Ask EcoGirl - GREEN & Ecological Solutions to Ant Problems

This month EcoGirl tackles ants as they seek shelter from the cold and rain. If you are noticing ant scouts exploring your home, now is the time to discourage their entry.

Taming Our Tiny Ant Friends

Dear EcoGirl: Help! Ants are invading my home. How can I banish them without resorting to a toxic spray? Signed, Under Siege in Guerneville

Dear Under Siege: Yes, it certainly can feel like an invasion when ants in their (quite reasonable) quest for food and shelter cross the boundaries of our homes, finding warm refuge from the weather and feasts in the crumbs and dribbles that we don’t even notice.

Still, you’re smart to resist the temptation to grab a poison spray, because it can harm the health of yourself and your family — and not even be worth the risk. A Stanford study found that toxic pesticides are no more effective than household cleansers in reducing home ant populations. Also, when ants’ homes are under stress, from winter rainstorms or summer droughts, it can be hard to keep them out no matter what you do.

A better way to preserve both your health and sanity is to use these easy less-toxic methods for constructively managing one of our most prevalent earth companions.

Your First Steps
• Eliminate what’s attracting the ants. Follow their trail to discover what food needs to be cleaned up, sealed up, or put in the fridge. Empty the trash and wash the can. If they’ve found your pet food bowl, place it in a larger dish filled with a soapy water moat.

• Block their entry point. Follow the ants’ trail back to where it enters the house, and plug those holes with caulk or toothpaste.

• Wipe paths with a clean soapy sponge, to remove the ants’ pheromone trail. For more potency, add vinegar.

• Be consistent about keeping your kitchen clean, wiping counters and putting food away. Avoid leaving food elsewhere in the house. I call these little guys “Housekeeping Ants” because (like a white-gloved matron) they show me where I need more attention in my housecleaning practices!

Kick It Up A Notch
If, even after the above steps, your ants still persist in their misadventures, try these additional methods.
• Remove outside attractants. Look at the outside wall of their entry point. Is something there attracting them, such as a garbage can, compost pile, or vegetation? Consider pulling that away from the house.

• Disrupt ant trails by placing pungent scents at key spots, such as entry points and around unavoidable enticements like houseplants. Just strategically sprinkle dried or fresh herbs, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, chili pepper, bay leaves, rosemary, spearmint, catnip, and sage. (Use whatever you have around.) Or make a spray by brewing any of these herbs into a tea; diluting their essential oils in water; or warming orange peels in water. (The latter has become my current favorite.)

If you want a ready-made option, consider the less-toxic insecticide Orange Guard, made from a by-product of steam-distilled citrus peels. All ingredients are FDA food-grade and GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe), and the product also works on other insects, such as aphids and fleas. Tests show that it has no significant toxicity to humans, though contact can irritate eyes or skin. Orange Guard is at stores (such as Sebastopol Hardware and Friedman’s) or see .
If It’s Still Serious

For stubborn and significant problems, consider these next-tier approaches.
• Use boric acid baits. If you truly can’t stop ants from coming into your home, this less-toxic pesticide can eliminate ants at their nest. In addition to boric acid (a mined odorless white powder used for a variety of insects), most baits include a sweetening lure and come in a convenient liquid form. Place baits out of the reach of curious pets and children.
Important: Read ant bait labels to avoid those with toxics such as arsenic, which can poison children, pets, and wildlife.

• Hire an expert who specializes in less-toxic remedies, such as bio-pest, 542-3030, .
And, while protecting your turf, remember the big picture — that the 10,000 species of ants around the globe are an essential part of nature’s miraculous interwoven systems. Plus these social insects can lift 50 times their own weight! How cool is that?

“EcoGirl believes that we can all be a superhero for the planet. Then she shows you how!”

Ask EcoGirl is written by Patricia Dines, Author of The Organic Guide to Sonoma, Napa, & Mendocino Counties, and Editor and Lead Writer for The Next STEP newsletter.
Email your questions about going green to for possible inclusion in future columns. View past columns at . Also contact EcoGirl for information about carrying this syndicated column in your periodical.

© Copyright Patricia Dines, 2008. All rights reserved.

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Ask EcoGirl - Greening Your Holidays on a Budget

Patricia Dines, our intrepid Eco-Reporter, give us guidance on how we can tread lightly on the planet while giving holidays presents of value to those we love.

AskEcoGirl - November 2008
By Patricia Dines
EcoGirl@AskEcoGirl.info

Greening Your Holidays, On a Budget

Dear EcoGirl: Are there ways that I can celebrate the winter holidays cheerfully while treading lightly on both the earth and my wallet? Signed, Skimping in Rio Nido

Dear Skimping: Yes, you can create greener holidays — and save money too!

In fact, for all the unfortunate pain and suffering of this current economic downturn, it does potentially carry an ecological silver lining. Our culture’s reckless drive for growth has literally been devouring our planet. So perhaps today’s financial difficulties can actually help us lower our consumption levels to better match the earth’s capacity.

We can all encourage that outcome by looking for ways to buy just what we need, prioritize quality over quantity, avoid waste, and be efficient with energy.

Here are some ways to apply these principles in honoring your loved ones, the planet, and your finances this holiday season.

• Decorate with nature’s beauty. Bring nature inside to create a holiday mood, save money, and reduce manufacturing pollution and waste. How does your backyard inspire your creativity? Perhaps invite friends and family to join you in exploring nature’s art. With branches of bright red maple leaves, dried Queen Anne’s Lace, pine cones and boughs, and colorful squash and fruits, you can make attractive seasonal centerpieces, front door wreaths, and mantelpiece decor. String your holiday tree with popcorn and cranberries. After the festivities, offer what’s left to the birds and the compost pile.

• Fill your home with natural scents. Replace commercial scents and their mystery ingredients (often toxic petrochemicals) with diluted essential oils in a spray bottle; fresh flowers in a vase; or aromatic herbs such as cinnamon simmering in water or thrown in the fireplace. Much better!

• Choose affordable earth-friendly gifts. Reduce eco-impact by looking for items that are energy-efficient, minimally-packaged, locally-made, sustainably-harvested, less-toxic, natural, organic, fair-trade, “previously-owned,” recycled, or recyclable. (Read labels to understand and confirm green claims.)

Buying our wonderful local organic food and wine “direct from the source” cuts your costs, connects folks with our home-grown treasures, and supports healthier local agriculture. You can also save money by exploring consignment shops for gently-used clothing, toys, and more. Refurbish a “previously-owned” household item to personalize your gift-giving.

Homemade almost-anything let’s you make it organic and local. Food is always appreciated, but consider sharing your other passions too. For instance, one year my love of herbs became gifts of custom herbal scrubs and sachets.

• Trim your giftee’s everyday eco-footprint and expenses. Look at their daily activities to discover useful gifts, such as: A refillable Thermos for coffee or tea (to replace purchased beverages and Styrofoam cups); a battery charger and rechargeable batteries (to avoid buying new batteries and reduce toxic waste); cloth napkins (instead of paper ones); or an organic fruit tree (which brings delicious dividends throughout the years).

• Avoid cheap throwaway items. Even if these are inexpensive to buy (because of our short-sighted economic system), they’re costly to the earth in resources extracted, energy used, and landfill space.

• Shop ecologically. Go with a friend to save gas costs and increase camaraderie. Bring a cloth bag or consolidate purchases into one bag.

• Improve your wrap. Choose recycled and chlorine-free wrapping papers. Or cover packages with magazines, comics, sports pages, old maps, fabric, even brown paper bags stamped with pretty images and tied with raffia. Decorate packages or paper bags with leaves, twigs, and flowers.

• Give the gift of meaningful experiences. Easy low-impact presents that nurture your relationships can include: a coupon for an evening babysitting, a day helping clean out the garage, a pre-paid class registration, cookie-making lessons, a massage gift certificate, theater tickets, or a night out on the town. For extra points, choose a green activity. (Hmmm, perhaps an organic facial....)

• Discard responsibly. Setup an easy system for guests to help recycle holiday trash. Recycle foam shipping “peanuts” at most private mail centers. Keep toxics out of landfills by recycling your old techno-toys, including computers, TVs, phones, etc. Save wrapping paper and ribbons for next year’s reuse. Don’t burn wrapping paper; it can contain toxic metals. It’s OK to recycle non-metallic ones. More recycling information is at (www.recyclenow.org) and in the Recycling Guide in your Yellow Pages.

With just a little creativity, we can truly make this a season of love for all. For more eco-holiday ideas, see (www.healthyworld.org/ecoholidays.html).

“EcoGirl believes that we can all be a superhero for the planet. Then she shows you how!”

Ask EcoGirl is written by Patricia Dines, Author of The Organic Guide to Sonoma, Napa, & Mendocino Counties, and Editor and Lead Writer for The Next STEP newsletter.
Email your questions about going green to for possible inclusion in future columns. Contact EcoGirl for information about carrying this syndicated column in your periodical.

© Copyright Patricia Dines, 2008. All rights reserved.

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Great Sources for Environmental Info

In this monthly column, Patricia Dines compassionately answers readers' questions about how to live an environmentally-responsible life. Her goal is to inspire and empower the eco-hero in everyone! For archives of previous columns, click on the Ask EcoGirl category on the right and in Previous Editions found on the WCG Home Page. Feel free to e-mail EcoGirl with your questions to EcoGirl@AskEcoGirl.info



Ask EcoGirl
By Patricia Dines
EcoGirl@AskEcoGirl.info

Great Sources for Environmental Info

Dear EcoGirl: I want to learn more about environmental issues, so that I can take effective action for the earth. What information sources do you recommend? Signed, Caring in Cazadero

Dear Caring: Your question reminds me of a delightful little moment in the classic film Casablanca. As they sit at a café, Captain Renault asks Humphrey Bogart’s Rick how he came to this remote north African spot. Rick answers, “My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.” “The waters? What waters?” protests Renault. “We’re in the desert!” Rick shrugs, “I was misinformed.”

Beyond the smile that this scene brings, it’s also a reminder that information can either guide us wisely or lead us astray. Simple words become ideas then decisions and actions in the very real world.

Nowhere is quality information more vital than with environmental issues, where the fate of our world is literally at stake.

However, as the environmental topic has moved from our culture’s fringes onto the main stage, it has too often received the mainstream media treatment. This includes full-page celebrity photo spreads, dramatic stories that generate despair not informed action, inaccurate collapsing of complex issues into standard stereotypes, product pitches that continue promoting consumerism, and parroting of half-baked answers that ignore root causes.

This can leave us all feeling misinformed, and hungry for something better.

However, there is quality information available that can help us take wise actions for a better world.

How to Improve Your Eco-Info Stream
• Be intentional about your eco-info consumption. Passivity makes us vulnerable to manipulation by powerful interests.
• Determine what information you most want, then look for it. What topics or solutions especially resonate with you?
• Seek quality information, and support those creating it. This is vital for nurturing intelligent decision-making.
• Identify your approach to assessing information. Some things I look for: Does the author focus more on being dramatic and hip than on issues and solutions? Do they just repeat others’ ideas, or think independently? Are they willing to question mainstream notions, and do so responsibly, based on facts and logic?
• Read varied perspectives, including opposing ones, to gather key facts and sift out biases and blindspots.

Where to Find Wonderful Eco-Info
You can find eco-information in many convenient formats, including: magazines, books, books-on-tape, websites, newsletters, e-letters, action alerts, podcasts, documentaries, courses, conferences, and radio and TV shows.

• MAGAZINES. For keeping informed on a wide range of issues, I love E - The Environmental Magazine www.emagazine.com. Also, the quarterly Yes! magazine reports on solutions for a better world www.yesmagazine.org. Find other options at magazine stores; subscribe to your favorites.

• BOOKS. Discover wonderful green books at publisher Chelsea Green’s site www.chelseagreen.com. Peruse more choices online or at local bookstores.

• INFORMATION HUBS. A wide variety of eco-info is on EnviroLink, a nonprofit grassroots information clearinghouse www.envirolink.org. Many community actions and e-lists are gathered at Care2 www.care2.com. Rachel’s Health & Environmental News is a free e-newsletter with powerful information and perspectives www.rachel.org. For insightful analysis and remedies, explore the esteemed Lester Brown’s Earth Policy Institute www.earthpolicy.org and book, Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.

• COURSES & EVENTS. If you prefer in-person learning, check out the always-inspiring Bioneers Conference, which brings together leading eco-change agents, from scientists to activists to native elders. This October San Rafael event sells out early. They also offer information in other formats www.bioneers.org.

Also consider Daily Acts’ Sustainability Tours www.daily-acts.org; Occidental Arts & Ecology’s courses www.oaec.org; and the Solar Living Center’s classes and summer SolFest www.solarliving.org.

• GROUPS. Nonprofit and advocacy groups that offer great eco-information, in various forms, include: the Sierra Club (with its magazine and local chapters) www.sierraclub.org; the U. S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and its California chapter (CALPIRG) www.calpirg.org; the Environmental Working Group www.ewg.org; the Environmental Defense Fund www.edf.org; the Natural Resources Defense Council www.nrdc.org; the Wilderness Society www.wilderness.org; the World Wildlife Fund www.worldwildlife.org; and Environment California www.environmentcalifornia.org.

To connect with local eco-groups, see the Environmental Center of Sonoma County at www.envirocentersoco.org. For eco-info on candidates and elected officials, plus policy recommendations, see the League of Conservation Voters www.lcv.org.

I hope that these leads help you discover information that engages you and empowers you to serve our vital cultural shifts with your passion and unique gifts.

Ask EcoGirl is written by Patricia Dines, Author of The Organic Guides, and Editor and Lead Writer for The Next STEP newsletter. Email your questions to EcoGirl@AskEcoGirl.info for possible inclusion in future columns. View past columns at www.AskEcoGirl.info. Also contact EcoGirl for information about carrying this column in your periodical. “EcoGirl believes that everyone can be a superhero for the planet. Then she shows you how!” www.AskEcoGirl.info

© Copyright Patricia Dines, 2008. All rights reserved.

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Discarding Your Stuff — Ecologically

Dear EcoGirl: Where can I pass along my unwanted items to others? I’d like to keep them out of the garbage, and maybe make some cash too.
Signed, Cluttered in Cazadero


Dear Cluttered: I’m delighted that you want to help reduce the waste sent to our overflowing landfills, thus lessening that environmental harm and the eco-costs of making and shipping new items. And, yes, you can also make money and feel good about contributing to others!
Waste reduction is especially vital in Sonoma County. Did you know that our local landfill was closed in 2005, because of contaminants leaking into groundwater? Since then, we’ve been hauling our 6,000 tons of weekly garbage to out-of-county dumps, emitting countless pollutants along the way.

The County can’t afford to fix the landfill, and hopes a corporation will invest. But then they might also revive a prior proposal to dramatically expand the dump. This risks increased harm to our water supply, nature’s creatures, and the sensitive neighboring Petaluma Marsh (California’s largest remaining unaltered tract of tidal wetlands).

That’s why it’s so vital to significantly reduce our trash! Our actions do make a difference.

Making a Plan
1) Take stock of what you have. Start by gathering your unneeded items. Is there anything you could repair, repaint, or refurbish, for yourself or others?

2) Identify your discarding priorities. Which items might be worth trying to sell? Which ones do you just want to go to loving homes? This will determine your next steps.

Your Action Options
1) Sell Directly. With this approach, you do the promotion, meet with folks, and keep the full sale price. Offer your goodies on local email lists, such as http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wacco-bb>. Post them online at www.craigslist.org, www.waccobb.net, and special-interest sites (e.g., for cars). Or place classifieds in general or specialty periodicals. Consider who might find each item useful and where they’d look for it.

2) Sell Through Consignment Stores. This approach allows you to sell your more-valuable items with less effort. Stores will bring in customers and manage logistics in exchange for about 40-50% of the sale price (usually paid after the item sells). Look for places online and in the phone book under Consignment, Antiques, and specific categories, such as Books, Clothing, and Sports. Ask shops what they take, drop-off hours, turnaround time to get on the floor (sometimes 4-8 weeks), and payment rates. (See box for some wonderful local shops.)

3) Hold a Yard Sale. Best for less-expensive items, a sale allows you to make some money, reach more folks at once, move a decent amount of stuff, connect with interesting people and neighbors, watch shoppers delight in their finds, and setup a “Free” area. Also consider a flea market booth ($18, 823-7874).

4) Giveaway Directly. To pass along a few items quickly, especially larger ones, leave them curbside with a “Free” sign. Or post on the above sites and lists, plus www.freecycle.org.

5) Donate to Charities. Support community groups, non-profits, and churches with donations to their activities, thrift stores, or yard sales. Contact groups you value, or look in the phone book or online under Thrift Shops and Charities. Some offer tax deductions. (See below for some great local outlets.)

6) Give Creatively. Consider who could use what’s left. For instance, offer medical items to a senior center; art supplies to a school or artist; egg cartons to a farmer; and a broken lamp to a repair store (to fix and resell, or use for parts). Even pencils can be given to the library!

For More Information
* Sonoma County Eco-Desk (565-3375, www.recyclenow.org). Their website and Recycling Guide (under “R” in the Yellow Pages) suggest places to discard many items (including toxic ones!).
* Book: Choose to Reuse, by Nikki & David Goldbeck. Great inspiration, ideas, and resources for repair and reuse.

For The Future
* Streamline by setting up an ongoing giveaway box or area.
* Complete the circle by buying used.
* Support zero waste projects. These efforts seek to align our culture with nature’s ways, where everything either becomes a resource for something else or returns harmlessly back into the earth. For more information, see www.crra.com/grc/articles/zwc.html.
So I hope this article helps you find useful homes for all your discards, now reborn as someone else’s treasures!

Ask EcoGirl is written by Patricia Dines, Author of The Organic Guides, and Editor and Lead Writer for The Next STEP newsletter. Email your questions to EcoGirl@AskEcoGirl.info for possible inclusion in future columns. View past columns at www.AskEcoGirl.info. Also contact EcoGirl for information about carrying this column in your periodical. “EcoGirl believes that everyone can be a superhero for the planet. Then she shows you how!”
© Copyright Patricia Dines, 2008. All rights reserved.


Where to Discard
By Patricia Dines

Here are some local favorite places to sell and donate your treasures. See my Ask EcoGirl article for more options and tips.

CONSIGNMENT STORES
* Pine Grove General Store (Sebastopol, 829-1138). Women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing, from casual to professional, plus jewelry, accessories, furniture, art, and home decor. Pays 40% of sale price.
* Shards & Remnants (Sebastopol, 823-1366). Clothing and accessories “to make you feel beautiful.” Velvets and silks more than jeans and t-shirts. Style important, mostly newer items, some vintage. “If I can’t use it, I’ll guide you to someone who might.” Pays 40% of sale price.
* Simply Chic (Santa Rosa, 578-8044). Women’s clothing, “high-end fashion that’s trendy, funky, and artsy.” Pays 40% of sale price.
* Hot Couture (Santa Rosa, 528-7247, www.hotcouturevintage.com). Bohemian readers voted this the county’s 2008 Best Vintage Store. Authentic vintage clothing (at least 35 years old), plus accessories, are bought (outright) for resale and costume rental. Purchase prices vary. Sometimes will buy items needing repair.
* Cotati Clothing (Cotati, 665-9401, www.cotaticlothing.com). Current or vintage stylish fashions, including accessories. No fur, lingerie, or jewelry. Buys outright, either 35% of the expected sale price in cash or 50% in store credit. (They also sell new eco-clothing, made of organic cotton, bamboo, etc.)
* Vicki’s Secret (Petaluma, 765-2807, www.vickissecret.com). Current-season high-end women’s apparel and accessories in pristine shape, less than two years old. Pays 40% of sale price.
* Red Umbrella Consignment (Petaluma, 778-3499, www.redumbrellaconsignment.com). Women’s clothing and accessories. Current seasonal fashions, bought within two years, better labels, excellent condition. Also vintage and contemporary furniture and decor, art, and some hand-crafted items. Pays 40% of sale price, 50% on furniture.
* New 2 You Consignment (Sebastopol, 823-7377). Children’s clothes, toys, and books, plus maternity. Buys outright for 40% store credit. (They have a children’s play area plus a dollar clothes rack.)
* Sweet Pea Children’s Consignment (Cotati, 794-1215). “Upscale Resale Children’s Boutique,” specializing in new and gently-used children’s clothing, maternity wear, infant and educational toys, books, baby equipment, and more. Offers local handmade items. Pays 35% of sale price.
* Zoe Clothing & Kid Exchange (Petaluma, 775-3239). Women’s and kid’s clothes, jewelry, and bags. Pays 40% of sale price.
* Harry’s Second Hand Warehouse (Santa Rosa, 526-7713). Buys mostly furniture, outright.
* Furniture Consignment Gallery (Santa Rosa, 523-3680). Furniture plus art, lamps, etc. Pays 55% of sale price.
* Play It Again Sports (Santa Rosa, 527-7678, www.playitagainsportssantarosa.com). Sports items, from treadmills to weights to ski equipment. Buys outright (30% of expected sale price in cash, or 40% store credit), or on consignment (50% cash, when it sells).
More places are at http://consignment-thrift-shops-in-santa-rosa-ca.yellowpagesltd.com.

CHARITIES & THRIFT STORES
* Sutter VNA & Hospice Thrift Store (Sebastopol, 824-4712). Donated clothing, furniture, and household goods are sold to benefit hospice care.
* Goodwill (Santa Rosa and more, 545-2492, www.gire.org). Donated clothing and household items are sold to fund Goodwill’s job training, placement, and support programs for people with disabilities and other special needs, and those transitioning from welfare to work.
* The Clothing Closet (Santa Rosa, 523-0550 x281/Peggy, www.gire.org/programs/profiles/csv). Donated women’s and men’s professional clothing and accessories are given to underprivileged people as part of helping them get jobs.
* Sack’s on the Square (Santa Rosa, 541-7227). Clothes, jewelry, household items, CDs, art, and holiday items are sold in this thrift store to benefit two charities. Bohemian readers voted this the county’s 2008 Best Secondhand Store.
* Recycletown (Petaluma, 795-3660, www.garbage.org). Accepts used paint, building materials, furniture, bikes, appliances, mattresses, lamps, pans, tools, clothes, toys, and more. Sale proceeds support this non-profit’s eco-educational work.
* ReStore (Santa Rosa, 568-3228). Habitat for Humanity resells salvaged building materials to support their affordable housing work.
* Computer Recycling Center (Santa Rosa, 570-1600, www.crc.org) Drop off old computers and tech items, and this pioneering non-profit repairs, sells, and donates them to schools and others. Leftovers are recycled responsibly. Repair services are also available.
* Public libraries (Various, 545-0831 x541, www.sonomalibrary.org/friends). Donations of books, CDs, DVDs, art, and software are sold periodically to help support the libraries.
* The Living Room (Santa Rosa, 579-0142, www.thelivingroomsc.org). The county’s only daytime drop-in program specifically serving homeless and at-risk women and children offers them food, information, and referrals. Their website lists donation needs, including women’s and children’s clothing, blankets, small toiletries, strollers, spiral notebooks, craft supplies, and basic foods.
* The Legacy (Sebastopol, 823-7520, www.sebastopolseniorcenter.org/legacy.htm). Drop off cloth, sewing supplies, and craft materials for resale. They do some consignment. Benefits the Sebastopol Senior Center.

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Greening Our Money

Dear EcoGirl: In last month’s column, you said that our current economic woes make it increasingly urgent that we shift to more earth-honoring ways, because our economy depends on functioning ecosystems. But how can we do that when everyone’s budgets are so challenged? Signed, Seeking in Sebastopol

EcoGirl responds: Greening Our Money


Dear Seeking: Yes, I think a key task of our times is resolving the tension between our current financial and environmental worldviews.

On the one hand, it’s reasonable that we seek money to support our daily lives. However, the economic system that generates our lovely material things also rewards the wide-scale environmental destruction that undermines both our physical and financial well-being.

Unfortunately, if we allow our activities to continue ignoring our dependency on the earth, we will increasingly find ourselves and the planet in ruins. (Read Collapse to learn how other societies failed this way, and www.worldwatch.org/node/1606 for more about our economy’s reliance on nature.)

Thus, true healing of both our economic and ecological crises requires that we increasingly use our money to encourage activities that honor and align with the earth’s ways and our true best interests. Our choices will create our future world.

How You Can Nurture This Eco-Transition
1) Understand what “green” really means. Green is used so casually nowadays that the truly meaningful actions can be unclear.

So educate yourself about the key eco-issues and solutions, to contribute to wise directions and avoid harmful ones. Deepen your understanding by reading non-mainstream sources (such as this paper!) and hearing different perspectives. Be open to constructive solutions, but cautious about easy answers and smooth-talking façades. The rush to corn ethanol, and backlash over its full costs, should warn us about embracing ideas too uncritically.

2) Buy green wisely. Green your home and business purchases by first considering if you can reach your goals without buying something new. Can you reuse or buy used instead? Can you replace disposable products like paper towels with reusable ones like cloth? Only by reducing our consumption notably can we dial back our destruction of the earth.

When buying products, look beyond “green” labels to understand their claims. (Useful information is at www.greenerchoices.org/eco-labels.) Invest in the key solutions, such as conservation, alternative energy, local organic agriculture, and home gardening. What we buy is what we encourage.

3) Green your work. As more people support green solutions, more earth-healing jobs are appearing. For leads, see my page www.healthyworld.org/jobs.html.

But you don’t have to change your job. Explore how you can green your organization’s current activities. Get ideas from periodicals and peers. Read Natural Capitalism www.natcap.org.

4) Green your finances. Even your banking and investments can flow money towards more earth-healthy activities. See www.greenpages.org for green bank accounts, credit cards, advisors, periodicals, and more.

5) Save money in ways that nurture the planet and your life. For example, carpooling saves money and energy while connecting you with others. Being in nature costs little and brings a centeredness no product ever will.

6) Help change our economic system. The true solution is changing the playing field, shifting what our economic system rewards so that people’s financial well-being aligns with the earth’s. Unfortunately, many leaders and businesses are still following outdated economic models. Therefore, it’s up to us, the many, to reclaim our power and act for a smarter economy. For solutions, search online for “green economics,” “green taxes,” and “genuine progress indicator.” Read Ecology of Commerce and www.apolloalliance.org. Find remedies and groups you value, pressure lawmakers, and educate others.

7) Unblock your barriers to action. Action is the antidote to despair! Do you wish you were doing more? Explore what you most want to impact, your barriers to acting, and ways to unblock them. Do you feel too busy? Look for solutions that save time or fit into your current activities. Do you think one can’t make a difference? Then consider the harm that our cumulative actions already cause. Or perhaps you haven’t found the solutions you seek? Then create them to serve yourself and others!

Yes, looking at these issues can be challenging, but ignoring them only makes them worse. By facing both the dark and the light, the problems and the many solutions just waiting for our support, we can avert catastrophe and co-create a culture that nurtures both people and the planet.

Ask EcoGirl is written by Patricia Dines, Author of The Organic Guides, and Editor and Lead Writer for The Next STEP newsletter. Email your questions to EcoGirl@AskEcoGirl.info for possible inclusion in future columns. View past columns at www.AskEcoGirl.info. Also contact EcoGirl for information about carrying this column in your periodical. “EcoGirl believes that everyone can be a superhero for the planet. Then she shows you how!”

© Copyright Patricia Dines, 2008. All rights reserved.

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