Are you already overwhelmed by the school supplies list that little Johnny just brought or will soon bring home?

If you've got to fork over the dough for the school supplies anyway, why not buy eco-friendly supplies?

That's right, you can get everything from paper and notebooks made from bananas or mangos to solar backpacks and even FSC certified graphite and colored pencils.

All of these supplies are easy to come by, eco-friendly, and help you take one more step towards a greener life.

Oh, did I mention that they're safe? Yeah, who wants PVC, chemicals, and dyes all over their kids?

Don't worry, you don't have to go store hopping and internet scouring, we're laying them all out right here for ya.

Like anyone who is trying to live green, I have a problem with the speed with which the rain forests and every other forest on the planet for that matter are being cut down. One of the reasons of course that so many trees are being cut down in addition to the fact that humanity is expanding at an exponential rate, is our need for paper products, and one of those paper products are books.

I freely admit that I am a book junkie, and I have more paperbacks in my house than any one woman should own in a lifetime. The fact is I adore reading, and am a voracious reader, but this sometimes clashes with my concerns about the numbers of trees being cut down to provide me with my favorite vice.

If we continue to misuse our planet's resources and allow it to continue in its spiraling descent into oblivion, who will be the ones to suffer?

As a guy in my mid 20's I'll feel alot of the pain, but it'll be those much younger than even me who bear the brunt of the damage we're inflicting today...

...and all because we're just lazy.

In celebration of Earth Day today, I was extended the privilege to speak to a couple of 3rd grade classes at a local elementary school.

The great american past-time of baseball is going green.

Up until now, I guess the Green Monstah at Fenway Park has been the greenest thing about baseball...but that's all a'changin'.

Unlike more cookie cutter type plans implemented by other sports teams, like the Philadelphia Eagles, the MLB's "Team Greening Program" is tailored to each individual team and stadium.

Now that's cool.

Many of us, especially in America, are blessed by abundance...or at least the absence of lack.

Have you ever thought about how those holiday left-overs go to waste when so many are going hungry? Yeah, until a few days ago I hadn't either.

So whether you whip out your Schwetty Balls onto the holiday table this year, or perhaps some other tasty treat like roasted salty nuts, consider these ideas for putting your left-overs to better use.

Did you know that today is America Recycles Day?

Chances are you did not.

Why not use today as the day to start taking simple steps towards living green--which we're all about here at The Fun Times Guide to Living Green.

Did you know:

• Recycling a single plastic bottle provides enough fiber to make just over 10 t-shirts


• Recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a tv for 3 hours

Yeah, you read it right.

A Yahoo! UK story yesterday reports that China is recycling used condoms potentially laden with STD's, including AIDS, into those colorful hair bands used daily by all yall who adorn yourself with luscoius, flowing locks...not to be confused, however, with hair bands of the 80's, like Poison, Queen, or Cindarella.

Though those hair bands probably had their fair share of STD's as well...

If we don't save our planet, the universe will create a new one...but humans won't inhabit it.

It's true, this feeble rock we call home is our one and only shot. We should all take a lesson from dying stars 400 times the size of our sun and do a bit of recycling.

Oh you didn't know that stars traveling 80 miles per second recycle? You'd be surprised...

What if bottles, bags, and other plastic products could be made from biodegradable materials? Oh, wait, they can be!

Have you heard of biodegradable plastic products made from a substance called PLA?

PLA (polylactic acid) is a resin that is mostly made from, you better believe it, corn (although it can be made from other starchy sources such as potatoes).

As Elizabeth Royte from the Smithsonian Magazine puts it, "[This is] an industrial resin poised to become--if you can believe all the hype--the future of plastic in a post-petroleum world".

That said, are PLA products safe? Are they really biodegradable? Do they really save energy and money?

There was a time when it may have been inconvenient for most people to participate in a recycling program of sorts, but a great many municipal governments are making that a thing of the past.

Here in Nashville, TN for example, we have a service called CURBY. That's right, if you live in Nashville proper than chances are there is a monthly pick up of all recyclables in your neighborhood. The city even provides you with a cart to store them in!

Are you on one of the pick up routes?

So what do you do if you want to recycle, but don't live on a route (in Nashville) or if your city doesn't have a recycling program?

One of the most popular reasons I come across for people not taking some simple steps to more sustainable living is a lack of convenience. For example, it's just easier to use the plastic bags at the grocery store and throw them in the trash at home than to bring your own reusable cloth or canvas bags to the store or at least taking the plastic grocery bags to a recycling location.

This morning as I made my traditional Saturday morning Publix donut run, I realized that such inconveniences cease to exist if you too shop at Publix.

Going green doesn't simply refer to neutralizing your carbon footprint and combating global warming; those are merely factors, albeit big ones, in living a greener life. There are a host of things you can do that are free (and/or can actually save you money), help others, and contribute to saving and enjoying our environment.

Here are three ideas that accomplish all of those goals.