THE LEFT LANE
Be a superhero today

Advertiser Staff and News Services

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No, it's you! Superman may have been a work of fiction, but today you can use your own powers to save the Earth.

Use your super strength to take your old newspapers and bottles to the neighborhood recycling bin.

Use your super speed and turn off the light when you leave a room.

Pick up trash when you spot it with your super vision.

Put your incredible changing skills into gear and alternate driving to work with a bus or bike ride.

Think up your own super ideas to protect the world. Put your Earth-friendly powers to work.

Recycling for fun

How about working together on homemade craft using recycled materials? For ideas, go to www.kidsdomain.com.

One of the ideas is a bowling game. For pins, gather clean, dry plastic bottles (two-liter or 20-ounce) and fill them with tissue paper, shiny cloths or Easter grass. Decorate the exterior with stickers if you wish.

When you're done, grab a Nerf or lightweight rubber ball and have fun.

Trendsetting tin man

Our favorite? The Dancing Tin Can Man. The book calls it one way to make your neighbors mindful about recycling — by making noise about it. You can hang your recycled can man on the lanai as a wind chime or in the garden to scare away the birds.

The whole point, the author says, is to think creatively about all the ways you can reduce the number of things you throw away. Today is Earth Day, so think about it.

Convert your debris

A final thought: Start your own compost pile on Earth Day. It might be smelly at first, but composting saves landfill space and is a practical way to recycle kitchen wastes and turns garbage into soil fertilizer.

People with yards can start an easy-to-maintain outdoor compost bin.

Items for your compost pile include kitchen scraps such as vegetable trimmings, egg shells, coffee grounds with filters, and tea bags.

Leaves, grass, dead plants, vacuum-cleaner lint, wool and cotton rags, sawdust and shredded newspaper also can be composted.

A word of caution: Be careful not to add any meats, dairy foods, or any fats, oil, or grease to the heap. Those attract pests and are slow to decompose.

For information on composting, go to www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/compost/compost.html.