It's that time of the year in the Midwest...the time when a walk out into your yard can produce a "crunching" sound. You know what I'm talking about. It's when we have had over 2 weeks of 90+ degree days and little to no rain. The yard is dry, parched, crunchy and BROWN!

And while my yard is brown, it seems even browner compared to the lush green lawn that is my neighbor's pride and joy. Their  built-in irrigation system goes off religiously at 5 a.m. and keeps his lawn healthy and green.  For a while, I was embarrassed at the site (and sound!) of our yard and I hauled out the sprinklers, attached the hoses and watered my lawn.

We all want to help the Earth, but we all know that sometimes it costs more to do so. Products with eco-friendly packaging are often more expensive...."green" cleaning supplies cost more at the grocery store, etc.In this economy, it is understandable that we need to be conscious of not just our environment, but also our pocketbook. Below are a few ways that companies are making it easier to do both! Save some Green while you save our Green!  It's a win-win!

*  Recycle ink and toner cartridges in exchange for $2 in Staples Rewards.

*  Starbucks will give you a 10-cent discount for using reusable mugs or tumblers. If you plan on hanging at Starbucks while you drink your morning joe, ask for it in a ceramic mug instead of the to-go cups. It's free to do so.

*  CVS Pharmacy's GreenBag Tag initiative gives a bonus every time customers bring in a reusable shopping bag or decline a plastic bag. Four scans will earn you $1 in CVS Extra Bucks.

With St. Patrick's Day approaching, as well as the first day of Spring, we all could use a little green in our lives.  I'm talking houseplants. While most of us have them at home, far fewer of us place them in our offices. But place them (and water them!) we should.

Plants Clean the Air:  Common house plants improve air quality. Besides the basics we learned in biology (they emit our needed oxygen and we emit their needed CO2) they remove a variety of of other toxic air emissions including ammonia, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, benzene, xylene and trichloroethytene. An excellent resource for anyone who's serious about using plants to their clean air advantage is How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants That Purify Your Home or Office.

If you are like me, you go through a thousand post-it notes a year. I leave them on my steering wheel to remind myself to go to the bank. I leave them on my husband's keys so he remembers to get his lunch out of the fridge before leaving for work....on my bathroom mirror to remember to take medication, etc.  Then in my office, I am the post it note queen! My computer monitor is often framed in those little yellow squares reminding me of the many passwords I have for all of my log-ins. My IT guy loves me!
 

Now I am good about re-using the notes. The "lunch" reminder is kept in a drawer and pulled out whenever necessary. Still, I would say that my use of these notes is borderline addicted.  

 The schools are doing an incredible job these days of teaching our children about the environment. I admit that often times it is my child who points out I should recycle the green beans can and not toss it in the trash!