Protecting the environment or becoming "Green" can be supported in many different ways such as recycling, driving, in and around our homes to name a few.

Many progressive communities and states are now offering incentives for recycling waste. Many are listed on the US EPA site, http://www.epa.gov/jtr/bizasst/rec-tax.htm These are all great programs and should continue to be supported and further supported for continued growth. However for this program to grow in must be taught to our young, supported by our cities and states and industrial leaders.

There are more and more communities and companies adding recycling programs to their list of municipal/corporate responsibilities. Many companies such as Outdoor Creative Concepts, http://www.occoutdoors.com ,has support recycling by making products from recycled content, working with communities to meet each communities standards and make recycling more convenient and attractive and affordable. See one of the new products developed for a city in New York. http://www.occoutdoors.com/catalog/f6bcbb9e-f4a7-48f7-b4a0-467c0fef5f64.aspx

There are several ways we can all "Go Green" or help the planet such as driving more efficient cars and driving slower or less.

"The Energy Department says gas mileage usually drops over 60 mph, and that each 5 mph over 60 is equivalent to paying an extra 20 cents a gallon of gas. Consumer Reports found that a Camry dropped from 40 mpg to 35 when its speed rose from 55 to 65. At 75 mph, it lost another 5 mpg. One reason: aerodynamic drag increases the faster you drive, requiring more fuel to power the car through the air. "See the complete article at: www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/article697409.ece Also, an excellent article on several good gas saving tips can be viewed at www.bargainist.com/deals/2007/08/20-tips-to-save-money-on-gas/

One of our largest consumers of energy is our homes. There are many ways to save energy on our existing homes. And many homes meet the Energy Star ratings, (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits) However one way that has not been supported near as much as its benefits and far exceeds any of these in energy savings is earth sheltered homes.

I have been living in a 2400 square foot earth sheltered home for the past 22 years and my yearly heating and cooling costs are less than $150.00. Comparable sized homes in the same area I live are paying easily 10 times my cost for heating alone. My earth sheltered home is a dome structure that was engineered by a company in Colorado. www.earthshelter.com Living in an earth sheltered home helps the environment by saving energy on heating and cooling, increasing the green space, lower maintenance cost and insurance rates contribute to long-term savings. See the complete article at: www.joe.org/joe/1983january/a2.html

Also one of the best sources of information are the books on Earth Sheltered construction published by the University of Minnesota under ground space center. Although they no longer are active the books are still available.