10/19/10

With cooler temperatures come beautiful autumn leaves and more yard work. Instead of stuffing the leaves you rake into plastic bags destined for the landfill, see if your community has a drop-off site to have them composted. If not, consider this less pretty, but much greener idea: Run your lawnmower over the leaves. Then they can be left on the grass to decompose over the winter season. They'll be beneficial nutrients for the lawn, leading to a greener, healthier yard next year.

10/18/10

If you buy old books from flea markets or library book sales, one way to remove the musky smell or eliminate the threat of dust mites is to use your freezer. Use an old freezer bag and seal the book inside of it. Place in the freezer overnight and it'll kill whatever may be lurking inside. Now your romance novel doesn't have to have a scary ending.

10/17/10

Ask your friends, family and neighbors to dig through their junk drawers at home to see if they'll give you their old eyeglasses. Bring them to any Lenscrafters store and donate them for their OneSight program. The store takes old eyewear, repairs and refurbishes them, and uses them to give people corrective eyewear all over the world who otherwise could not afford eyeglasses.