#152: Tea Time (Friday, November 27)

I love tea. I drink at least 3 cups each day. If you're a mass tea consumer like me, here's how you can have "green tea":

- Microwave is greener than the stove, so consider using the microwave to heat your water.
- If you must use a kettle or a pot, don't fill it up all the way; just boil the amount of water you need.
- If you drink tea throughout the day, consider using a thermos which keeps your beverage warm and reduces the likelihood that you'll have to keep reheating it.

Bottoms up!

#151: Smell the Fresh Air...In Your Home! (Friday, November 20)

Instead of getting an air purifier, which will increase your energy output, plant (or buy) plants and place them all around your home.

Indoor house plants can help clean and purify the air, especially these 10 plants which research has shown are effective against counteracting chemicals in the air:

• Areca palm
• Reed palm
• Dwarf date palm
• Boston fern
• Janet Craig dracaena
• English ivy
• Australian sword fern
• Peace Lily
• Rubber plant
• Weeping fig

#150: Bank on This! (Friday, November 13)

"You're green ideas are too long and cumbersome," my friends have recently been telling me. "We need stuff that we can do immediately that don't require much effort!" LOL.

Apparently, they've missed Good Fridays 106 through 110, 111-114, 115 and 117...well you get the idea. But I like to listen to the people, so this Good Friday's idea is simple, easy to do, and you'll be helping to conserve paper and save trees:

On your next visit to the ATM, decline the receipt.

Yup, that's it. That's the green idea of the week. It's so easy, even a caveman could do it (well, if they had ATM machines back then).

#149: 15 Easy, Green Tips for Winter (Friday, November 6)

For those in states/countries where the seasons change, now is a great time to start thinking about winterproofing your environment. Here are a few easy tips that don't require a lot of effort, but can help make your winter a little bit more bearable:

1. Wrap the windows in plastic to keep out those arctic blasts.

2. You can also use bubble wrap to cover your windows. The air in the bubbles helps to insulate even more.

3. Add a door sweep to each exterior door.

4. Have your furnace serviced to make sure that it is running properly and safely.

5. Reverse the direction on your ceiling fans. This will push the hot air down and help it recirculate through out the house.

6. Installing storm doors and windows can save you up to 45% on your energy bill.

7. Move furniture off your vents.

8. If you have an old fashioned radiator use a fan to help spread the warm air and a put a reflector behind it.

9. Buy organic cotton thermal long johns for everyone in the family.

10. Wear layers of clothing made from breathable organic fabrics.

11. Shut the door on rooms you don't use, if there are any.

12. Grow some herbs and vegetables inside. Not only are they great to add to soups and stews but plants filter toxins out of the air.

13. Open the curtains on the south/west side of the house during the day to get the most of the sun's warmth. Close up at night to keep out the cold.

14. Cold feet? Put a little ground cayenne or ginger in your socks. You can do the same with mittens but don't do this with small children. If a finger goes into an eye it is painful!

15. Put hot baked potatoes wrapped in a piece of flannel in your bed about 15 minutes before you plan to get in it. Your bed will be warm and you will have potatoes ready to make hash browns at breakfast.