Thought Bubbles...

musings, rantings, and what-have-you, about my own small part of the world, and my 'sometimes' not so-ordinary life...something to read and reflect on, and which hopefully will bring a smile to your face... :)

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Pre-nup?

Delayed posting... from April 27, 2007

A couple-friend of mine recently broke up. And though there was no third party, the fact that they broke up was awkward on their friends. Ok, just friend. Specifically, me! I don’t know if any of our other friends felt it, but I did.

I met Cheese through Red (pseudonyms, as if you didn’t know yet!). So the last few weeks and days before THE break up, I was a witness to the bickering and once, even a shouting match. Amidst the bickering, I felt torn between them. I loved them both, and I felt for them both. I wish, as our other friends did, that I could help them go back to being the same sweet couple we all knew. I didn’t want them to break up, but it was inevitable. The fights were becoming more frequent, but the making-up part, less on the “kiss and make up” and “forgive and forget” but more like a “let’s agree to disagree” and “I’m too tired to fight. Let’s just move on”. The way I saw it, a break up was inevitable. Only a matter of time before one (or both) decided all the drama was just not worth it. But still, when the inevitable did happen, I was torn.

After the breakup, I felt that Cheese was avoiding me. No replies to my text. None of the usual online chats for even a simple “hello”. I was still trying to figure it out. Was he avoiding me because I was Red’s friend first? Or was I just being paranoid about it?

Which got me to thinking… Is there a pre-nup on friends? Unwritten maybe, but still a pre-nup. Hay… At least in my case, all OUR friends, are still MY friends after the breakup with the ex (he-who-must-not-be named). They chose me, of course! If you're my friend, you should know why. :)

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Amusing quotes about marriage

Now, for the funny and amusing quotes about marriage… :)

Strike an average between what a woman thinks of her husband a month before she marries him and what she thinks of him a year afterward, and you will have the truth about him. ~ H.L. Mencken, A Book of Burlesques, 1916

I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~ Rita Rudner

Marriage is an alliance entered into by a man who can't sleep with the window shut, and a woman who can't sleep with the window open.
~ George Bernard Shaw

Never get married in the morning, because you never know who you'll meet that night. ~ Paul Hornung

More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse. ~ Doug Larson

Divorce: The past tense of marriage. ~ Author Unknown

Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then.
~ Katherine Hepburn

In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage. ~ Robert Anderson, Solitaire & Double Solitaire

There is no such cozy combination as man and wife. ~ Menander

It destroys one's nerves to be amiable every day to the same human being. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

The sum which two married people owe to one another defies calculation. It is an infinite debt, which can only be discharged through eternity. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight. ~ Phyllis Diller, Phyllis Diller's Housekeeping Hints, 1966

An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit. ~ Pliny the Younger (Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundis), Letters

If you made a list of the reasons why any couple got married, and another list of the reasons for their divorce, you'd have a hell of a lot of overlapping. ~ Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

A man marries to have a home, but also because he doesn't want to be bothered with sex and all that sort of thing. ~ W. Somerset Maugham

There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the utterly taken-for granted relationship. ~ Iris Murdoch

English Law prohibits a man from marrying his mother-in-law. This is our idea of useless legislation. ~ Author Unknown

A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year. ~ Paul Sweeney

Matrimony is a process by which a grocer acquired an account the florist had. ~ Francis Rodman

Marriage is a book of which the first chapter is written in poetry and the remaining chapters in prose. ~ Beverley Nichols

Valentine's Day is when a lot of married men are reminded what a poor shot Cupid really is. ~ Author Unknown

A dress that zips up the back will bring a husband and wife together. ~ James H. Boren

All marriages are happy. It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble. ~ Raymond Hull

As to marriage or celibacy, let a man take which course he will, he will be sure to repent. ~ Socrates

Never feel remorse for what you have thought about your wife; she has thought much worse things about you. ~ Jean Rostand, Le Mariage, 1927

Any intelligent woman who reads the marriage contract, and then goes into it, deserves all the consequences. ~ Isadora Duncan

When two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part. ~ G.B. Shaw, Getting Married, 1908

A first-rate marriage is like a first-rate hotel: expensive, but worth it. ~ Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

Here's to matrimony, the high sea for which no compass has yet been invented! ~ Heinrich Heine

I figure that the degree of difficulty in combining two lives ranks somewhere between rerouting a hurricane and finding a parking place in downtown Manhattan. ~ Claire Cloninger, "When the Glass Slipper Doesn't Fit and the Silver Spoon is in Someone Else's Mouth"

A man's wife has more power over him than the state has. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journals

A man in love is incomplete until he has married. Then he's finished. ~ Zsa Zsa Gabor

Bigamy is having one husband or wife too many. Monogamy is the same. ~ Oscar Wilde

Spouse: someone who'll stand by you through all the trouble you wouldn't have had if you'd stayed single. ~ Author Unknown

Marriage means commitment. Of course, so does insanity. ~ Author Unknown

Like good wine, marriage gets better with age - once you learn to keep a cork in it. ~ Gene Perret

Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.
~ Mae West

I never knew what real happiness was until I got married. And by then it was too late. ~ Max Kauffman

The chief reason why marriage is rarely a success is that it is contracted while the partners are insane. ~ Joseph Collins

Wedding rings: the world's smallest handcuffs. ~ Author Unknown

Many a man in love with a dimple makes the mistake of marrying the whole girl. ~ Stephen Leacock, Literary Lapses, 1910

The most dangerous food is wedding cake. ~ American Proverb

Home cooking: where many a man thinks his wife is. ~ Author Unknown

Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage. ~ Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

Our marriage has always been a 50-50 proposition - with the possible exception of closet space. ~ Gene Perret

There is so little difference between husbands you might as well keep the first. ~ Adela Rogers St. Johns

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her. ~ Sacha Guitry, Elles et toi, 1948

It isn't tying himself to one woman that a man dreads when he thinks of marrying; it's separating himself from all the others. ~ Helen Rowland, Violets and Vinegar

Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast. ~ Marlene Dietrich

Only choose in marriage a man whom you would choose as a friend if he were a woman. ~ Joseph Joubert

The difficulty with marriage is that we fall in love with a personality, but must live with a character. ~ Peter Devries

The big difference between sex for money and sex for free is that sex for money usually costs a lot less. ~ Brendan Behan

Bride, n. A woman with a fine prospect behind her. ~ Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary, 1911

If your husband and a lawyer were drowning and you had to choose, would you go to lunch or to a movie? ~ Author Unknown

Love-matches are made by people who are content, for a month of honey, to condemn themselves to a life of vinegar. ~ Countess of Blessington

Almost no one is foolish enough to imagine that he automatically deserves great success in any field of activity; yet almost everyone believes that he automatically deserves success in marriage.
~ Sydney J. Harris

Married life teaches one invaluable lesson: to think of things far enough ahead not to say them. ~ Jefferson Machamer

The majority of husbands remind me of an orangutan trying to play the violin. ~ Honore de Balzac, The Physiology of Marriage

Never marry for money. Ye'll borrow it cheaper. ~ Scottish Proverb

Do you know what it means to come home at night to a woman who'll give you a little love, a little affection, a little tenderness? It means you're in the wrong house, that's what it means. ~ Henny Youngman

The problem with marriage is that it ends every night after making love, and it must be rebuilt every morning before breakfast. ~ Gabriel García Márquez

She cried, and the judge wiped her tears with my checkbook.
~ Tommy Manville

By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. ~ Socrates

Pity all newlyweds. She cooks something nice for him, and he brings her flowers, and they kiss and think: How easy marriage is. ~ Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

One man's folly is another man's wife. ~ Helen Rowland

Women hope men will change after marriage but they don't; men hope women won't change but they do. ~ Bettina Arndt, Private Lives, 1986

Monday, May 07, 2007

My parent's great marriage

My parents are celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary in less than a month (June 2, to be exact). Imagine, 38 years! Yehey! Woohoohoo! Clap clap clap!!! And I can see that they truly are happy. They have a great marriage! They’re still sweet to each other, and I see how much they value each other. It’s rare that they spend time away from each other. You’d think that considering the time they spend together, they’d be the type to get on each other’s nerves. But you know, they rarely, if ever, fight. And when they do have misunderstanding (as couples are wont to have), we hardly notice it. Never in my whole life did I ever hear them shouting at each other in anger.

Back then, there was a time when we were growing up, when my Dad lost his job. And my Mom had to be our family’s sole breadwinner. My Dad was the original “house-band”. That time, he did all of the household chores. No complaints. He cooked, he cleaned, he took care of us kids when we got home from school, basically everything a housewife is expected to do! Did you think that was reason for my Dad to feel less of a man? Not at all!

In this day and age, “house-bands” (or husbands who stay at home) is quite common. But years ago when I was growing up, this breed of men was virtually non-existent. My Dad explained it this way, since my Mom was working, he had to do his share, and if that meant taking care of the household chores, then he happily did it. He didn’t feel it was a chore. He did all those things because he loved us! Awww…

I learned from my parents’ great marriage to:
 Never take your partner for granted.
 Support each other whatever happens.
 Communicate and this doesn’t mean just talking, but listening, and sharing …
 Laugh! Laughter is an important component of marriage. In my parents’ case, they truly enjoyed each others’ company, and they made each other laugh.
 Show your love for your partner. And that doesn’t just mean PDA (public displays of affection) ha!


Do all of the above, and maybe being LUCKY in marriage doesn’t take luck at all. A good marriage, heck, a great marriage, is something we all dream of! But make no mistake, it takes a lot of work.

Another thing… Maybe it’s not just about finding the “right” person but being the right person yourself that someone should consider spending the rest of his (or her) life with…



Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle. ~ Amy Bloom

All married couples should learn the art of battle as they should learn the art of making love. Good battle is objective and honest--never vicious or cruel. Good battle is healthy and constructive, and brings to a marriage the principle of equal partnership. ~ Ann Landers

It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century. ~ Mark Twain

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. ~ Mignon McLaughlin

A good marriage is one which allows for change and growth in the individuals and in the way they express their love. ~ Pearl S. Buck

A good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

The goal in marriage is not to think alike, but to think together. ~ Robert C. Dodds

Love is a flower which turns into fruit at marriage. ~ Finnish Proverb

That quiet mutual gaze of a trusting husband and wife is like the first moment of rest or refuge from a great weariness or a great danger. ~ George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)

The bonds of matrimony are like any other bonds - they mature slowly. ~ Peter De Vries

Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years. ~ Simone Signoret

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. ~ Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

In a time when nothing is more certain than change, the commitment of two people to one another has become difficult and rare. Yet, by its scarcity, the beauty and value of this exchange have only been enhanced. ~ Robert Sexton

What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility. ~ George Levinger

It's easy to understand love at first sight, but how do we explain love after two people have been looking at each other for years? ~ Author Unknown

A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers. ~ Ruth Bell Graham

Friday, May 04, 2007

100 Things You Can Do To Save the Environment

As part of our department's project for the Company, I decided to come up with a list of things we can do to save the environment (and save the Company on costs as well!). So with a little research and help from the internet (and Google), I was able to compile this list of "100 things you can do to save the environment". And I decided to post this on my blog as well. The more people this reaches, the better! :)

Special mention goes to "Justgive.org", “everyday activist”, "earthshare.org",
"HK's environmental protection department (epd.gov.hk) which offered these valuable tips. Read on, and let's do share in saving the environment.

100 Things You Can Do To Save the Environment

By making simple changes in our everyday lives, we can make significant strides to improve the planet we all share. So here are 100 tips we’ve collected from various sites. Whatever little thing we can do to help save the environment will make a big impact in the long run. So let’s all do our share! :)

IN YOUR HOME

1. Recycle everything you can: newspapers, cans, glass bottles and jars, aluminum foil, motor oil, scrap metal, etc.
2. Don't use electrical appliances for things you can easily do by hand, such as opening cans.
3. Use cold water in the washer whenever possible.
4. Save gas by using microwave ovens and slow cookers. Using these can cut your fuel costs by up to 70%. A pressure cooker saves up to 2/3 cooking time, saves energy, and preserves the goodness in your food.
5. Re-use brown paper bags to line your trash can instead of plastic bags. Re-use bread bags and the bags you bring your produce home in.
6. Store food in re-usable containers, instead of plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
7. Save wire coat hangers and return them to the dry cleaners.
8. Take unwanted, re-usable items to a charitable organization or thrift shop. Donate un/used clothing and other items. Rather than throwing away un/used clothing and items that are in good shape, consider donating them to your local church, Goodwill, or other charity. Many charities will even work with you to schedule a pick-up time.
9. Reduce water waste. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth and save 4 gallons a minute - that's 10,000 gallons a year for a family of four.
10. Install low-flow aerators to your faucets and shower heads Aerators are inexpensive, easy to install and reduce the amount of water wasted.
11. Soak pots and pans rather than let them sit under running water while you scrape them clean.
12. Install low-flow toilets. You'll use 1.6 gallons per flush compared to a standard toilet which used 3.5 gallons. You'll see big long-term savings on your water bill.
13. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk. You could save up to 80 gallons of water every time.
14. Turn off the lights, TV, or other electrical appliances when you are out of a room. Cut your vampire power! Vampire Power: Not Dracula, but the home electronics we leave on standby: TV, printer, DC re-chargers and converters… they add up to WASTED electricity.
15. Use sunlight as far as possible.
16. Use energy-saving bulbs which are cooler, like halogen bulbs, fluorescent tubes and energy efficient compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs rather than the conventional incandescent bulbs. The CF bulbs give off a warm, bright light but use 75% less energy and last up to ten times longer than the conventional incandescent bulbs.
17. Smarter air-conditioning. Use fans instead of air-conditioners if possible. (Fans with intake and exhaust fans work best, pulling cool air in and blowing hot air out.) If you must use an air conditioner, be sure to buy an Energy Star rated model, and select the correct size.
18. Install energy efficient A/C. Look for cooling units and systems with a high Energy Star rating. You'll prevent wasted electricity and benefit from big decreases in your monthly energy bills.
19. Clean/replace your air filters. Check your air filters on your ventilation system every month. If you clean them regularly, you won't have to replace them often.
20. Be pro-active in hunting down energy problems. Perform an “energy inventory” on the house. Identify areas where energy is being wasted and work on correcting them. The energy savings will pay off in your monthly bills!
21. Use automatic timers to control appliances to avoid wasting energy.
22. Dry your clothes in the sunshine and fresh air whenever possible. Reduce dry-cleaning.
23. Close drapes or blinds in warmer months. This will keep the sunshine from overheating your house.
24. Add air-cleaning plants in your home to help keep the air clean!
25. Turn your trash into crafts! Use popsicle sticks, newspapers, used office paper, etc. for craft projects.
26. Never litter, even when peers do it. Teach your children never to litter, even if they see their friends littering. Encourage them to be proud of keeping the environment clean!
27. Pick up trash. If you see trash on the street or neighborhood, pick it up! Even if it's not your garbage, its still your planet!
28. Consider cloth diapers over disposable. 18 billion disposable diapers are thrown in landfills each year, taking as many as 500 years to decompose. Disposable diapers make up the third largest source of solid waste in landfills, after newspapers and food and beverage containers.
29. Use eco-friendly laundry detergents. Look for phosphate-, petroleum-, and chlorine-free products, and use only as much as needed for a given load. If you have hard water, you may need to use more detergent than the packaging suggests.
30. Shop green! Buy shade-grown, organic coffee. Shade coffee provides habitat for birds, bats, butterflies and other wildlife in tropical countries.
31. Volunteer instead of watching TV. Instead of watching TV, spend an hour or two a week volunteering for your favorite cause.
32. Ride your bike or walk. When you don't have far to go, try riding your bike or walking instead of getting a ride in a car. You'll help save energy, lessen the amount of air pollution, and you'll keep healthy and fit, too!
33. Plan a community event. Coordinate an event at work, at your school or within your community that helps raise awareness about environmental issues such as recycling, waste reduction and conservation.
34. Use rechargeable batteries. Disposable batteries are expensive and wasteful. Although rechargable battery sets can be slightly more expensive up-front, you'll save a lot of money in the long-term.

IN YOUR YARD

35. Start a compost pile.
36. Put up birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths.
37. Pull weeds instead of using herbicides.
38. Use only organic fertilizers. (They are still the best.)
39. Compost your leaves and yard debris. (Burning them creates air pollution, and putting them out with the trash wastes landfill space.)
40. Take extra plastic and rubber pots back to the nursery.
41. Instead of a garden hose, use pail and dipper to water your plants.

IN YOUR CAR

42. Keep your car tuned up. When your car is running more efficiently, it will produce less exhaust. It's also better for your car, which can save you money in the long run!
43. Turn your car off. Idling can use a lot of gas. Generally, it’s more efficient to turn the car off and restart when you are ready to go. If you are thinking of hitting the drive-through, consider parking and picking up food inside. For short waits, put your car in neutral to avoid burning gas.
44. Carpool! When heading to work or school, share a car with a friend! You'll both save money on gas, you'll reduce the amount of pollutants you're producing - and maybe even squeeze in a quick nap on days you're not driving!
45. Use public transit whenever possible.
46. On weekends, ride your bike or walk instead.
47. Recycle your engine oil.
48. Keep your tires properly inflated to save gas.
49. Wheel-alignment. Keep your wheels properly aligned to save your tires. (It's safer too.) Tires that wear unevenly don't last as long.
50. Travel light! Don't keep your car weighed down with lots of stuff you don't need. Bring heavy items into the house when you don't need to travel with then. A lighter vehicle means better fuel efficiency!
51. Drive calmly. Speeding and slamming on the brakes wastes fuel and increases pollution - not to mention your blood pressure!
52. Don't litter our roads and highways. Save trash and dispose of it at a rest stop.
53. Buy a more fuel-efficient model (such as a hybrid or electric) when you're ready for a new car.
54. OR if purchasing a vehicle with a gas engine... A smaller engine will result in greater fuel efficiency and less air pollution. Try to avoid add-ons that add weight and/or drag, and avoid using 4-wheel drive unless absolutely necessary. 4-wheel drive reduces fuel efficiency.

AT YOUR BUSINESS

55. Recycle office and computer paper, cardboard, etc. whenever possible.
56. Use scrap paper for informal notes to yourself and others.
57. Print or copy on both sides of the paper.
58. Reduce documents to fit two pages onto one. Use for circulating rough drafts or file copies of documents.
59. Find alternatives to mail. Use email, voice mail and fax modem transmissions whenever possible.
60. Eliminate unnecessary subscriptions. Cancel newspapers, newsletters, and magazines you don't read or can access online. Take your name off mailing lists to reduce junk mail.
61. Make recycling easy. Place recycling bins in high-traffic areas, including the conference room and kitchen as well as by the copier and fax machines.
62. Use a routing slip to circulate copies throughout the office.
63. Use smaller paper for smaller memos.
64. Re-use manila envelopes and file folders.
65. Steer away from disposable cups - and B.Y.O.C./M. Hide the throw-away cups, and train people to use their washable coffee mugs. Use washable mugs for meetings too. Be sure to Bring Your Own Cup/Mug and set a good example!
66. Turn off your monitors. If your computers are on a network or need to be left on for remote access and can't be shut down at night, turn off the monitors.
67. Choose a computer manufacturer with a recycling policy. According to a recent study by the National Safety Council's Environmental Health Center, approximately 20.6 million personal computers became obsolete in the U.S. in 1998. Of that number, only 11 percent, or about 2.3 million units, were recycled.
68. Add air-cleaning plants. Plants not only brighten up a room, they help keep the air clean! Shoot for at least one 4-5 ft plant per 100 square feet.
69. Recycle/refill printer cartridges. If you use inkjet printers, buy replacement ink and refill them when they are empty. There are also several programs that will allow you to send in your empty ink and laserjet printer cartrdiges for recycling.
70. Use a water filter and refillable water bottle. Millions of plastic containers are thrown away every day, which adds to the amount of trash. By purchasing a refillable water bottle and using filtered water (instead of buying bottled water), you can greatly reduce waste and save yourself a bundle!
71. Choose re-usable containers for lunch. Use a lunch box or insulated cooler for lunch in lieu of a paper or plastic sack.
72. Reduce lunchroom waste. Bring home sandwich baggies and other plastic bags to be washed out and re-used
73. Recycle at the office. Recycle office and computer paper, cardboard, etc. whenever possible. Use scrap paper for informal notes to yourself and others.

WHEN YOU'RE SHOPPING

74. Avoid buying food or household products in plastic or styrofoam containers whenever possible. (They cannot be recycled and do not break down in the environment.)
75. Think twice about buying "disposable" products. (They really aren't disposable and are extravagant wastes of the world's resources.) This includes disposable dust cloths, diapers, etc.
76. Buy paper products instead of plastic if you must buy "disposables." They break down better in the environment and don't deplete the ozone layer as much.
77. Check the energy rating of major appliances you purchase. Buy only the most-energy-efficient models.
78. Ask questions. Don't buy products, such as styrofoam, that are hazardous to the environment or manufactured at the expense of important habitats such as rain forests.
79. Buy locally grown food and locally made products when possible.
80. Don't buy products made from endangered animals.
81. Buy refillables. When shopping for cleaning products, etc., always buy refills when available to reduce the amount of packaging. (Refills are usually cheaper, too!)
82. Buy eco-friendly gifts. When it comes time to buy birthday or holiday gifts for others, choose environmentally friendly gifts, shop from companies that make environmental protection a part of their mission, or buy from companies that give a portion of the proceeds to charities.
83. Buy efficient fluorescent light bulbs. New compact fluorescent bulbs use 75% less energy than a standard incandescent - and last about 10 times as long!
84. Buy food in bulk & repack in reusable containers. Less packaging is used when you buy in bulk - and it's usually a lot cheaper too! Once you get the food home, you can repack it in individual, reusable containers, like Tupperware.
85. Buy pump instead of aerosol sprays. Chlorofluorocarbons used in aerosol sprays contribute to ozone depletion. When there is a pump spray available, buy that one. If there isn't a pump spray available, write to the manufacturer and ask them to make one.
86. Shop with re-usable shopping bags. Bring canvas or net bags with you to the store.
87. Buy products made from post-consumer recycled content. When purchasing paper products, choose products with the highest percentage of recycled content —post-consumer recycled content is the best. Choose tree-free paper alternatives if possible.
88. Smarter air-conditioning. Use fans instead of air-conditioners if possible. (Fans with intake and exhaust fans work best, pulling cool air in and blowing hot air out.) If you must use an air conditioner, be sure to buy an Energy Star rated model, and select the correct size.
89. Be green when you clean. Purchase only eco-friendly cleaning supplies, and avoid/limit disposable cleaning products.
90. Purchase eco-friendly (and animal safe) personal hygiene products. Look for products that do not use animal products and are not tested on animals.
91. Get trendy with home décor. Natural fibers and flooring are in fashion! Look for interior design items made from recycled and natural materials.

PERSONAL EFFORTS

92. Plant a tree! Protecting and planting trees will help create natural air filters in our cities and neighborhoods.
93. Join a conservation organization. Find an environmental organization you would like to support.
94. Volunteer your time to conservation projects.
95. Give money to conservation projects.
96. Switch to a vegetarian diet. (Raising animals for food consumes vast quantities of natural resources, including water, land, and oil; destroys habitats; and generates a tremendous amount of water and air pollution.)
97. Convert by example. Encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to save resources too.
98. Learn about conservation issues in your community or state. Write to your legislators about issues that affect the environment and our health, and let them know where you stand on the issues.
99. Teach children to respect nature and the environment. Take them on hikes or camping. Help them plant a tree or build a birdhouse. Teach them by example. Never litter, even when peers do it. Teach your children never to litter, even if they see their friends littering. Encourage them to be proud of keeping the environment clean!
100. Donate to charities that have positive impacts on the environment.

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect." ~Aldo Leopold