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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Fallin proposes a flawed tax-cut plan
There was some relief in the tax-cut proposal negotiated with Gov. Mary Fallin and Republican legislative leaders, but it still calls for some difficult reductions to some necessary services....
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Keep the capitol gun-free
Attorneys working for the state AG’s office are now able to carry handguns in their duties representing state agencies. They won’t need a concealed weapon permit. It’s the same as laws allowing U.S. attorneys, district attorneys and their ...
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Two of the state’s best
Our hats are off to local educators Dr. Betsy Ballard, of Norman High School, and Teresa Potter, of Fisher Elementary School in Moore. The two won Medals of Excellence in their respective categories at Saturday’s Oklahoma Foundation for ...
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Tragic end to celebration
The celebration following Monday night’s Oklahoma City Thunder win was short-lived for many Oklahomans. A shooting spree that followed the late-night game left at least eight people injured....
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Norman’s high schools two of America’s best
With graduation ceremonies scheduled Thursday and Friday, it’s fitting that Norman schools received another ranking in a national magazine. U.S. News & World Report placed both Norman High and Norman North in their top category earlier ...
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War on terrorism isn’t over yet
Weary of a war on terror that has gone on for years, we would like to declare victory and return to normalcy. Last month, a mini-storm erupted when an Obama administration official was said to have told a writer, “The war on terror is ...
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‘Treading water gets us no closer to shore’
Today may be decision day for the Oklahoma House of Representatives. A vote on House Bill 3061, which lowers the state’s income tax rate from 5.25 percent to 4.8 percent, is expected to be voted on in the House....
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Other cost of imprisonment
A decision by the Texas Supreme Court to award more than $2 million to a former inmate who was released from prison after 26 years will empower the dozens of ongoing innocence projects....
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Is it worth $35 million plus to watch dull conventions?
We don’t often find ourselves in agreement with Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn. But his request for the political parties to refund millions of dollars set aside for the political conventions this summer is starting to make sense....
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Enthusiasm for the arts
The handful of annual concerts, festivals and special arts events that make Norman special begin today with the Luncheon on the Grass. It’s a collaboration of OU, the Firehouse, the Jacobson House, the Norman Arts Council and the ...
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Fallin proposes a flawed tax-cut plan
