11/21/13

Generally, it’s not a good idea to feed waterfowl human food. Common scraps, like old bread and crackers, are bad for the birds because they have little nutritional value and can get moldy and pollute the waterways. But if your community does allow you to feed animals like ducks, think natural seeds, grains and plants. Throwing small amounts of cracked corn, uncooked oats, birdseed, sliced grapes, frozen peas or corn and chopped lettuce can be nutritional options for them. Be spare and feed them only on rare occasions so they don’t become reliant on humans for food.

11/20/13

Here’s a simple way to give to the charity of your choice with just the spare change in your pocket: Donate through a Coinstar machine. The spare change-counting kiosks found at supermarkets across America can be used to donate 100 percent of whatever spare change you deposit to the charity of your choice. Nonprofit organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, UNICEF, the Humane Society of the United States, Earth’s Birthday Project and Audubon are just a handful of the conservation, animal welfare and humanitarian organizations that you can choose to support.

11/19/13

Clogged sink drains are one of the biggest problems that many of us face in our homes. Often, you reach for chemical drain cleaners or spend money on a plumber to come and clear it for you. The simplest solution: Prevent the clogs to begin with. For your kitchen sink, fill an ice cube tray with 50 percent white vinegar and 50 percent tap water. Freeze it. Turn on the garbage disposal and throw in the vinegar/water cubes. The mild acid of the vinegar will clean the disposal and drain while the ice will freeze the grease on the walls and scrape it away. Do this every few months to keep your kitchen sink as good as new.