2/11/13

With the average person tossing more than $600 worth of spoiled food into the trash every year, every little thing you can do to prevent that means less landfill waste and more money in your pocket. When you're finished snacking on a block of cheese, rub a little butter on the cut side. The butter creates a barrier, making it impervious to the cold air in the refrigerator. This helps prevent cheese from drying out, and the butter -- another member of the dairy family -- is hardly detectable.

2/10/13

While the cause of disappearing bee colonies is still unknown, we know how vital bees are in the pollination of flowers. One thing you can do to help is to set out inexpensive bee blocks, which are blocks of wood with holes drilled in various sizes. These provide shelter for bees and are like little wooden condominiums for them. To purchase, search online or visit masonbeehomes.com to see the selection.

2/9/13

Paper recycling is commonplace in many offices, schools and even in homes with curbside pickup. Items like magazines, phone books, envelopes and newspapers can often be mixed together and recycled into new paper products. But paper with staples in it cannot. That small metal staple in the corner mucks up paper recycling, since flecks of metal in recycled paper products poses a risk to the consumer. The solution? Remove the staple before adding paper to the recycling bin.