4/14/13

Do you have some old house or car keys in your junk drawer that you are not quite sure what to do with? Donate them to Key for Hope, a nonprofit organization that collects old keys, separates them based on metal type and recycles the scrap metal to raise money for their work to end hunger, poverty and homelessness. All of the money raised goes to food pantries, and it's as simple as mailing your keys to the organization. Learn more at keyforhope.org.

4/13/13

When working at home or in an office, choosing to turn on a desk light instead of overhead lights can result in a huge savings in electricity and money. Task lighting -- targeted lighting where you need it -- uses up to 40 percent less electricity than turning on overhead lights. Add energy-efficient LED or CFL bulbs into the mix, and the savings adds up even more. So instead of lighting up a whole room, just light up where you are and what you need.

4/12/13

If you brew a pot of coffee in the morning, you might wonder what you can do with the used coffee grinds. There are myriad uses. Here's a good one: Make a ring of grinds around recently deposited plants in the garden to protect them from slugs and other critters. The bugs hate coffee grinds, and over time, the coffee will just degrade right into the soil.