earth Day. Mother Earth News, a 35-year-old popular magazine for those who want to sustain and enjoy the planet, shares a few of their ideas with readers in their April-May issue. We pass along a few of them.
Instead of buying a hybrid, how about considering a motorcycle? Mother Earth News publisher Bryan Welch bought a $3,000, used BMW that gets about 60 miles per gallon. Check your air pressure when you fill up. If every driver kept their tires inflated, we could save up to 2 billion gallons of gasoline per year.
Use grass clippings and kitchen scraps as mulch and nutrient rich soil for gardens and don't mow your grass too short. Reduce your unwanted mail by registering your name with the Mail Preference Service sponsored by the Direct Marketing Association. It'll help reduce the amount of mail sent to you.
Program your furnace to save money. Set a programmable thermostat to hit target temperatures when you're home and to pull back by 8 to 10 degrees while you're away or sleeping. It'll save 10 percent on fuel costs in a typical home. Replace your standard incandescent light bulbs with superefficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. The bulbs cost more but can last up to 13 times longer and use a quarter of the electricity.
The average American meal travels 1,500 to 2,500 miles before consumption. Patronize farmers' markets and eliminate that fuel and environmental costs. Clean out the closet and reduce land fill waste by joining the Freecycle Network and convert your junk into someone's treasure. Finally, the magazine recommends e-trash be recycled. Find a home for your old computers, cell phones, televisions and other electronics.
Editorials
Make every day Earth Day
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Oklahoma ranks 33rd in financial stability
Compared to much of the nation, Oklahoma has so far weathered the recession better than most states. Our home values have not experienced the rapid increases — and now decreases — of other areas. Employment fell but at about half the rate ...
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Grandparents have hard task
The trend isn’t new, but the number of Oklahoma grandparents raising grandchildren is growing, not declining, especially with the rocky economy since 2008. Tulsa World writer Cary Aspinwall used U.S. Census data to illustrate how many ...
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State legislative priorities
There was a time when the Oklahoma state House Democrats needed the largest room at the Capitol to hold their legislative caucuses. Not any more. House Republicans outnumber Democrats 69 to 31, with one seat empty until later this month....
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Salary raise is not likely
It may be a while before Oklahoma’s statewide elected officials, judges and district attorneys can expect a salary increase....
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Smoking, obesity push health rank to No. 48
Dr. Terry Cline, Oklahoma’s commissioner of Health and secretary of Health and Human Services, has been making the rounds of Oklahoma newspaper editorial boards. He outlines a legislative agenda that gives cities and towns control over ...
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Say no to higher weights on tractor trailer rigs
Long-distance haulers are turning to freight trains for more efficient methods to move goods across country. High fuel costs, turnpike tolls and driver shortages have forced companies to look for alternative ways to transport products....
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It’s sure been a warm winter
That famous newspaperman and humorist Will Rogers is often quoted as saying — and we paraphrase here — if you don’t like the weather, stay around for a few minutes and it will change....
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Public TV is on the line
The state’s public television network has struggled to cope with budget reductions that seem almost vindictive at times. Newscasts have been reduced. Programming trimmed. Staffs decimated. Through it all, the station has managed to keep ...
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President challenging high cost of college
The rising cost of a college education comes as no surprise to working parents who struggle to pay tuition and fees that are rising higher than the cost of inflation. Universities are struggling with rising utility and employee costs and, ...
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Leaders urge study of income tax changes
Two respected state leaders — former Treasurer Scott Meacham and Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman — are asking the legislature to put the brakes or slow down the push to further reduce the state’s income tax....
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Oklahoma ranks 33rd in financial stability
