10/2/09

Tens of millions of birds die every year because they collide into man-made, clear structures like windows and sliding glass doors on our homes. To prevent birds from flying themselves into a painful death, make windows a bit more obvious to them. A decorative idea is to hang sun catchers -- like a reflective agate stone slice -- from wide-length grosgrain ribbon in front of the window. Not only will it look pretty in your home, but it'll indicate to birds to steer clear of the window.

10/1/09

With the air getting chilly, take the opportunity to give wild animals a helping hand. Pull out that old fur coat Grandma gave you years ago, and donate it to the Humane Society of the U.S. They'll recycle the coat into warm bedding for orphaned baby animals. Bonus: You'll get a receipt for the value of the coat for tax-deduction purposes. Visit www.hsus.org for more information.

9/30/09

With a chill in the air, take a look in your closet for unwanted coats to donate. One Warm Coat is a nonprofit organization that hosts collection drives all across the country. They collect gently used winter coats and give them to those in need. Find a collection point near you at www.onewarmcoat.org.