That is, the kind you leave on your curb once a week.

Gas prices go up, the cost of living rises, it seems obvious that taxes shall inevitably follow course. And local or county taxes, while the least of our “obligations,” provide most of the quality of life services we enjoy: libraries, schools, road repair, garbage pick up.

In town halls across America this year budgets will be negotiated and the cost of picking up waste and recycling will increase. Or will it? Here are a few ideas to present to your local council member or representative to keep the cost and impact of garbage pick up down:

* Pick up recycling every other week or once a month rather than weekly.

* Reduce garbage collection to every other week.

* Encourage and educate citizens to use less, reuse more and recycle more to lessen the burden on garbage trucks and landfills.

* Provide recycling incentives.

* To alleviate the wear and tear on garbage trucks that constantly break and accelerate, reduce pick up points. Have garbage picked up on only one side of a street or require that garbage is placed on every other driveway or between shared driveways. This will also save money on fuel.

* Eliminate yard waste pick up — require composting grass clippings and leaves.

* Or, as a less extreme measure, only collect large branches and brush and eliminate leaf and grass collection.

Enviro-Girl loves the men who collect her garbage each week. They are troopers, working in all kinds of weather from stifling heat (she would hate to collect garbage in hot, humid weather) to blizzards. They are devoted workers who toss her garbage can into the ditch on windy days so it doesn’t blow into the road. To show her appreciation, she always puts her recycling next to her neighbors’ and her garbage can next to her neighbors’ at the end of their shared driveway. This way they only make one stop and get on their way. She has reduced her waste and recycling so there is less to pick up. Shy of baking them cookies every week, she can’t think of any other way to make their job easier. Any suggestions, readers? How would you make garbage pick up a more efficient process?

Recycla and her family will be moving in about eight months and she is already trying to deal with the STUFF that has accumulated in her basement, attic, and assorted closets in the nine years she’s lived in her current house.

Recycla has hauled boxes of books to the local library to be donated for the next major book sale. She has donated boxes and bags of items to a charity like Goodwill. She has also gone through her children’s closets and put together a large pile of outgrown clothes to give to a friend whose child is just the right size. And she is trying to convince her children to give away or sell some of their toys, even if it’s just one single Barbie.

One other way Recycla has been dealing with all this clutter is to post items on Freecycle.

If you aren’t familiar with Freecycle yet, Recycla encourages you to become so. Freecycle is a global network whose mission is to keep stuff from ending up in landfills. All transactions are money-free; Freecycle is all about FREE stuff and selling items is forbidden.

Have a mattress you don’t need or a bike your child has outgrown? Just go to the website linked above and search for the group located closest to you — there are thousands of them. After a quick registration process, you can start posting for things you want to get rid of or things you are trying to find. The chances are quite good that the mattress or bike (or whatever) will be off your hands and out of your house within hours.

Getting rid of stuff is usually easier than finding what you need, but it really depends on what you’re looking for. Recycla once needed a small piece of lattice for a project, but didn’t want to buy a large sheet of lattice. She put a request on the Freecycle network and got an email almost immediately.

Last week, Recycla posted two bikes her children had outgrown and a bed frame on Freecycle. Within ten minutes, she emails from interested parties and within a few hours, all posted items had been picked up.

There are rules about what can and cannot be posted on Freecycle. For example, some groups allow offers of kittens and puppies, but others do not. There are also some basic courtesies that need to be observed, such as if you say you’re going to pick up an offered item, you need to actually follow through. (This is one of the biggest gripes Recycla has seen posted on her local network.) That said, Recycla herself has never had a problem with this and has always found the process to be super easy.

Now if only Recycla could figure out what to do with her husband’s Little League trophy from second grade…

Graphic courtesy of Freecycle.org.

Team Testosterone is on a limited cereal diet. If they had their way, they’d eat Captain Crunch and Lucky Charms every morning, but Enviro-Girl doesn’t want to watch the sugar high–or the subsequent burn out. She’s selective, buying mostly General Mills and Quaker brands supplemented with some organic brands like EnviroKidz. The only Kellogg’s cereal she buys is Rice Krispies. And that’s about to change.

Enviro-Girl’s not too annoyed by Kellogg’s smaller package of cereal for the same cost. A lot of food companies have gone that route to save money–so what if ice cream comes in a smaller container or she’s buying less butter for the same price?

No, Enviro-Girl will boycott Snap, Crackle and Pop because Kellogg’s plans to use Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” sugar beets in their food products. The Current Occupant recently deregulated these genetically engineered sugar beets. The “Roundup Ready Beet” is designed to withstand heavy application of Roundup, Monsanto’s herbicide. Why is this a problem?

* Herbicide-resistant weeds are on the rise, science cannot stay ahead of their evolution so big ag businesses like Monsanto respond by creating more toxic poisons to pour into our soils and groundwater.

* This means more herbicides in our food. And pesticides. Which means more toxic food.

* Sugar beets are wind-pollinated and the biotech sugar beets will cross-pollinate and contaminate any beets.

* Cross-pollination hurts organic farmers and consumers.

* Genetic pollution has an unknown effect on soil, food webs and biodiversity.

Who else is angry at Monsanto and the Bush Adminstration over this issue? Oregon’s Willamette Valley, for one.

And who else besides Enivro-Girl is mad at Kellogg Corporation? Shareholders–for putting its reputation and company at risk for agreeing to use genetically engineered sugar. Consumers consistently say they do not want to eat gene-altered foods, in fact backlash against them is growing. By agreeing to use GE products, Kellogg’s becomes a target and at what cost? Kellogg’s European and operations are phasing out GE foods due to consumer pressure and other food companies, including Heinz, Gerber, Frito Lay and Whole Foods have pledged to remove GE ingredients.

Kellogg’s claims that US consumers do not care if their food contains GE food or not.

Let them know what YOU think by by contacting Kellogg’s at 800-962-1413 OR at their website.

HERE is a complete list of all Kellogg’s products if you care to join the boycott.

Meanwhile, take heart–candy companies like Hershey’s are urging farmers NOT to plant GE sugar beets because of consumer resistance. Yay chocolate!

A month or so ago Recycla and Enviro-Girl got an email inviting them to check out izzitgreen.com. Whazzit? After a rousing game of Rock-Paper-Scissors some negotiating about who would post what in the next few weeks, Enviro-Girl agreed to don her Super-Exploratory Goggles and enter the Cyber Zone of izzitGreen.

If you live in Massachusetts or if you are thinking about starting a “Green/Eco Network online,” check them out. It’s a cross between MySpace, Consumer Reports, and eco-blog — mostly specific to the Boston area, but enough product and service reviews to make it a useful stop for any Eco Warrior.

The site is bright, modern, full of information and still under construction in a few areas (but whose isn’t?). Over 700 folks have signed on to be part of the IzzitGreen network and the big questions behind IzzitGreen are:

Is it green?

What comes out?

How’s it run?

What do they care about?

From day cares to day spas, from pizza to books, IzzitGreen is THE website that rates and reviews any Boston-area business, encouraging people to post their favorites. By listing the Good and the Green, they hope to direct people to those places. And by asking “is it good”" and “is it green?” IzzitGreen is a little business online making the environment their big business. (And they have the cutest little mascot guy.)

Go, Eco-Warriors, check them out — and if you know of other similar sites for networking Eco-Warriors and reviewing local products and services, let the Eco-Women know!

A couple months ago, Recycla posted a review of Ed Begley Jr.’s book and talked about his eco practices.  She just found a humorous article about Begley’s eco-rivalry with Bill Nye the Science Guy, which you might also find to be interesting and humorous.

Plastic milk jugs are getting a green makeover.

The redesigned containers — to be available at Sam’s Club, Walmart, and Costco — are made of a strong plastic in a stackable shape that facilitates filling and storage, while using fewer resources. However, the new shape has raised some controversy because the lack of a defined pouring spout has led to unnecessary messes far more spills.

The Eco Women are curious: Have any of you tried this new jug and, if so, what do you think?

Here are some natural methods for keeping the blood-sucking little monsters at bay:

1. Standing water makes perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Empty water from all buckets, kiddie pools, spare tires or whatever else you might have hanging around your yard.
2. Recycla has heard that eating garlic will repel mosquitoes and if you are looking for a stronger variation, you can rub garlic on your skin. Bananas on the other hand attracts them.
3. Stay away from scented shampoos, deodorants and perfumes as these tend to attract pests.
4. Planting herbs in your backyard may help too. Basil and rosemary tend to repel mosquitoes.
5. Ingesting Thiamine in the form of a B-1 tablet is rumored to give the skin an odor indiscernible to humans but unpleasant to mosquitoes.
6. Natural oils like citronella and tea tree oil are save enough to put directly on the skin to keep mosquitoes at bay.

Coming home last week, Enviro-Girl immediately noticed the sharp contrast of her family’s green lawn compared to their neighbor’s. She cut a suspicious glance at her husband. “Did you fertilize?”

(Mr. D spreads Scotts around like it’s cheap parade candy — for the first time this spring Enviro-Girl convinced him to try worm castings and eschew the poisonous chemicals in the plastic bags. She’d been gone a week and would not put such devious behavior past her Lawn King.)

“Nope,” Mr. D announced proudly. “I moved the mower blade up to 3 inches. The M’s are still mowing at 2 1/2. See the difference?”

She did. Her family’s lawn looked greener, lusher, and less weedy — all without the “help” of hardware store chemicals.

According to National Geographic, grassy lawns cover over 30 million acres and the average homeowner bought 102 million pounds of active ingredients used in pesticides for said lawns. Over $28 billion is spent on American lawns, at the cost of our environment — groundwater, bird life, children’s health, and soil health. Even the all-American act of mowing the lawn uses 800 million gallons of gas each year and produces up to 5% of America’s air pollution according to the EPA.

Lawn Care companies sound benign — the word “care” evokes a friendly, compassionate feeling. Spreading carcinogens like Mancozeb and Dursban isn’t exactly friendly. And lawn toxins have a nasty habit of not staying put — which is why Minnesota is touting a law prohibiting the exceesive use of lawn fertilizer. Phosphorous is necessary for new lawns, but not for established lawns. Yet, a lot of people spread it unnecessarily and that phosphorous runs into waterways and feeds dangerously toxic algae blooms. A pound of phosphorous produces 300-500 pounds of algae which then costs local governments $200 a pound to remove.

The 70 million tons of fertilizers and pesticides applied annually is enough of a problem, but the another environmental cost has moved governments to react with more urgency than Minnesota: water. Over 30% of water used on the East Coast goes to watering lawns, 60% on the west coast. From Atlanta to Las Vegas watering bans are now in effect to preserve a precious resource — with fines as much as $1,000 levied against people caught illegally watering their lawns.

A healthy lawn is more than a place to run barefoot and play whiffle ball. It’s a burden on landfills (18% of municipal solid waste is yard waste).

What can I do?

Well you might ask. Here are some easy, environmentally friendly ways to care for you lawn without sacrificing your family’s health or your ecosystem’s viability:

* Improve the soil — use earthworm castings and compost to fertilize.

* Mow often, but not too short — longer grass doesn’t dry out and it chokes out weeds, too.

* Let it go dry in dry weather — most grasses survive a dormant period just fine, so let your lawn go brown in August, it’ll be lush and green with rainfall again in September.

* Leave your grass clippings. They will help your lawn retain water and nutrients while NOT taking up valuable landfill space.

* Control thatch by raking or renting a de-thatcher.

* Choose a grass best suited to your climate when planting a lawn.

* Use a reel mower to reduce noise and air pollution.

* Test your soil and choose nutrients suited to your soil’s needs. Don’t just pull a bag off the shelf at Home Depot and start spreading.

* Control weeds with an application of nontoxic corn gluten, spread it right when the forsythia is in bloom, it kills weed seedlings and adds nitrogen.

* Spot treat weeds. Plain old white vinegar works well for this.

* Explore environmentally friendly lawn and product options. Here is a website that offers many.

* Consider less lawn if you don’t play on it — gardens of succulents, prairies, wildflowers, native species will require less labor and resources while providing a beautiful place to relax outside of your house.

Even a few small changes can make a huge environmental impact when we’re talking lawn care. Now, Enviro-Girl is off to kick off her shoes and play catch with Team Testosterone in the grass.

One of Recycla’s new favorite blogs is 365 Days of Trash. Since the beginning of the year, the blogger, Dave, has been keeping all of his trash and recycling in his basement in order to better understand his carbon footprint and think of ways to lessen it. He makes detailed lists every day of what he threw away, recycled, or composted and posts the results on his blog.

Dave also blogs about related issues and his posts are always informative. He even has a list of rules he follows for this project, which Recycla encourages you to read, as it really is a good exercise in thinking about one’s own consumption.

If you are interested in reading more about reducing your garbage output, the Eco Women suggest you click here and here.

Recycla is looking for more ways to cut back on how much STUFF she brings into her house.  This is difficult, as she has two children who seem to accumulate STUFF just like rabbits multiply.  Luckily, the entire family is savvy about their recycling and have assorted recycling bins scattered around their house, which is a good beginning step.   All the same, Recycla is trying to do more.

The Eco Women are curious to know what YOU have done to reduce your consumption lately and what steps you think could take to do more.

It’s the Monday after a three-day weekend.  The chances are good that you are sitting at your computer reading this with a cup of coffee nearby.  Since Recycla is feeling the post-holiday-weekend blues and will be a bit lethargic until her caffeine of choice hits her bloodstream, she’s going to talk to you today about coffee.

Did you know that even your daily choice of coffee can have an impact on Planet Earth?

Here are three EASY suggestions to help you make a difference, one cup at a time.

• Look for Fair Trade Certification. When you buy coffee that is fair-trade certified, you are guaranteeing that the farmers who grew the beans are paid a fair price, are provided much-needed credit and given technical assistance, such as help in making the transition to organic growing.

• Select organic coffee. It is worth the small cost premium to use organic coffee beans, too, which eliminate your exposure, and that of the environment, to hazardous pesticides that are commonly applied to conventional crops.

• Look for shade-grown beans. Coffee was originally a shade-loving plant, and was traditionally cultivated underneath existing trees in a process that protected the native forest. Today, many farmers continue to raise coffee beneath shade trees, and the plants provide sanctuary to important migratory birds, many of which are now threatened. These are many of the same birds that fill American yards with song during the warm months.

That’s it.  Just three easy things to remember the next time you stock up on java or dash into your favorite coffee shop for a cup to go.

Coffee tips courtesy of the Daily Green.