These recent shows that Oprah has had regarding raising awareness for our planet are helping me to realize just how wasteful I am. Thank you, Oprah!!!!

After watching several of these shows, our 11 year old son requested that we purchase individual water bottles to refill, instead of our usual 40-50 weekly Fiji water bottles which are typically sprinkled half-way drunk throughout our home. Yesterday, we purchased the individual bottles and he got them ready and placed them in the refrigerator! Amazing.

Months ago, I started putting everyone's names on the bottles with a sharpie, but that didn't help. We just had bottles with names all over the house! The show where Oprah showed people digging through trash cans for food -- that could have been OUR trash can for a family of 4 every week! The other show where Oprah showed families wasting (throwing away perfectly good groceries before shopping) that is also OUR family!!! EVERY SINGLE WEEK. My husband is the biggest culprit.

These shows really help our family because my husband has money blocks where if he is not spending a lot of money on groceries (even if we really don't have the money to blow) he thinks that he is a failure as a provider!!! Isn't that sad...but it's very true for us. If the kids and I would have decided to do what we are doing without the Oprah shows and my husband watching how other families are willing to take the challenge, especially that man that spoke so well, and also some wealthy! persons like Julia Roberts and Al Gore saving the planet, even though they could afford to waste (financially) my husband would have been quite angry and telling me that I have 'poverty mentality.' These shows REALLY HELP US TO AWAKEN!!! TO REALITY and we are trying our best to make better choices, both financially and for our earth.

Thank you!!!! Oprah for making us more aware! We Love you!!! KEEP IT COMING. P.S. We also adore Julia Roberts and Al Gore for setting such a great example........:D

Eyes Wide Open in Andover, KS

I would like to see people talking about saving the earth who are practicing what they are preaching. Surely there are people out there who are living a true "GREEN" lifestyle. Not these people who use more electricity in one month that the common person uses in a year. Not the people who are flying all over the world in private jets. Not the people who are driving around in limos and suvs. Not the people who get caught doing all these things and use the excuse they do carbon offsetting.

I remember the first Earth Day, 38 years ago, I was a senior in high school. My family started recycling, taking short showers, turning off lights when we left the room, ( I can still hear my dad "Turn off those lights we don't own the eclectic company", "Shut the fridge door, all the ping-pong balls are falling out")

I wonder what this world would be like if everyone had started taking care of our earth back then.

I tell my students that there is no excuse for the waste in this nation. We are selfish. We would have cars that run on clean renewable resources today if it weren't for American Oil Companies. (Electric cars still use oil, where do you think electricity comes from.)

About those worms…
It isn’t that gross or difficult to have a vermicompost bin in your home. You can make one very cheaply and you only need to check on your worms once a week once you have it up and going. Better yet, you don’t need to buy bedding. It’s a complete DIY (Do it yourself) type of project. Our worms have been doing their thing for 2 years now and we’ve had NO escapees (and believe me, it’s scarier for the worm then you to be out of their box), no bugs, no big smells, NO PROBLEMS and our garden is thriving! We’ve even won garden awards. Here’s how to build your own worm composter (vermicomposting):

Need:

• Newspaper shredded

• Water (I use rain water)

• Two plastic containers with one lid

• A way to put holes in the container…I used a drill with a ¼” bit

• Worms (order online: red wigglers or talk to some people. You will usually find someone vermicomposting willing to give you some worms).

1 Put holes in the bottom of one container and the lid. About 20.
2 Prop the container with holes up in the one without holes (use some used or old plastic cups ((4))
3 Fill the container with holes about 25% up with water soaked shredded newspaper. Don’t let it be dripping wet…it should be like a wrong out sponge. Damp, not dripping wet.
4 Put food waste in on top of newspaper
5 Put worms in on opposite side from the food
6 Put damp newspaper on top to fill container to 50%
7 Just wait!

Things to note: Your worms will not eat much food waste to start with. They will eat mostly bedding. That’s fine and normal. Eventually, after they get over their shock, they will start to eat. So don’t fill up the container with too much food to start with.

The container below is there to catch “liquid gold”, the castings of the worms. Some will be liquid in form and you want it to be able to escape the main container without drowning your worms.

When you look in your compost bin, look quick, because worms don’t like light, so they will wiggle below to get away from you and the light. So you don’t really see them that much.

Make sure you always cover the food and the worms with damp newspaper. It eliminates the smell. You will need to do this periodically…just add damp newspaper to the top.

Keep it in a cool dark space. Ours is in our basement. If you are in an apartment, keep it in a closet. It feels great to have your food waste going to a place where it can be composted and used without adding to our garbage problems.

We’ve composted out doors for over 10 years, when we got our first house. Worms will come to an outdoor composter as well. They are part of the breakdown of organic matter. We compost most food matter inside to not attract animals to our outdoor compost bin since we live in the city (Chicago). Also, during cold weather, the composter doesn’t work…it needs heat to help breakdown matter, so it is dormant in cold weather. So we vermicompost inside so that the food process continues year round. If you are in a warm weather climate, you can just compost outside year round and you don’t need a vermicomposter.

If you live in the City of Chicago, you can buy a composter at a greatly reduced rate through the city along with rain barrels. We got one of our 3 composters through the city and both of our rain barrels. Most cities have the same type of program so check in your area.

Go green and don’t be afraid of worms. They are so important to our biodiversity. I hope this has helped some of you and that you will compost. You will feel SO GOOD about what you are doing. It’s a reward in itself.

I was wondering, how many people would be willing to start using cloth diapers and wool diaper covers (soakers) both renewable resources? With the new washers and dryers available that use less electricity and water, the carbon footprint would be reduced. You would add one or two wash loads a week depending on your preference. Not only would you save money after the initial investment, you would reduce what goes into the landfills. Using wool soakers would eliminate the use of plastics, is breathable, cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Both of my boys were in cloth diapers, not only did I save money, but also knew exactly what was next to their skin. I also bought about 2 dozen white wash cloths that I used instead of baby wipes and threw these in with the diapers. I just wet them with warm water when I did a diaper change.

The whole "Earth day" thing is great and all, but what really angers me are the people that are talking about saving the planet are the worst offenders. Ask Al Gore what he pays per year on his electric bill for his place in Tennessee. From a knowing source, over $20,000 per year. What are Oprah's utilities? Why do they need such extravagance? If they were truly in to the "save the earth" mentality, wouldn't ya think they'd simmer down on their own wasteful use of the planets' resources? I wish I had a show, then I'd expose my resource uses upfront, and then expose these types that talk the talk but don't walk the walk.

You want to save the planet? Don't worry about if you are choosing organic or not at the supermarket, it really on the whole doesn't affect much at all, seriously, however it does make everyone feel good and make them think they're really participating in something that would actually affect the demise of the planet. Try getting our pathetic government to get serious on the hydrogen economy. Oh, that's right, you'll have to first convince them that they should set aside their investments in the oil companies and concentrate on soemthing that would make their investments worthless. Hey Al, know what I mean?

You see, I don't watch Oprah, because I like to get my information from people in the actual business of monitoring the actual pollution, the ones that are creating the actual solutions to the major problems, not some out of touch politicians or movie star that attaches themselves to a cause so they can continue the photo-op circuit. I mean, come on, Julia Roberts is going to know more about produce than my nearby bio-tech labs and farmers that I talk to? And Al Gore, the guy who spends more on his electric bill per month than I do on my mortgage, groceries, and utilities combined is going to tell me that the world is in danger. People, please use your time more wisely and turn off the tube and listen to the real experts in your neighborhood, county, state, and country. The ones that are actually doing the hands on research, the ones building the hydrogen fuel cells and engines, the ones who don't just go around flapping their mouths thinking they know it all. It's obvious, Gore, that the planet has some big trouble ahead, we knew this back in the late sixties and seventies, now go turn off your lights, get a smaller place that doesn't require half the output of the standard commercial power generation plant.

I doubt this message will make the boards, due to the corporate bunch that protects Oprah from any negativity directed towards her show or herself, but I'll try anyhow.

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