I get emails every day from a place that puts out a green newsletter. I know what you're thinking already, because I thought the same thing. "I don't eat granola, I wash my hair, and I shave my pits. Not interested." Well, so do they. These are cool environmentalists.

In todays newsletter, they talked about school supplies, and how to be environmentally aware when picking school supplies. They suggest products at the end of the newsletter, and today, they suggested a pen. This isn't just any pen. If you throw it in your backyard, the plastic will disintegrate within a year. See, it's not plastic. It's made of corn.

This isn't the first "plastic" I've seen that was made of corn. I got some food at Wild Oats once, and it came in your average transparent deli container. But it wasn't so average. It was also made of corn.

It all makes me think of George Washington Carver, who invented countless products and improved others. And his ingredients were peanuts, soybeans, pecans, and sweet potatos. The one thing he is most known for, the invention of peanut butter, wasn't something he invented. But the actual things he invented are much cooler. And yet, he only received three patents, and his products mostly fell into obscurity.

Why? I mean, people are starting to use corn as plastic a lot now. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it was something he invented, and even if it wasn't, you can't deny that he inspired the idea. One of the products that fell into obscurity was his peanut gasoline. Which leads me to...

When we were at the fair, we saw a heater that runs off used oil. Now, I thought this was cool, and being the responsible half-ass environmentalist that I am, I have researched waste oil fuel. Did you know you can take used cooking oil, get a special converter put into a diesel engine, and run your car off of used cooking oil. Your exhaust smells like french fries or Mexican food. So I suspected this was similar. It wasn't. Not exactly anyway. This heater runs off used oil. Cooking oil is fine (when mixed with petroleum products) but it will also run off used car oil, used brake fluid, used transmission fluid, etc. Furthermore, with optional coils, you can use it to provide hot water for the household. The cost is not anymore than I would be spending anyway. If I choose not to do this, I can go back to the corn and use a corn burning stove.

At my apartment, we are working on plans to have a gorgeous ceiling, modelled after a favorite museum. We are using a lot of solar tubes, so that during the daytime, electrical lighting is completely unnecessary. Over the rest of the roof, we are talking about solar panels. Right now there are significant tax breaks for solar panel installation, and we can use that to power the rest of the electricity we need. Because of the tax breaks, loan programs for renewable energy, and even grants, we are spending about what we would anyway, and since we need a new roof, no problem.

My husband will be trading in his car, which already gets great gas mileage, on a motorcycle. In addition to cutting his gas bill by 50-75%, he can be incredibly sexy, and I get to live out dreams that are best not shared here. HeeHee!

The point is, it's a lot easier than people think to go green in small, or even large ways. But will we? Or will we once again forget how to use the resources we are given properly?

From my current favorite song by Tool:

"Don't these talking monkeys know that
Eden has enough to go around?
Plenty in this holy garden, silly monkeys,
Where there's one you're bound to divide it.
Right in two." Tool, Right in Two.