For many, the last thing they want to do is trade their nice, warm car for a bicycle at this time of year, and even if you’re playing with the idea the increasing rain and impending snow is probably your number one concern. But with a little preparation and perspective winter biking isn’t as bad you might think.

Winter biking takes preparation but it is just as much an improvement for your life as biking any other time of year. For some of us, that fresh air even feels better when its cold?it seems that much more fresh and invigorating. And you will find you aren’t cold at all once you get out there pedaling.

A lot of people find themselves struggling to keep from being too hot, especially if they made the mistake of throwing on a big winter jacket. Just some decent warm clothes will be all you need once your heart is pumping. Remember that multiple layers create more of an insulating effect than big bulk jackets. You don’t need thickness to stay warm – try wearing a t-shirt and a couple long sleeves instead.

Also, you have to be more careful riding a bike in the winter. If the concrete is icy or wet it can get pretty slippery, but cars are more likely to be involved in accidents in these conditions too. You just have to think about the conditions before you hop on your bike and take the same precautionary measures. One thing to really think about is that if the weather is particularly ugly it is more difficult to see you, so take heed on blind corners and intersections.

A solid helmet is a must in this kind of weather even if it is not required by law. You might not be going that fast, but make no mistake, if you slip on a bad patch of ice and your head hits the pavement you can be seriously injured. To minimize the risks of these incidents, get some tires with really good traction. Mountain biking tires are a great choice but if you have the money and will be riding in extreme conditions then try to get some winter tires.

Eye gear is also helpful to keep the rain and slush tossed up from passing vehicles out of your eyes. Some are fine with sunglasses; others prefer some cool-looking snowboarding goggles. Good lights are a must for any serious commuter if you plan to ride at night. Your eyes usually adjust to the dark enough to see, so the headlight is more for being visible to other drivers. Also, in many places it is the law. I like the lights with the pulse option because I think a flash is more eye-catching.

It’s not necessary, and a lot of bicyclists don’t like to have extra weight up so high when riding, but I like to have a quality backpack when I’m riding because I usually have my laptop with me. Victorinox, the company that makes Swiss Army knives, sells some really quality packs with great organization. It is also nice for keeping paperwork, my cell phone, my long-sleeved shirt if I get too hot, and water or food.

Take your bike to the shop before winter starts and get a tune-up. Or learn to do the maintenance yourself – it’s really a good skill for a regular bicyclist to have.

Some people even consider winter cycling a way to enjoy some sport in the cold season, and in particularly snow-blanketed times it can certainly be just as exhilarating. This is a good mentality to cultivate. It’s nice to take a break from being an adult and get in a little “play” on the way to the daily grind. Enjoy your ride!

With more people working at home, a lot of unnecessary commuting can become a thing of the past for many.? But the home office environment is rarely a symbol of environmental efficiency itself.? Mountains of wasted paper across your desk.? The heater blasting.? A computer that never sleeps.? If you want to tighten up these glitches, here are 10 eco-friendly changes to make in your home office.

1.? Unplug Yourself from the Grid
Sitting in a brightly lit room with the curtains closed and blasting an air conditioner while a cool breeze blows across the yard?? All those hours stuck in the office can add up to high energy costs.? Open the windows for a draft or open the blinds to let in natural light and heat.? Make your work time less of a drain on the power grid.

2.? Bring Back the Paperless Office
The paperless office was once a dream and the future of the internet, but as the future has arrived it turns out our virtual lifestyles often end up creating more waste.? There are so many file-sharing, file-storing, and back up programs available now that there is really no need to keep paper records of everything as long as you use multiple storage medias, and our communication methods make most other reasons for printing just plain ridiculous.

3.? Maximize Your Paper
When you do print, keep it limited and use both sides of the paper sheets if at all possible. Buy recycled paper or papers made from.? When possible, be sure to recycle. Use a paper shredder to dispose of paper?you can even use it in your garden.

4.? Be a Computer Nerd
By becoming more tech savvy, you can learn more even more ways limit paper needs and increase productivity.? Organize things well online and there is less chance of losing files, which is often the reason a user prints out something out of frustration.

5.? Manage E-Waste
Dispose of e-waste properly to minimize environmental impact and before you replace something just because it is environmentally friendly, be sure you know the actual environmental trade-off of wasting the old model to buy the new.? Many times a computer can be recycled to make use of its spare parts or passed on to someone who needs it if it is still in working fashion.? Here is an idea.? Give it to a young person and encourage them to start a website about promoting green principles.

6.? Shut Your Computer Off
Just like your other appliances, you should always turn off your computer when you?re not using it so it doesn?t continue draining power.? According to the Alliance to Save Energy, $2.8 billion dollars is spent annually in America alone by people who simply leave their computers running.

7.? Use Green-Powered Online Services
Even our ?virtual? world has a physical impact on the Earth.? A web hosting server, for instance, is responsible for the same emission levels of a 15mpg automobile.? Fortunately, many companies are stepping up to the plate and using renewable energy resources to run their systems.? Hostgator and Green Hosting are two examples.? Find out what other online services you use for your business or personal life and identify the industry leaders who make the effort to be green.

8.? Learn Productivity Skills
Not only do productivity skills teach you how to make your time more efficient, but if you can learn to work better faster, than you spend less time on the computer, correct?? Not to mention the train of thought associated with productivity thinking spills over into other areas of life.? More efficiency is usually a good thing when we?re talking about out interaction with the environment.

9.? Use Recycled Furniture
Cheap office furniture is always easy to come by.? Forget about that stylish brand new office setup you want to buy so the people who never see your office think you are a professional.? Hit up your friends who are downsizing.? Check out craisglist.com for cheap purchases or freecycle.org for free furniture.? Hit yard sales and second-hand stores.? There is plenty of decent furniture out there to snatch up.

10.? Stop Being a Computer Geek
Are all those wasted hours online really necessary?? It isn?t doing much for those productivity skills you?ve been learning, and the chances are you are going to play around on that cool new site about picking up women for a few hours and never apply it to the real world, so save the trouble.? Instead, why not go outside and meet some real people?? Use that extra time you?ve created by doing something worth doing.? It?s better for the environment and better for you.

These are just a few things you can do to make the home office a greener room and a greener part of your life.? Just like any other area of you life, there are countless changes, small and big, to make you mark on the world less significant.? Get creative.? That is the real key.? And look through the habits you have created for yourself that are based on old foundations of thought.? Bring the green lifestyle into your office, make it a comfortable healthy place to work, and get on that computer to start making social changes.

Halloween, while a seemingly innocent holiday, can nonetheless be a wasteful endeavor. Nobody wants to wear the same costume every single year, and so brand new extravagant outfits find their way in the trash or in the bottom of a closet to never be used again. But there are ways to plan for this coming Halloween without being so wasteful. Here are some ideas for costumes that are easy to put together and can be made from everyday things.

1. Wear the Same Costume Every Year – Yeah, I know we just established that’s exactly what you don’t want to do, but is it really such a bad idea? Here’s what I propose. The same costume isn’t really going to wrinkle the noses of even your snobbiest friends if you use it two years in a row, and after that you can change it up by spending Halloween at a different location. Use it as a reason to party with someone else – new crowd; new costume.

2. Trade With Friends – Call a few friends that don’t live near you or hang out with different groups of people and swap costumes every year. This is great for parents who don’t want to buy the kids something new every year. How about hosting a costume swap a week or two before Halloween?

3. Dress Up Like the Opposite Sex – This is a classic costume for those with a sense of humor, and it is always good for lots of laughs, especially for those masculine guys. Everyone has friends and family they can borrow from to put their costume together.

4. Dress Out of Context – The funniest outfits are often the ones that are a complete change from your usual style. Some examples include the city boy dressing up as a cowboy, the business man dressing up like a thug, the clean freak showing up with their hair messed up and food plastered across their shirt. Dress like you’re living in a different era. It can be simple, but in a tight circle of friends it is good for laughs.

5. Make Your Own Costume – Besides just changing up your wardrobe, if you are crafty, you can make your own costume. Kids will really enjoy doing this; it gives them a chance to use their imagination. Pick up a book at a crafts store or do some research online to get tips and techniques (http://www.robinsfyi.com/holidays/halloween/costumes.htm). Everyday household items can easily be used to put something together.

6. Get Creative With Makeup – The first thing everyone sees is your face, and thus it is quite easy to make a costume using just makeup. Even a fake gash across your forehead is enough. You can just wear your same clothes or wear an old, torn shirt to make it look like you’ve had a rough night. For other makeup uses, just use the makeup you already have in your home instead of buying something just for the purpose.

7. A Different Kind of Costume Party – Get your friends into the minimalist mindset by having a costume party where the theme is homemade costumes. Encourage everyone to recycle old clothing and household materials to get creative, and have some kind of prize for best costume.

8. Recycle Your Costume – If you do have a store purchased costume, don?t ever just toss it away, and resist the temptation to stuff it in a closet for “later” only to never see it again. Instead, help other people to resist materialism by giving it out to someone else looking to save some money or reduce their impact. If no one needs it, bring it to a thrift store.

With a little creativity, Halloween doesn’t have to be just another reason to express our consumerism. This is one of my favorite holidays because of everyone?s willingness to lighten up and make a fool of themselves. But that doesn’t have to mean waste. Put some thought into things and decide if one night a year is really worth the materials and money. Like any day of the year, the answer is all in using your head.

Times are changing. Our society is evolving. And with the economy the way it is and jobs leaving America, its easy to get fired up about things and think in terms of doom and gloom. The thing of the matter is, however, that for a savvy self-motivated individual, this might be the best climate ever to make money, and what is more, the new characteristics of the new economy, such as outsourcing, make it easier than ever to live the life we choose.

Jobs are disappearing, sure, but where are they going? Maybe you’re answer is India, China, and other faraway lands. Many people are grumbling about the loss of work for Americans, and as our large corporations that we love to hate struggle to remain competitive in their various marketplaces, they are choosing to source more and more work that is now in-house to outside providers.

But are they really sourcing out of the country? Well, kind of. What they are really doing is just moving the jobs out of house. They don’t necessarily care if they end up in India or Kentucky. They just don’t want to pay for employees who eat up office hours on Facebook to get the job done.

It’s easier and more economical to pass it on to an independent contractor and pay them a set fee, regardless of the hours. And that can be a good thing for both the environment and you.

Telecommuting is good for the planet. America is a country built around the automobile. We love our cars, and since we’re such a young country, most of what we see today did not exist before Henry Ford pushed the first clunker out of the factory. As a result, everything is far away. It’s hard to leave the house anymore without driving for a half an hour.

And now more citizens from around the globe are sitting behind a computer in their bedroom rather than driving across town or in some cases hours away, which means HUGE savings on fuel. This is an ideal economic evolution for the environment.

As for you – who doesn’t want to get their work done in half a day without leaving the house and then decide what to do with the rest of the day? Before you say there is no way to compete with foreign citizens who will work for a fraction of what you do, not so fast.

What foreign citizens lack is knowledge of Western culture, Western business ethics, and Western speaking skills. Companies are even willing to spend a premium to pay for people like you to do their work.

So, if you want a quick way to start making money, alleviating the stress of an economic meltdown, and saving the environment by completely cutting out the need to commute to work, get online and find out what services you can provide from your home.

Article writing, web design, marketing, admin work, and much more – just find out where the ceiling is in pay and charge more than others do. Don’t start off too high, but after you’ve built up a good reputation, ramp up your prices, deliver quality, and live your dream of being financially independent.

Welcome to the new millennium.

As winter fast approaches, so does the cold, and with it rising energy usage, taking a toll on the environment and your wallet. As a child, I used to love winters for those days at home when I could curl up on the couch with a book, a heavy blanket, and a hot cup of hot chocolate or tea. It didn?t bother me that the air was colder.

So steam heat up some tea or chocolate and start using these basic tips to keep energy consumption low when upgrading your home is not possible.

The Air – A lot of your energy consumption comes from heating costs. Install a programmable thermostat to maintain different temperatures when you are home and when you are away. When running heaters with automatic control, close doors leading to empty rooms. Open curtains facing the sun when it is shining to take advantage of passive solar heating, and at nighttime or on cloudy days keep them drawn to hold in the heat, especially if you don?t have energy-saving windows.

Also, keep your furnace nice and tuned. Replace or clean furnace filters once a month. You can save up to 5 percent on heating costs by keeping your furnace lubricated and stocked with a clean filter. Turn your central heating down by 1 degree and you can save up to 10 percent on heating costs. Replace weather stripping on windows and caulk drafty air leaks to make sure you?re keeping warm air in and cold air out.

The Water – I know…I know. The last thing anyone wants is give up hot showers when the air is chilly. Still, most people keep their water too hot. Keep your hot water heater set at 120 degrees. Many manufacturers set their heaters at 140 before sending them from the factory, but this is completely unnecessary in the average home. You can also insulate your hot water heater to keep the heat from dissipating. Click here for some tips.

Another great way to make your heated water usage as efficient as possible is to install a hot water heater timer so you it is only warm at the times of day when it is needed. It is crucial to most of us to have hot water flowing in the winter, but it is it really necessary 24 hours a day? Here are some great tips on insulating.

Your Body – When it comes to warmth in the home, you’re really worried about yourself. Make the most of your body heat and bundle up. Get comfortable when hanging around the house – no one is going to see you. Wear a beanie, nice warm pajamas, and wool socks. Keep some down comforters near the couch for when you’re watching television.

Keep in mind that layering provides more warmth than thick clothing. The first time I went to Europe I found this out and made it through a month of backpacking in snowed-over German cities without a jacket. And where I?m from it doesn?t even snow.

Also, there is a common misconception that people sleep better when they crank up the heat, but research shows reasonably cool temperatures to be more conducive to healthy REM. If you?ve ever tossed and turned in sweaty blankets in the summer heat or the tropics, this makes perfect sense. Don?t go too extreme though?really cold temperatures can be disruptive?and keep your socks on because having cold feet will not make you sleep better.

Most importantly, stay active. When you?re home, work around the house. Get involved with the community when you?re not working. Play sports or join a club. When you?re constantly on the move, you don?t have time to get cold, and it is a lot healthier in many ways than sitting around all day in a heated home watching television.

By employing these simple tips, you can have a comfortable winter without cranking up the energy costs. You will find that you don?t even notice the differences in the water temperature, and even if you drastically reduce the air temperatures you will soon get used to it. Staying warm as the weather fouls doesn?t have to mean Neanderthals hunched around a fire in a small cave – just use your brain.

As you gear up for the harvest season, you are no doubt getting excited to taste the fruits of your labor, especially if you are new to organic gardening. But you need to start thinking about what you are going to do with all that produce. It just isn’t feasible to plan on eating it all the first week, and letting it all go to waste is a waste of your time. You need to start thinking about preservation. Knowing how to make your fruits and vegetables last is a crucial skill for any home gardener.

But where to start? Well, you have quite a few options and many gardeners find ways to make their harvest last throughout the year.

One of the simplest ways to stretch out your harvest is to know how long you can wait to harvest particular crops. Root vegetables are really resistant to a frost and some can be left in the ground all the way to the following spring and dug up as they are needed. Some, such as carrots, brussel sprouts, and cabbage, will even taste better after some exposure to the colder weather.

This is referred to as wintering over, and it is very location specific. In particularly cold climates where freezing occurs in the winter, you can apply thick layers of mulch to keep the crops from being damaged. Usually seed packets give some idea of when it is best to harvest, but by talking to more experienced organic gardeners in your area you can get a better idea about what is realistic for your climate.

Freezing is a great, simple method of preservation that takes very little know-how. Bag up fruits and berries and you can blend them with organic juices later to make delicious smoothies without the ice. Better for you and better tasting. Keep in mind what you will be doing with the items later. You might want to chop up bulkier vegetables and fruits first depending on what you need them for. Bigger fruits, for instance, are a lot easier to blend later if you chop them into smaller pieces.

Also, a lot of vegetables will need to undergo a quick process called blanching before you throw them in the freezer. Blanching is a cooking technique in which you scald the vegetables in a pot of boiling water and then put it in cold water immediately after. This stops the production of enzymes which might otherwise cause the produce to continue growing and develop a strange taste in the freezer. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has a list of blanching times for different vegetables of different sizes.

Canning is perhaps the most well known method of preservation, but many amateur gardeners are overwhelmed by what they see as a very complicated process. It really is not too complex, and people have been doing this for years so it is easy to find information.

Canned produce can last for years. This is particularly a great idea for prepared products, such as pasta sauces or jams. It is nice to just grab a jar of sauce out of the pantry when you want to make some dinner rather than running to the store or preparing something from scratch. The HomeCanning.com offers some great advice for getting started. (homecanning.com)

Drying, or dehydration, is another well known form of preservation that works especially well for herbs and fruits. Dried fruits make an excellent snack. The process of dehydration, whether using a fancy dehydrating machine or more traditional methods, removes the moisture from fruits and vegetables so bacteria can?t grow and cause the produce to spoil. It is usually best to use special recipes on the fruits to preserve a more high quality product and add more flavor. Click here for a simple guide to drying and dehydrating foods.

Another effective preservation tool is a root cellar. These have been used for a long time as well, and you don?t necessarily have to have a big elaborate cellar built for the purpose. You just need to create a similar environment with high humidity and very cool temperatures. Earth-House.com has a great list of resources about root cellaring.

We all know fruits and veggies are best when you pluck them straight from the vine and dice them up, but unfortunately we have no say about what is in season and when. So make the most of your harvest. Stretch it out and turn it into the resource it is supposed to be. The information is out there, you just have to put in a little effort and put it all to use.

Before you dismiss this article and insist there is no way you could live without your vehicle, hear me out. I was back in America holding down a job, running a business, and excelling at the university when I sold my truck to use a bicycle for transport. It was the best decision I ever made. There are a lot of reasons getting rid of your car is an awesome lifestyle choice. Even where I lived at the time, where nowhere worth going is less than a fifteen minute drive and the city transport system begs for an upgrade, I immediately saw improvements in my quality of life.

Here are some reasons why ditching the automobile is a good decision:

Your Social Life – Without a car, you now have to depend on others more often. Depending on other people for rides makes you associate with others more often. Your socials skills get better and you end up getting invited to a lot more social events.

Even if you’re walking, riding a bike, or taking the bus, you are forced to talk to people more. I often got off the bus and before my bike ride home I’d pop in to see a friend who lived nearby or stop at my favorite brewery for a quick beer and some hot wings. On the bus, I found myself talking and associating with amazing people I never would have met sitting in my air-conditioned truck with the windows rolled up.

This constant companionship is great for your health – humans need this kind of social interaction. As with anything, a balance is good, and being around people so often can be a test in patience, but patience is a skill many people need to cultivate.

Good for your Health – Possibly the most obvious of benefits to not having a car are to your health. Being forced to walk or ride a bike gets you outside in the fresh air and all that pedaling is great exercise. You will soon find there is no need for going to the gym.

Good for your mind – Using the older forms of transportation slows you down. You get a completely different sense of time and place. You see the world in differently. You see the plight of people less fortunate than you and develop a new sense of how your community functions – what it would be like without it. Moving along in a fast-paced world at a slower pace gives you a perspective you would not otherwise have.

Good for your Spirit - Now that you have put new challenges upon yourself, you have to rise and meet them. As you pedal everywhere you go or sometimes struggle to juggle a ride, you find you often earn every small step of your life. This may not seem attractive to some, but it is great for the human spirit.

When I would get back from an exhausting day of school or get off work at two o’ clock in the morning and face the uphill ride home in the rain, I would sometimes doubt my decision, but as soon as I walked in the door to my house I felt a sense of triumph, accented by the fact that I was finally living in line with my beliefs. Which brings up the last point?

Good for Your Soul – Not having a car is better for the environment, of course, and you are participating in the act of change. People around you will see the changes in your life. Some may resist those changes, but others will admire you and eventually follow suit. Living out your principles gives you a sense of purpose.

Adjusting to a car-free lifestyle is not an easy process, but for those who live in cities, this kind of living can even be easier than the former option. With a new emphasis on sustainable city planning, we will see more and more cities and towns built around the idea that living without wheels is a healthier choice.

In my own experience, giving up the my limiting vehicle and all the chains that came with it gave me the freedom and courage to throw some of my things into a backpack, move out of my home, and take off to see the world. Not everyone’s decision will lead to such a drastic change, but I assure you, with a little patience, a little effort, and a little lateral thinking, a car-free lifestyle will change your life. For the better.

Green industries are changing faster than ever, and with change comes a vast array of new technologies. We need experts who know who understand the bigger picture and how to incorporate these new technologies into our lives. For you aspiring college students considering majors, you’re facing one of the biggest decisions of your life. Green is the way to go. Here are some emerging fields of study revolutionizing the way we live:

Sustainable City Planning – The future requires innovative city planners who know how to can organize our lives to live with the environment rather than against it. What may have once come across as a drab field has now become very exciting as concepts we have never even considered are being factored into planning out living spaces. Portland State University, located in the only U.S. City qualified as in the world’s stop ten sustainable cities, offers a minor.

For those with long-range goals, you can get a Master of Science in Sustainable Urban Design at Lund University in Switzerland.

Human Ecology – A one of a kind university with a unique approach, The College of the Atlantic in Maine has only one degree – Human Ecology. Students are free to focus on resource areas, designing their own degree from a wide spectrum of disciplines, but the main focus is how humans interact with natural ecology. This has been dubbed as the greenest college on Earth.

Environmental Law – Radical new paradigms shifts require new laws, regulations, and civic responsibilities. Smart lawyers need to bring big corporations who think only of profit to justice. The Vermont Law School offers one of the best programs available.

Conservation Biology – Learning to live better with the land requires a deeper understanding of how the environment functions. We need to conserve what we have not already destroyed for generations to come. The University of Minnesota offers an in-depth graduate program for those with ambitious goals.

Green MBA Program – Entrepreneurs have finally come to the realization that not only can making money and saving the world mix, but economics is one of the most powerful motivators of social change. If you want to mix your entrepreneurial spirit with your social responsibility, check out the green MBA program at the University of California, Berkeley: Haas School of Business.

Energy and Environmental Engineering – Obviously, energy development is a huge field as well and sharp scientific brains are needed to unlock Nature’s mysteries. Opportunities abound in solar, wind, hydro, biofuels, and many more emerging technologies especially at programs offered by Illinois State University and Texas Tech University Wind Science and Engineering Research Center.

Sustainable Architecture – One of the most vital ways we can change our environmental impact is by rethinking the way we build our homes. Creative new innovations implement new techniques based on biomimicry and other concepts to achieve in our homes what Nature often already does perfectly.

Arizona State University School of Architecture

Sustainable Agriculture – Our agricultural systems are wasteful, inefficient, and take a big toll on the water and land. This field alone raises very challenging questions about the way we live. Warren Wilson College in North Carolina with offers hands-on training in a 300 acre farm and a 600 acre forest for hands on learning.

This list is far from complete in terms of both available degrees and universities offering them, but it is a good start to get you thinking. Be at the forefront of change. Make your living doing what?s right. For perhaps the first time in America?s history, that is where the money will be.

University students don’t necessarily have the discretionary income to back their political and ideological views with buying power; however, what they lack in funds they make up in passion. America’s schools have long been the leaders of revolutionary social thought, which in the long run often leads to top-level policy changes.

Maybe you’re off to college this coming fall, and you want to start living in line with your beliefs. You no longer live with Mom and Dad, and you’re ready to make your own decisions about what equals a responsible life.

Here are five ways you can make your entrance into college life a green one.

1. Live on campus – Even if you have the choice to live off campus, do yourself a favor and opt for the dorms. Living at the college is appealing to students for many reasons. It is great for jumpstarting your social life, makes it easier to get to school in the morning, and keeps you up on your work because of constant submersion in a learning environment.

Did it occur to you it is easier on the Earth as well? Living walking distance from class, the library, the cafeteria, the gym, and all your new friends means less unnecessary driving around. Many universities are small cities in themselves.

2. Get rid of the car! – Get creative about transportation. It is better for the environment and likely better for you. Many of the best university towns are the most bicyclable in the nation – Santa Cruz, CA and Eugene, Oregon spring to mind on the West Coast.

Riding a bike keeps you in shape and gets you out into the real world.

Walking, the world’s oldest means of transport, is also great for your health. You will be surprised how many miles you log just walking about your day. I know winter is coming, but a good hard pedal or brisk walking pace will keep you nice and warm.

No matter how far you need to go, there are options. Many university towns have fantastic transportation systems to fill the needs of a student demographic. Riding along with your friends when going to more secluded places is more fun than driving alone, in my experience. A combination of transportation solutions makes a car completely unnecessary.

For more about the health benefits of active transport, click here for information from the NIH.

3. Stay active – I know you want to be in shape to look your best when you?re out on the town, but the truth of the matter is spending all that time on a tread mill is a waste of energy. But you’ve been riding your bike and walking to class, haven’t you? Active transport alone will do wonders for your figure, but you can do more to stay in shape by playing amateur sports, lifting weights, or running on the track. There was a time when staying fit wasn’t so much like being a hamster on a wheel. Bring back the old school with hands-on physical activity.

4. Plan for the Future – Some of the hottest fields of study today are in greener industries. Make no mistake, the world is changing and changing fast. Students who see the opportunity are diving in and getting the know-how in order to be better equipped for the jobs of the future.

Not a tech guy or gal? No problem! Your options are only as limited as your thinking. Career opportunities abound in environmental business, environmental ethics, government policy, and advocacy. With a green future looming ahead, there is room for forward thought in nearly every industry. Click here (link to the green tech majors article, which is coming soon) to learn more about the opportunities available.

5. Get Involved – The beginning of the semester is the best time of year to launch your brain-child club that organization your school needs to come along and start pushing for new policies. Why not start a club focused on solutions? How about organic food options in the cafeteria? A university garden?

Petition to start your new club as soon as possible. These are issues people care about and a lot of new students are eager to meet like-minded people to form those lifelong friendships.

College is a new beginning. The paths before a young adult entering the real world offer limitless choices, and it is time to start thinking about the mark you want to leave on the planet. Make the right choices. Take control of your future and inspire others to do the same.

It is common knowledge that a dog makes not only a great pet but a great contribution to your overall mental and emotional well-being. But could plants have the power to do the same? The truth is, plants play many roles in the natural environment, and by removing them from our homes we deprive ourselves. Not only do plants contribute to our lives in the ways already mentioned, but they are key in maintaining the healthy environment of any home.

Plants have always been used to create a relaxing, beautiful environment, and humans seem to have a natural connection with them, which makes sense as they were once a dominant part of our world before we built our own world. Big businesses purposefully use them to keep workers at work and working harder as well as draw in customers.

It is best to get an indoor environment as close to an outdoor environment as possible. Having plants well-positioned throughout the living quarters has long been known to reduce stress and greatly improve indoor aesthetics. Various studies reveal that working with plants, whether in the home or in the garden, is one of the best things for you physical and mental health, and even being around plants in a sedentary state helps you to relax.

But our veggie friends don’t stop there. Though great for improving your state, plants also greatly improve the quality of indoor air. NASA has proven plants are natural cleaning machines, using complicated natural processes to clean the earth?s water, soil, and air by culturing microbes which biodegradable molds and mildew. When they are placed in an indoor environment they even learn to biodegrade many of the toxic chemicals often found inside human structures.

Experts suggest trying to have 2 or more 14-16 inch containers per every 100 square feet of living space, but the more the merrier. To further back up the recommendation, ouses with plants have been shown to have more than 50 percent less bacteria and mold than houses barren of organic life, regardless of humidity levels. And their transpiration processes adjust humidity levels by letting off or taking in moisture. In the winter, when humidity is often low, we can be more likely to get colds and viruses because our respiratory systems dry out, but plants maintain a proper balance.

Thus, while most people are afraid to go near houseplants when they have allergies, it may actually be a great idea. Just be sure to not over-water or leave wet carpet to mold if you have issues with allergies. Using soiless gardening methods is another way to reduce harmful microbe exposure.

Using better building materials eliminates many toxins before they ever make it into the air, but plants will clean it up and keep it fresh indoors. For all the benefits our carbon friends bring to our home, it is safe to say they can do as much for our well-being as owning a dog. So before you lock yourself in the house to wait out the cold season, make sure you lock a bit of the outdoors up with you.

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