I just recently moved from Lincoln,ne to California and am a student at HSU. I was amazed by how this small rural community in Northern California cares about going green. We recycle everything.I have several ideas for going green. buy recycled paper, toilet paper and everything you can, buy the CFL lightbulbs, Pacific Gas And electric gives them away practically where I live, Compost your food stuff this includes everything but meats, cheese, and eggs, though you can compost egg shells of course. Our chicken love this compost pile in the backyard, it is full of bugs for them nd thier eggs taste better.If you have the money, solar power, I grew up with it and works phenomenal and please take public transit or carpool. We have carpools for every big business there.

Thanks Oprah for this great show! I missed it the first time and was delighted to see it again. 18 years ago I moved back to Illinois with the intention of starting a business and making sure that being green was part of it - many years and reasons later I never really got to that place that I wanted. In the past year I have made the commitment to be more conscious of how I live and my impact on the earth and on others. I have done little things like use canvas bags when shopping, refuse literature in stores that I can read online, and be careful that what I buy can be recycled. Today I was energized and motivated to do even more and make even bigger commitments to living a green lifestyle. I went to Shaklee site during a commercial break and ordered some of their products to try. We unplugged the toaster and a few items and are plugged in all of the time. We will order a Smart Strip and buy energy efficient lightbulbs. Oh, we will even commit to using fewer paper napkins when dining out - we don't use them at home. Even though my original business idea is now part time, I started development of a website to inspire others to help others and honor our earth. I commit to putting the energy to get that off the ground and out there. Maybe one day I can share those ideas on this community. Namaste and blessings to all.

One of the big things that they did not talk about is the Yahoo group Freecycle. It is a nationwide posting board that works to save the planet from landfill of things that are usually thrown out. I've donated & received hundreds of things that had I thrown out would clog the landfills. They also did not say anything about your local amnesty day. People throw out tons of junk. Go around & pick up things like computers, furniture, etc. You can then turn around & donate it to your local Salvation Army or if you are a member of a Freecycle group you can give it away on that.

I've had flourecent bulbs through out my house for at least 8 years now. You can get them as daylight bulbs, warm white, cool white, etc. I have found that Ikea is the cheapest for the bulbs, but if you but if you buy them at Home Depot if the bulb should stop working they will exchange it. Their bulbs come with a 5 year warranty. BUT, flourecent bulbs fo have a drop of mercury in them so YOU CAN NOT put them in with your normal recycling. I have found that Ace hardware will accept them for recycling.

In the Chicago area if you shopp at Jewel, Dominicks, Whole foods, or Trader Joes, theu all offer recycleable reuseable grocery bags. They are made from the plastic bags that ask you to recycle. They also offer insulated bags made from the same material. I use them whever possible ( when I remeber to put them in my car after using them & bringing them into the house). LOL.

The other thing you can do is check out RV camping sites like Camping World. They have many idea for being earth friendly considering when you camp you need to do what can to help preserve the earth.

I hope all of this helps!
Marianne

On my washer I have the option of regulating the wash cycle from maximum, normal, to minimum. I always use the minimum choice now. It saves 2 minutes over the normal cycle for each load and my clothes seem just as clean.

I enjoyed your show more then I thought I would. We already use energy saving lighbulbs and grocery bags.I don't use perfume candles, and things in the house because my husband suffers from migraines 24/7. I like the new power bar but best of all it is the cleaning products that got my attention.

I really never thought about going green until I saw the show today. What really amazed me was about the natural cleaning agents. I suffer from asthma myself and didn't realized that my cleaning supplies may contribute to my health problems. I know for a fact that I will be changing the way I clean my home. I will also take some other challenges that was mentioned. My family and I will start making better decision about our environment. Changing the light bulbs seems very simple and not hard to due and also using fewer napkins seems very easy as well. I know I'm not the only one that like to save money on the electric bill. I will definitely unplug things that I'm not using and I have the power strips already I will be turning them off too, but I will like to know if you leave in an apartment is it an easier way to recycle?

I am currently watching the Oprah show, and I was very interested in the website that Matt Damon had suggested, . However, I live in Canada, and when I went to the site, I noticed that it was only available in the US. WHY??? We Canadians care about the environment, too!! What can I do to get this to Canada?