We’ve used the Seventh Generation spray cleaners for windows and counters. For plates and such, the Ecover dish detergent is good in liquid or the dishwasher packet form. A great tip for replacing who-knows-what’s-in-it dishwasher rinse products: powdered citric acid, available at your local health food store in bulk, will prevent glass streaking perfectly in the dishwasher.

Nice link to the video!

baggles: Nice to know about Cafe Patachou. I hear it’s becoming more common for supermarkets to package their to-go foods in them.

I'm the furthest thing from green. When I go to the grocery I ask for all of my groceries to be double bagged in plastic then put in paper bags. I spend the better part of my day driving around aimlessly going through gas. I cut my grass in the afternoon. I burn all my trash.

Thanks Middlewest for the powdered citric acid tip. I'll give that a shot and report back.

And going back, Cornelius - a secondary bonus to air drying laundry in your small apartment: it refreshes the whole apartment's scent!! Love it! :-)

Grilling: gas or charcoal - which is greener?

I drive a tiny, girly car and use energy efficient lightbulbs. I'd love to put solar panels on my house or maybe install a windmill, but green energy initiatives like that are so damn expensive.

I think that's the most frustrating part of trying to take a big step towards being green... you need a lot of money. And though making this switch would save you money in the long run, its the big bulk you need at first that is hard to come up with.

As far as grilling goes, I think gas is probably cleaner?? I don't know for sure... but that would be my guess.

For grilling: go electric. You can get a large outdoor/indoor electric George Foreman Grill. Electric trumps gas and charcoal or it would if we generated our electricity in Indiana in a more environment-friendly way. I believe most of our electricity in Indiana comes from burning coal, unfortunately.

Is a small car enough to make a difference? Hard to say I can cough up the $$$ to buy a hybrid or even a smaller car (not many smaller than a VW Bug- A smart car is dumb if you need it for more than a commute and a Mini has no trunk space)

Tips on saving the enviro while saving cash on your fill ups? Best I've heard is to get your car tuned up regularly. And Mythbusters taught me that in the summer it doesn't make a huge difference if you run the AC vs. drive with windows down- just don't over do it and make your care a rolling deep freeze fridge.

You had to knock MINIs … The trunk space on the regular is a bit tight — getting a piece of roll-on luggage that fits in a plane’s overhead bin is a trick. That said, my husband and I took a week-long road trip to the East Coast, and we were able to cruise with everything on board with the top down and no baggage flying out. Granted, we travel a lot and know how to pack, but it was a very gas-efficient trip (if road trips ever can be called that) at 35-37 mpg (better mileage with top up, of course). PLUS, the seats fold down for golf clubs or what have you. On the convertible, the back will open wider for when needed for top-up extra stowage. I’ve packed a lot in there, but it’s not an American-family car or one for clutter-keepers. I haven’t looked into mpg on the up-sized Clubman.

I do many of the things mentioned above, and also try to avoid using the clothes dryer. You can buy collapsable folding racks at the store and it saves energy and your clothes don't fade or shrink. Also, I avoid sending things to the landfill via trash by using freecycle.org where people will take the things you no longer need or want. There is an Indianapolis group. In addition to tune-ups, keep your tires at the right tire pressure and you will get better gas mileage. I just took my recyclables today and you're right about the lack of apartment space - I just moved to an apartment and I have to drive to the place almost twice a week to keep it from getting on everyone's nerves!

I didn't have AC in my car for 3 years and didn't really notice. I eventually got it fixed because I started commuting in dress clothes in the summer and didn't want to arrive at work all sweaty.

Except on the hottest days of summer, I usually just roll my windows down instead of use AC. My wife keeps the AC so high I actually get cold. :(

Speaking of AC, keep the temperature in your house reasonable in the summer (75 maybe) and the heat reasonable in the winter (I keep mine at 68).

If you dress cool in the summer and warm in the winter, you don't really notice the difference.

Wearing appropriate weighted clothing helps a lot! So true about just turning the thermostat up or down- save you $$ and carbon emissions.

I rely on hot or cold beverages too. The house might be chilly but a hot chocolate does the trick with a blanket most of the time.

Do you recycle at work? I have a hard time convincing coworkers to turn their light off in their office when they go out to lunch for an hour! Have you signed up for Earthhour? www.earthhour.org. my business is on board!

Home improvements are also important to reduce energy costs if of course able to do. Definitely get energy efficient windows, siding and roofing. Alpha windows does replacement windows in new york and long island as well as vinyl siding and roofing. Their site is http://www.alphawindows.com. Generally look for good u-factors, the thickness of the glass, if it’s low-e and the insulation.

I think it's easier to use less energy in the spring with the ability to open the windows and leave lights off longer due to days increasing in length. Earth Hour was fun but it was one hour out of 8,756 hours a year....

If you are asking if I have kissed a girl, then I am not green.

I’ve been trying to cut back on driving. I’m going to try to walk to work 3 times a week for the next 6 weeks as it gets nicer (and before I move out of walking distance.) If only I could control how much my coworkers use their lighting and printing priveledges.

A guy in my office leaves his light on 24 hours for a plant he says “needs it.” Other people are frustrated by it because it’s WORSE for the environment to keep that plant alive. Human ethics are more touchy, sacrificing life for loss but what would you say to this guy?!