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Need some ideas on what to do with empty plastic bottles? 

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Need some ideas on what to do with empty plastic bottles? 

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Kids Against Plastic - Kids attempting to tackle the effects of single-use plastic in the UK

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Kids Against Plastic aims to help young people (and not so young people) to learn about environmental issues such as plastic pollution and the Climate Crisis. Through free resources, initiatives and the awesome KAP Club, we try to inspire and empower others into action. Thank you for visiting, we really appreciate it.

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Kids vs. Plastic

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Click on the link below and watch ONE EARTH!

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Click on the link below and watch ONE EARTH!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQYgCxu988s

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Check out some cool activities to do with recycled materials

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Check out some cool activities to do with recycled materials

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Kids love to do crafts. Using recycled objects to make crafts is a fun way to teach kids about the benefits of recycling. We've created a list of some really creative ways to use recycled items. Your kids will enjoy making these cute art projects and creating colourful decorations for the garden.

Create your own underwater paradise full of colourful fish, plants and bubbles. Collect plastic bottle caps from water and drink bottles. Paint the caps bright colours and make a whole school of friendly fish.
https://iheartcraftythings.com/bottle-cap-art-fish-and-flower-scene.html
2. Toilet Roll Bird Feeder

This idea is definitely for the birds! Save up toilet rolls. Cover them in peanut butter, roll in bird seed and hang them outside. Delight in watching all the birds flocking to these tasty feeders.
https://www.theresourcefulmama.com/toilet-paper-roll-bird-feeders/
3. Recycled CD Spring Birds

Who doesn't have a stack of old CDs lying around? Kids will love turning your old CDs into all different kinds of birds, complete with feathers, beaks and googly eyes.
https://www.allfreekidscrafts.com/Animal-Crafts-for-Kids/Spring-Birds-Recycled-CD
4. Egg Carton Dragonfly

Here's a perfect recycling project for school. Turn egg cartons into colourful dragonflies with this fun paper craft. Kids can paint the egg cartons in their favourite colours and make antennas out of pipe cleaners. You can almost hear all the dragonflies buzzing around!
https://www.allfreekidscrafts.com/Recycled-Kids-Crafts/Dragonfly-Egg-Carton-Craft
5. Water Bottle Fish

Instead of tossing your empty water bottles into the recycling bin, turn them into bright-coloured fish with this fun recycling project for kids. By flattening the bottles, you can make them into all kinds of weird and wonderful shaped fish.
https://meaningfulmama.com/water-bottle-fish-craft.html
6. Tin Can Creatures

There's nothing better than little clusters of bright and colourful ladybugs decorating your garden. This is a fun way to recycle tin cans and give them a new life outdoors.
http://www.myveryeducatedmother.com/2013/05/tin-can-creatures.html?_szp=448099
7. Homemade Wind Chimes

You can also use recycled tin cans to make your own wind chimes for your porch. Paint and decorate the tin cans. Hang different items, like metal washers or nuts, inside the cans to experiment with a variety of sounds.
https://handsonaswegrow.com/outdoor-music-diy-wind-chimes/
8. Papier-mâché Plant Pots

You can turn large beverage bottles or food containers into a rainbow of brightly coloured plant pots with paper scraps and glue. Perfect for sitting on an indoor plant shelf or when you give someone a plant as a gift.
https://childhood101.com/paper-mache/
9. Hanging Planters

Large plastic bottles take on a new life as beautiful hanging planters. Kids will enjoy filling their planters with soil and watching their plant creations grow.
https://www.weareteachers.com/earth-day-crafts-classroom-activities/
For more information on recycling for kids, check out our blogs 4 Simple Ways To Get Your Kids To Recycle and How To Motivate Elementary, High School, and University Students To Recycle
CleanRiver Recycling provides a variety of innovative, flexible and customizable recycling solutions. To determine the right solution to meet your needs, use the If you have additional questions that weren't answered in this blog post please call us at 1-866-479-4038 or email solutions@cleanriver.com. CleanRiver product selector.

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9 Easy Recycling Art Projects For Kids - CleanRiver

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Whether at home or school, recycling projects for kids can be a fun way to learn about recycling programs. Here are 9 easy recycling art projects for kids.

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Alumni Association of the University of Michigan

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U-M Team Recycles Previously Unrecyclable Plastic

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Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is the most produced plastic in the United States and the third most produced worldwide. Much of the plastic used in hospital equipment-tubing, blood bags, masks, and more-is PVC, as is most of the piping used in modern plumbing, but the material has a zero-percent recycling rate until now.

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Home " Departments " " Parks and Recreation " Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities GIVE 365

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ If you are an individual looking to volunteer, we invite you to join us at any of our events below. Some events may also accommodate​ small groups.

For more information or to register, please contact us at [email protected] or call 734.794.6445.​

If you have are looking to schedule a customized volunteer event for a group, v isit the group volunteer page for more information on how to set that up.

Love a Park Days are open for individuals and small groups. We bring the tools, music, and work plan while volunteers bring the energy and the desire to make a difference and this is what we call a beautiful parknership!

​

​

​Feel free to review our COVID precautions here if you have questions. Or contact us at [email protected] or 734.794.6445.​

​​If you are interested in independent volunteering, let us know. Trash trailblazing is available spring, summer and fall! ​

​​

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Home " Departments " " Parks and Recreation " Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities GIVE 365 ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ If you are an individual looking to volunteer, we invite you to join us at any of our events below. Some events may also accommodate​ small groups.

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These Earth Day Activities for earth crayons and homemade play dough are fun to make with kids. The Earth crayons and blue and green play dough can be given as gifts to classmates or made in elementary school classrooms. Bonus points if you can reuse old crayons to make new ones!

These Earth Day Activities can be made with kids or if you are like me, they can be made by adults and given to the kids in their lives. Every kid seems to love crayons and play dough. And when they can help make them, that is even better!

I showed the earth crayons to my husband and asked him what they looked like. He said they look like bottlecaps. I asked him to guess again and he said, "Earth?"

When I told him yes, he said, "They aren't the right shape." So, if you are like my husband and can't look at a circle and imagine a sphere, just bear with me on this one and pretend they look like earth crayons!
Disclaimer: This post contains links to products for making this recipe. If you use those links, I may earn a commission. Learn more here.
How To Make Earth Crayons

Every year, my kids bring home their leftover crayons from school. The older they get the less they use crayons so many of them are still in great condition.

We put them all in a box and their little cousins use the crayons when they come over and we use them to make new crayons.

Step One:

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Peel the wrapper off of blue, white and green crayons.

We love Crayola crayons so that is what I used to make these.

Step Two:

Break or cut the crayons into small pieces.

Start by putting a few white pieces in the bottom of a muffin tin. Top the white pieces with the green and blue pieces.

The more crayon pieces you add, the thicker they crayons will be.

Step Three:

Bake them at 250°F for 15-20 minutes, until the crayons are melted.

Carefully remove the muffin tin from the oven without mixing the colors. Allow the crayons to cool on the counter and then put them in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Remove the crayons from the fridge, turn the muffin tin upside down and give it a smack on the counter to pop the crayons out.

How To Make Play Dough

The recipe that I used for making the play dough is one that I received from my mother in law. She made this play dough for my oldest child when she was little and still makes it for her grandchildren today.

Play Dough Supplies:

Step One:

Put flour, water salt, cream of tartar, and canola oil in a saucepan.

Step Two:

Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until a ball of dough forms.

Remove from heat and when the dough is cool enough to touch turn it out onto the counter and knead it until smooth.

Step Three:

Divide the dough into two pieces. Place the dough on a large piece of parchment paper to protect your counter.

Put several drops of food coloring on the dough and carefully knead it until the color is uniform. Add more food coloring if desired.

Step Four:

Divide the colored play dough into small pieces, roll them into balls and put them in small cellophane bags. Tie the bags closed with coordinating baker's twine.

Here are a few more Earth Day Activities:
Earth Day Mason Jar Earth Day Oreo Truffles

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Earth Day Activities: Earth Crayons & Play Dough

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These Earth Day Activities for earth crayons and homemade play dough are fun to make with kids. The Earth crayons and blue and green play dough can be given as gifts to classmates or made in elementary school classrooms. Bonus points if you can reuse old crayons to make new ones!

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If you are anything like me, you have at least 20 reusable grocery bags in your car....that you forget to bring into the store almost every time. Which leaves us with massive amounts of paper bags busting out of whatever space we have designated for paper bags. Well, now you'll have another use for them! This art project is perfect for the little ones because there is no "right" or "wrong" way to make them. There is even a bonus handle to neatly hang them up. The colors are also just right for this time of year. Fall is my favorite season and it's officially here!

Supplies:
Making your paperbag art:
Cut your paper bag down the side along a fold. Cut off the bottom. Open the bag up and get the creases out as much as possible by folding the folds in the opposite direction.

Set out the watercolor paints, brushes, damp sponge and glass of water. Let the kids paint, covering the whole page. When they are finished, let the paintings dry a bit before adding the next layer. (They can either be just about dry, or completely dry, but if they are too wet the paper might tear when adding the next layer.)

Next, set out your chalk and oil pastels and let the kids add to their paintings. If they like their paintings the way they are, then encourage them to add maybe just a wee bit of layers. One of my daughters really didn't want to touch her painting. We talked about how sometimes, when making art, simple and quick does the trick. But since this was about making mixed media art, and about the richness of layering, maybe she could try and see where to add without messing up her design. She decided to draw a few lines across the page. And it turned out that she liked them! (Phew!).

That's really all there is to it. These paintings are low stress and fun for the kids. They can make many in a short time, and it's also a great project to do with a friend. My son thought the handles were really cool and decided to take a trip with his painting (carrying it like a suitcase). Hmmm...I see more possibilities for this project!

xo Bar

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If you are anything like me, you have at least 20 reusable grocery bags in your car....that you forget to bring into the store almost every time. Which leaves us with massive amounts of paper bags busting out of whatever space we have designated for paper bags.

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An Ann Arbor teenager earned a national honor while trying to positively impact her community.

13-year-old Isabelle Sutton received the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. Founded in 2001 by author T.A. Barron, the Barron Prize selects 25 honorees out of 500 applicants in the United States and Canada. The focus is to honor young people who are making positive impacts on their communities and the environment.

Sutton began her mission in the fifth grade when she learned about recycling and the pollution of plastic and the harm it contributes to humans, animals and the planet itself.

"I'm really honored," says Sutton. "I'm so excited. It's a great opportunity to meet and learn about other kids my own age or similar to my age, who are also making a difference with the environment or just making a difference in general."

Sutton raised awareness by creating her own brand called JustIZZY. She makes products like biodegradable bracelets, greeting cards and ornaments. The proceeds go to animal rescues like The Detroit Dog Rescue and The Bird Center of Washtenaw County. So far, she has raised $8,000.

"There's so many small nonprofits and I think sometimes they get overlooked when people are making decisions on where to donate to," Sutton says. "So, I really wanted to shine a light on some special nonprofits that I think are important and interesting."

Sutton says right now, the focus of the JustIZZY project is to have the Ann Arbor School Board limit the use of plastic single-use water bottles in the cafeteria and at school events. She has even reached out to Governor Gretchen Whitmer in hopes to reduce plastic usage statewide.

To support Sutton's project, you can purchase items on her Etsy store called JustIZZYs.

Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.

WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Donate today "

Russ McNamara is the host of All Things Considered for 101.9 WDET, presenting local news to the station's loyal listeners. He's been an avid listener of WDET since he moved to metro Detroit in 2002.

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Ann Arbor teen wins prestigious environmental prize - WDET 101.9 FM

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Your browser does not support the audio element. An Ann Arbor teenager earned a national honor while trying to positively impact her community. 13-year-old Isabelle Sutton received the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. Founded in 2001 by author T.A. Barron, the Barron Prize selects 25 honorees out of 500 applicants in the United States and Canada.

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Date(s): Saturday, January 21, 2023
Time: 9:00am-10:30am
Cost: $15/family

Venue: Independence Lake
3200 Jennings Rd, Whitmore Lake
Region: Whitmore Lake

New to Ice Fishing? Join Washtenaw County Parks for an informational and hands on clinic to learn about this exciting winter activity of ice fishing. Kids will have a chance to learn about winter fishing, safety practices, and types of fish. Clinic includes making a fish identification and log book. Practice skills learned on the ice with staff and then warm up by the fire and have hot cocoa and cookies. Recommended for ages 5-12, and siblings are welcome. Bait and fishing equipment will be provided for use during event - one pole per family..

There will be two sessions 9a-10:30a and 11a-12:30p

Note: The event requires sufficient ice. It was canceled in 2020 due to lack of ice.

Download the event (.ics format) to your event calendar at this link: iCal

Add this event to your Google Calendar at this link:
Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be cancelled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, or we can make mistakes.

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Kid's Ice Fishing Clinic - Ann Arbor with Kids

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Spread the loveNew to Ice Fishing? Join Washtenaw County Parks for an informational and hands on clinic to learn about this exciting winter activity of ice fishing. Kids will have a chance to learn about winter fishing, safety practices, and types of fish. Clinic includes making a fish identification and log book.

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Full Wolf Moon Night Hike - Ann Arbor with Kids

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Spread the loveHead to Independence Lake for a Night Hike. January's full moon is the Wolf Moon. Join naturalist Elle Bogle for a talk to learn why the indigenous people named this full moon for the wolf. Hike ends at the Beach Center pavilion where there will be a campfire with hot cocoa and s'mores.

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White Lotus Farms Farmers Market - Ann Arbor with Kids

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Spread the loveWhite Lotus Farms offers a Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9a-2p and Wednesdays from 9a-1p. New for the 2022 season is a pavilion over the farm cart to provide shelter from rain and sun. While at White Lotus Farms, don't forget to visit the animals

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I don't think I'm the only person out there who feels this way, so I might as well just say it ... I hate doing laundry. I hate it so much that the only time laundry actually gets done in my house is usually when we are totally out of clean underwear and then the decision is forced upon me. That being said, I'm all for things that make the laundry process more efficient, so I love using wool dryer balls in the dryer to help speed up drying time and also soften the laundry (the wool fibers rub against the fibers in the other garments and help soften them)-all without any harsh chemicals that may be in dryer sheets or fabric softeners! The other awesome thing is that if you like to add a scent to your laundry, you can drop a few drops of essential oils on the balls before drying your clothes and they will smell amazing! Ready to make your own set? It's super easy ... Supplies:
- wool roving yarn in several colors (make sure it doesn't say "washable" wool yarn or it won't work); one of those yarns is enough for two balls
- crochet hook or yarn needle
- pantyhose
- fabric scissors
- essential oils (optional)

You'll start by wrapping the wool 7-8 times around your first two fingers. Wrap the wool the opposite way so you have a little bundle of yarn. Keep wrapping, changing directions frequently (wrapping tightly) until a little ball starts to form. Wrap until you have a ball the size of a tennis ball.

You can leave your ball a solid color if you want, but if you want to run some other colors though it, tie on another color and use your yarn needle or crochet hook to run the knot into the ball so it's hidden from view. Pull your new color yarn all around the ball and tuck it under or through another piece of yarn when you want to change direction to make a more random pattern. Repeat the process of tying on another color and hiding the knot if you want to add a second color.

To end your ball, pull your final color through a big chunk of your yarn ball, switch direction and pull it though a few more times and then snip the end off. Cut off the leg of a pantyhose, scrunch up the pantyhose to the bottom and place in your first wool ball. Make a knot and scrunch and place the next ball. Repeat until you have all your balls in the pantyhose. Run the balls through a hot cycle with some detergent in the washer (maybe save it until you have a load of towels to do anyway) and then dry on the hottest setting with the towels. Check your balls and if they seem soft still and not melded together, run them through the washer and dryer again with another load. Some wool may be fine after one load and others may take 3-4 cycles to felt up. Cut your wool balls out of the pantyhose and they are ready to use! To use, just add 2-3 drops of essential oil onto a few balls and dry like you usually would (try a shorter dry time first since the balls should help with that). Any dryer balls will help with dry time, etc., but you may want up to eight for larger loads. These dryer balls would be a great gift in a set with a few essential oils (my favorite for laundry are lemon, lavender, and geranium). Just pop them all into a canvas storage bag and your homemade gift is ready to give! xo. Laura

Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

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I don't think I'm the only person out there who feels this way, so I might as well just say it ... I hate doing laundry. I hate it so much that the only time laundry actually gets done in my house is usually when we are totally out of clean underwear and then the...

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Introduction: No-Sew Denim Dog Toy

Here is a way to make a CHEAP/FREE and TOUGH dog toy. We have a herder/pit cross and while she has a soft mouth she LOVES to chew. I've found that making her "disposable" toys just makes more sense. I always keep fabric scraps especially denim.

Add Tip Ask Question Download

Step 1: What You Need

You need denim scraps. Seams and hems are stronger. If you have a smaller dog you can use any part of the fabric. You also need a dog, though it doesn't have to be yours. :-)

Add Tip Ask Question Download

Step 2: What You Do...

If you don't already have the jeans diassembled then cut up along both sides of a leg seam (inseam or outseam). You can leave as much or as little fabric on either side of the seam as you want. You need several seam pieces, and one leg seam from an adult pair of jeans should give you 2-3 pieces depending on how big you make the toy. My pieces ranged from 12" to about 16".

Lay the seam pieces together, keeping ends more or less even. A long piece can hang over at both ends. Take up the ends and tie a knot in the middle. To make the knot tight enough to hold up to a dog you need to pull them all together and then pull each piece separately at both ends. This will make the knot nice and tight. This keeps the toy together AND gives a nice semi-hard chew ball for the dog (nice for teething puppies). It also gives it a little mass so you can throw it.

I've made these out of fleece scraps as well. Keep in mind that the fleece versions should be for dogs who SPIT OUT the pieces because the fleece will eventually pull apart. Our dog does fine with the fleece.

Since it's denim, you can wash it if you want. I'd say use the gentle cycle since you don't want the knot to get worked out. After a wash or two in the gentle cycle you can probably use the regular cycle. Or, if you've got one, throw it in the pool once in a while.

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No-Sew Denim Dog Toy: Here is a way to make a CHEAP/FREE and TOUGH dog toy. We have a herder/pit cross and while she has a soft mouth she LOVES to chew. I've found that making her "disposable" toys just makes more sense. I always keep fabric scraps especially denim.

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Cute Creative Practical Gift Idea DIY microwave popcorn bag (tutorial)

A reusable microwave popcorn bag is easy to make and they are great gifts for Moms, Grandmas, Dads, Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles, Bridal Shower, Graduation, Christmas and College Student gifts. Make your own reusable microwave popcorn bag for yourself or as a unique gift with this sewing tutorial.

Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to Amazon Associates, Walmart.com SM, and Etsy.

A popcorn bag for the Minecraft lovers! I bought the above fabric from this Etsy shop.

Reusable Microwave Popcorn Bag

No oil is necessary to cook your popcorn kernels in the microwave so this is a great gift for dieters as well! This is a much healthier, budget and eco-friendly option for the popcorn lover!

Check out this gorgeous fabric available on Etsy to make your reusable microwave popcorn bag with! Just click the image or HERE to look at it...

1. Lay your cutting mat on a clean surface and lay your folded over fabric on it. Using a rotary cutter, make a cut 13 inches by 22 inches. You now have two pieces this size.

2. Put the right sides (pretty printed sides) together and sew around the edge, but leave a three-finger-size space about 1/3 down one of the longer sides.

3. Turn it completely inside out by pulling the fabric through the three-finger-sized hole. Push out the 4 corners.

4. Now fold one of the short ends over about 2 inches (that will be your folded side up in the microwave remember?), take the opposite side and fold it up and over until that end reaches the closed end of the fold.

5. Now the bottom is the big fold and the top is the straight fabric with the short microwave vent fold under it. Sew down the edges of the left and right sides. Do not sew the top or bottom.

6. Now you will put your hand inside this bag and reach down to one of the corners and make a triangle so that one side has a seam going down the triangle and the other side is flat. Pull you fingers out and sew across the seam side to make a plus symbol. Repeat with the other corner. These help the bag have room to puff up.

7. Now turn the bag inside out pushing out the bottom corners.

8. Fold the top vent fold inside out and over the open hole of the bag to make it closed. The right side is done in the photo below.

9. If it is a gift, print popping instructions for use (get them here) and place them inside. Machine wash warm, dry normal when dirty. I rarely wash mine.

10. When showing at a craft sale, have one on display with popcorn all puffed up in a ball and another one spilling into a bowl as pictured above. Make signs that say, "Great Gift For: Graduation, College Student, Teenagers, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Teachers, Babysitters, Day Care Providers, Dieters, Popcorn Lovers, Campers, Vacationers, Hotel Stayers, Birthday, Christmas, Easter, Spring Break, Wedding Gifts, Wedding Showers" or whatever you want to put. I would just pick a few so you don't have too many signs in your booth.

If you found this helpful, please encourage me by "buying me a coffee". Thank you!

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Buy the printable ten step instructions plus the cooking instructions HERE.

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DIY Reusable Microwave Popcorn Bag sewing tutorial Make a practical gift

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A reusable microwave popcorn bag is easy to make and they are great gifts for Moms, Grandmas, Dads, Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles, Bridal Shower, Graduation, Christmas and College Student gifts. Make your own reusable microwave popcorn bag for yourself or as a unique gift with this sewing tutorial.

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Throughout the summer, the planter boxes on my deck are loaded with herbs. I used to keep a wide variety because, well, they're easy to grow and don't take up much space. Eventually, I realized that growing cilantro doesn't make much sense, since I can't stand the stuff, and one variety of mint is probably plenty. Dill, on the other hand, is an important part of summer pickling, I'll use parsley in just about anything and no matter now much basil I grow, it won't be enough. Rounded out with rosemary, chives and a few others, my deck rail herb garden has become a crucial part of my summer gardening. But what happens when summer turns to fall? We move the operation indoors.

Growing herbs indoors is an easy choice when using fresh herbs are part of your kitchen routine. In past years, there has always been a bit of a scramble to find enough small containers to transplant the many herbs growing on the back porch. That wasn't a problem this year as we embrace the ease, style and convenience of mason jar gardening.

Mason jars are readily available, inexpensive and have an innate rustic style that endures. Using Mason jars (or other recycled jars) for growing herbs is a no-muss, no-fuss solution when transplanting herbs or starting from scratch. Follow the steps below to manage drainage, growing medium, sunlight requirements and will add a bit of flair to our favorite indoor plants.

Step One: Place Rocks in Jars

Because the jars do not have holes for drainage, starting with a layer of rocks, gravel or even marbles about 2 inches deep in the bottom of jars will prevent roots from damage from excess water.

Step Two: Add Potting Soil

Unlike soil, potting mix is a planting medium that includes lighter organic material like peat, composts and sometimes perlite. Potting mix (not to be confused with potting soil) provides excellent moisture retention and is a good choice for container gardening. Fill jars with potting mix to 1-2 inches below the jar rim.

Step Three: Transplant Herbs or Plant Seeds

While a Mason jar herb garden is an easy way to transplant herbs from outdoor planter boxes for kitchen-friendly gardening, Mason jars are also a cheap and convenient way to plant herbs indoors. Follow instructions provided by seed provider for best results, but in most cases, simply sow seeds on top of potting mix, cover with an inch or so of additional potting mix and lightly water.

When transplanting herbs to Mason jars, gently pull roots apart to encourage growth, plant in jar and pack mix firmly around the roots and base of plant (top off jar). For plants with more established roots, it may be necessary to remove a little potting mix from the jar before planting. Keep roots exposed to the air for as little time as possible and water plants as soon as they are re-planted.

Herbs can be labeled using a craft stick placed in the dirt, an identification card attached to the neck of the jar or a sticker affixed to the jar itself. In most cases, your Mason jar garden will remain in plain sight, so a pretty label goes a long way toward adding a bit of flair to these functional containers.

Your Mason jar garden is terrifically portable. Place jars in a location that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine a day (windowsill, countertop, etc), but enjoy the ease with which they can be moved around. Keep herbs watered, but do not overwater. Harvest your kitchen crops as needed to add flavor to whatever is on the menu.

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Throughout the summer, the planter boxes on my deck are loaded with herbs. I used to keep a wide variety because, well, they're easy to grow and don't take up much space. Eventually, I realized that growing cilantro doesn't make much sense, since I can't stand the stuff, and one variety of mint is probably plenty.

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Reusable containers and water bottles

Use materials wisely, like water when you take a shower or paper when you draw a picture

Spend time outside doing your favorite activities

Start your own vegetable or herb garden

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Turn off lights when you leave a room

Walk or ride your bike places

Buy reusable items instead of single use items

Take reusable bags with you when you go shopping

Volunteer at local nature centers and gardens