Quick tips

Quick tips on how to stay in the green scene:
- In the winter, keep heater at no higher than 68 degrees, in the summer no lower than 78. Each degree cooler or lower will increase your energy by 3 or 4 percent.
- Don't place chemicals, paints or oils in storm drains.
- Don't fertilize before a rain.
- Choose native plants that don't require much fertilization or chemicals.
- Fix car leaks.
- Soak up any oil spills with kitty litter.
- Take the bus or carpool.
- Scoop the poop to avoid bacteria in creeks.
- Water grass no more than twice a week on your scheduled days.
- Collect rainwater for use on your landscape.
- Take shorter showers.
- Take your household chemicals to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 2514 Business Center Drive in South Austin.
- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

-- info taken from City of Austin website

My reason for being Green

Let me tell you a bit about myself, my blog and why I chose to write about the environment.
It started when I took "Living with the Planet" a GEO course at the University of Texas at Austin. It changed my life. I started learning about global warming then and realized how quickly and vastly our environment is changing (due to US).
In class we learned about the water systems of texas, natural resources disappearing (like petroleum) and yes, how to live with the planet. The reality of it hit me hard. Professor Banner performed several experiments with the entire class, which proved that the only way we can preserve the environment is together. It's important that people stop thinking about their self interest. For example, my neighbor next door has a HUGE truck, which he says needs to be filled up every week. I asked him why he hadn't traded it in for a more economical car. His reply was "I can afford it. So why not? I'll worry about it when I have to." When I realized the global warming crisis we were in I quickly traded my jeep for a small saturn car that got better mileage. But not all people react the same way. So here is my blog, which will hopefully help me vent some of my frustration and help YOU learn how important it is for communities, cities, states and countries to work together to help the environment. I applaud Austin and Mayor Wynn for it's smart green scenes. I'm here to spread the word and all I ask is of you is to pass it on.