SAVE THE PLANET

LET THE LAUNDRY AND CHECKBOOK CHILL OUT

Yes, you know that using cold water for the laundry saves energy — and plenty of it. But did you know that doing so on a standard, top-loading washing machine for two loads a week saves about $56 a year? And to make sure that the cold-water wash still gets your colors clean, use color-safe bleach or spot-clean before doing that load.

FINAL WORD

"I'm more interested in embracing the complexity of my environment than in trying to protect myself from it, or deny it. I feel like there's more medicine and food value in a couple leaves of dandelion collected along the train tracks than in an apple harvested in New Zealand, shipped and stored on some shelf for five months."

Nance Klehm | an eco-landscape designer who also is an "urban forager"