what's this "mellow yellow" mom's talking about?

I ran across a couple of articles and web pages listing a few ways we can make our imprint on this planet smaller. I thought some were good ideas, so I wanted to share a few highlights with you.

Speaking of conserving resources, I've been trying to teach Jonah certain basics, especially not to waste water by flushing repeatedly because it's fun. When I tried out on him the good old eco adage, "When it's yellow, let it mellow; when it's brown, flush it down," he didn't quite get it. But he did shout about "mellow yellow" at the top of his lungs at the bookstore the other day. So maybe I have planted a seed?

Back to the advice I thought was worth sharing:

GO VEGETARIAN ONCE A WEEK (IF YOU EAT MEAT, OBVIOUSLY)
One less meat-based meal a week helps the planet and your diet. For example: It requires 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. You will also also save some trees. For each hamburger that originated from animals raised on rainforest land, approximately 55 square feet of forest have been destroyed.

TURN OFF COMPUTERS AT NIGHT
By turning off your computer instead of leaving it in sleep mode, you can save 40 watt-hours per day. That adds up to 4 cents a day, or $14 per year. If you don't want to wait for your computer to start up, set it to turn on automatically a few minutes before you get to work, or boot up while you're pouring your morning cup 'o joe.

USE ONE LESS PAPER NAPKIN
During an average year, an American uses approximately 2,200 napkins—around six each day. If everyone in the U.S. used one less napkin a day, more than a billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year.

SKIP THE COFFEE STIRRER
Each year, Americans throw away 138 billion straws and stirrers. But skipping the stirrer doesn't mean drinking your coffee black. Simply put your sugar and cream in first, and then pour in the coffee, and it should be well mixed.

CARRY A WATER BOTTLE WITH YOU
Buy a reusable bottle that fits your lifestyle (and your purse) and skip buying a new one at every lunchtime stop. Need a reason? Americans use 3.3 million plastic bottles every hour but recycle only one in five.

CURTAIL JUNK MAIL
The Federal Trade Commission website, www.ftc.gov, spells out how to remove yourself from lists. (Click on “For Consumers,” then “Telemarketing,” then “Unsolicited Mail, Telemarketing and E-mail: Where to Go to ‘Just Say No.’”) You’ll save trees, water, and emissions, too. If everyone in the United States reduced the junk mail he receives every week, 100 million trees would be spared each year.

DON'T WASH IT
Standard washing machines use 40 gallons of water per load. If your clothes don’t stink, don’t wash them — and save a load a week. If American households were more judicious about laundry, each year they would save enough water to fill more than 7 million swimming pools. When you do wash, put full loads (saving 3,400 gallons of water a year) in cold water.

More here and here.