10/29/09

If you take public transportation -- like the New York City subway system -- this tip is for you. When buying a subway pass, choose the refillable option that lets you reuse the plastic passes. If you don't have one, look to the ground around the machine; there are usually dozens and dozens of passes that are waiting to be rescued and refilled by you.

10/28/09

Grab that old globe in the attic and recycle it into a global candy dish. Remove all the hardware from the globe (e.g. the stand) until you're left with the cardboard globe. Find the equator and use the edge of a blunt butter knife to pry the globe in half. Fill one side with candy and hand it out to all the dressed-up witches and goblins. Fill the other half of the globe with tasty treats and use it year-round as a serving bowl.

10/27/09

Speak up with kindness. If your favorite coffee shop prints out receipts for every purchase, and everybody just tosses them automatically in the trash, ask the manager to stop printing receipts. Oftentimes stores print receipts as a courtesy to customers, but customers won't complain -- fearing they'll appear discourteous. So sometimes speaking up can have the fastest, most meaningful change.