How many of these banned words from Detroit’s Lake Superior State University’s 2009 list of banished words and phrases can you use in just one sentence?  I ‘know’ you can better me!!!

• -green
• -carbon footprint or carbon offsetting
• -maverick
• -first dude
• -bailout
• -Wall Street/Main Street
• -monkey
• -icon or iconic
• -game changer
• -staycation
• -desperate search
• -not so much
• -winner of five nominations
• -it’s that time of year again

There’s a new law, part of a massive governmental energy-saving program that will completely phase out the use of those energy-gobbling incandescent light bulbs by the year 2014.

Yep, so if you’re really into the old bulbs better get scouring now and buy them while you can.

On the other hand, as long as you have to buy ‘new’ bulbs why not go a step further and get some of the full spectrum light bulbs on the market?

Full spectrum lights, while not a substitute for natural sunlight, have been shown to aid in keeping us healthy. We’re talking better chances of avoiding colds, lowering our blood pressure and even better sleep.

I kid you not! Mother Nature knows what she’s doing. And full spectrum light bulbs are as close as you can get, indoors.

Real Goods carries some nice ones (and there happens to be some in the outlet there) (discounts are a good thing).

The road to Wewoka was lonely. Why? There were tons of people already in Wewoka for the annual festival. Seems we were a tad bit late arriving.  So much so that parking ‘might’ have been an issue.  We finally found a spot at one of the local churches.

The parade must have been a huge one as it was still going on we we arrived. Horses, floats, big trucks and lawnmowers, the whole works.  Looks like every group in town must have had an entry in the parade.

Main street was lined up and down, both sides with booths galore.  There were tons of offerings. Rides for the kiddos, kettle corn, hand cranked ice cream, faux sham wow’s, crafts,  sweet potato pies and on and on.  There was a car show at one end of main street too.

The other end, just past the antique tractor show, there was a sorghum mill demonstration.  They had truck beds of harvested sorghum, and they were hand feeding it into an antique mill press, powered by mules!

They cook down the juice into rich sorghum which they sold right there.

We had it with our oatmeal the next day - nothing beats FRESH sorghum syrup!

GM’s landfill-free plants will ship waste aluminum to their foundries to be reused to produce parts for their engines and transmissions.  Used motor oil will be reconditioned for reuse.  In addition, upwards of 50,000 TONS of waste material from the GM factories will be converted to waste-to-energy facilities this year.  Their sales from recycled scrap metal alone are nearing $1 billion annually.

GM’s bottom line will certainly benefit from their green improvements.

But, how would we balance our checkbooks?

It’s kind of cute, in it’s own way, and it’s everything environmentally friendly people want in a car, including a fancy name, but does a pint size car belong to a big name like Mercedes?

The smart Fortwo’s base model comes with a 5-speed automated manual transmission with manual OR automatic mode, remote locking, a leather steering wheel, radio ready. Air is optional.  The higher priced models offer more amenities, allow wheels, air, power windows, electric mirrors, sound.  The top notch model runs about $16500.

At about eight feet long and five wide, it’s a tiny little thing that boasts highway mileage of up to 55 mpg.  There’s four airbags and about eight feet of storage for groceries.

It’s a Mercedes so you know it’s well made.  I’m personally not sold on it.  If I’m going to get a Mercedes, I want a ‘whole’ one!!!

There’s a new recyclable plate out – and it’s compostable!

Verterra.com is where you find them.  Now be ready for sticker shock, they’re about 89 cents a piece!  You’ve got to really be into composting in order to purchase them on a regular basis.

The new compostable plates are made 100% from renewable and compostable plant materials and water. No waxes, no dyes, no chemicals.  They’re created from fallen leaves. They use steam, heat and pressure to form these new plates and bowls.

Such a simple process!  And they’ll decompose in a compost pile in about two months.

Short list of ways to save money around the office and help save earth’s resources at the same time.

• Turn off lights when not in the room. Particularly little used areas like meeting rooms, conference rooms, break rooms, empty offices.
• Replace burnt out light bulbs with new compact fluorescents,
• Use direct deposit.
• Have recycle bins for most used items, aluminum, plastic, toner, cell phones.
• Provide small recycle bins at each work station for paper.
• Set your printers to draft mode for most paperwork.
• Choose biodegradable supplies for the break rooms, paper plates over Styrofoam for instance.
• Replace Styrofoam cups with reusable bottles.
• Buy recycled paper.

There’s a new disposable diaper on the market made from cloth. These new disposable diapers are flushable, and compostable.  They disintegrate in a compost pile in just 2-6 months. (The wet ones only – the yucky ones must be flushed.) (Of course, I don’t think I’d suggest flushing if you have a septic system!!!)

According to the manufacturer, the materials in the diapers are made of a water resistant, breathable outer material that keeps bottoms dry and wetness away. They’re made from an all natural fiber and 100% biodegradable.  The inside uses elemental chlorine-free pulp from a tree farm and super absorbing poly-acrylate  (SAP) to absorb wetness.  These super absorbing cells hold up to 100 times their weight in liquid. SAP stands for super absorber. A.K.A. sodium polyacrylate. SAP are the small crystals mixed with soft, fluffed wood pulp that make up the contents of the flushable.

The flushables are made in Ohio!

They are a little hard to find, but the website has a store locator function. I found four stores that carry them not too far from me.  For more information visit their website at http://www.gdiapers.com

Instead of using a new box for an Ebay sale, I recycled an envelope box to ship it in.  It’s sturdy, the item fit and I saved a new priority box.

I returned a Netflix movie.  That’s one less movie I didn’t buy and ultimately have to do something with.

I drank tea in a brought from home glass. One less cup to toss.

I ate carrots, brought from home, with me for a snack, and put ranch dressing in a reusable plastic container. Yes, I had to haul it back home, but, that’s one less piece of trash I didn’t create, at least today.

I walked over to Hallmark at lunch to get a head start on my Christmas present. YES SOME STORES ALREADY HAVE THE ‘SPECIAL’ ORNAMENTS OUT. YES THE ONES THAT WERE DUE IN OCTOBER. Call your Hallmark, otherwise the early worm will get all the Star Trek Communicators!

I was good. I only bought ONE.  Guess how many that left on the shelf?

One!  Star Trek fans you’d better high-tail it down to your local Hallmark!

While I was out at lunch, I returned a book I’d bought off Ebay. Only because they sent me the wrong book.  The seller was so upset. I had several emails and a lengthy voice mail, so concerned that he wouldn’t get it back. (He’d confused two orders and sent us each others book.)  Being the good Ebayer I am, I repackaged it (as the original box was totally beat up by the time it got here) and shipped it back.  It’s easy to get confused when packing multiple Ebay sales. I’ve almost done it myself. (knock on wood).

The point?  Be conscious in all your decisions.  Choose the path that’s best for Mother Nature and you’ll undoubtedly be on the green road.