HOT 97 FULL FRONTAL FASHION SHOW AND CONCERT IS SEEING GREEN! HAVE YOU PURCHASED YOUR TICKETS YET? This year HOT 97Âs Full Frontal is SEEING GREEN! Recycle your old vinyls and cds to help the environment and weÂre hooking you up with free music downloads from iTunes and the chance to win tickets to see Jay-Z and Mary, Alicia Keys and Kanye! ThatÂs right, all you have to do is bring as many old albums as possible! The more you bring the better chance you have at winning big! Visit http://www.hot97.com/fullfrontalhiphop2008/terracycle.aspx for more information! BUT YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE TICKETS FIRST! Go to www.ticketmaster.com NOW to purchase tickets or www.HOT97.com/fullfrontalhiphop2008 to WIN them! HOT 97 FULL FRONTAL FASHION SHOW AND CONCERT March 20, 2008, 6:30pm Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City See you there! HOT 97- Where Hip Hop Lives! www.hot97.com

Hello ~ I bought ten acres in a rural are twenty five years ago, & have dealt with many of the issues on this forum. I'd like to add my comments re recyclables: If you find yourself with a lot of non-recyclable 'garbbage' it's often a sign you are eating things that are *not healthful.* These days, most *aware* non-vegetarians now realize the hazzards of corporate-produced meat ~ & the presence of heavy metals, like mercury, in seafood. So either raise some rabbits (easily done, even in the city!), or chickens for meat--or stop buying meat on styrofoam trays! Change your grocery shopping habits: take shopping bags along--filled with your own reusable plastic bags, etc. Buy in bulk when possible ~ cheaper &, if you buy organic, much healthier & more *delicious. Re-think products you buy & use in your homes: Years ago I learned that baking soda & vinegar were safe & inexpensive replacements for nearly all household cleaning products! Chemical cleaners are seldom needed & harmful to you & your environment. Baking soda will scrub a tub or sink, remove odors from the refrig, & makes an excellent substitute for toothpaste ~ & now we've learned that fluoride in toothpaste is carcinogenic, it's best avoided ~ & one more item stays out of a land fill. Nothing cleans & shines windows & glass better than vinegar & water; use wadded newspaper to shine the glass! It can't be beat. Once you begin shopping regularly at bulk/health food stores, you'll learn to take along your own jars & containers: for bulk honey, peanut butter, cooking oil, soy sauce, even shampoo & lotions, etc. Take stock of your recyclables--& one by one--try to replace items by 'bulk buy' or making at home. Years ago I noticed yogurt tubs comprised the bulk of my plastic recyclables. I've since made yogurt at home with organic milk ~ a process that takes only *minutes & requires nothing more than clean jars, a floating thermometer, & a small picnic cooler. Voila! Now, must head out to replant the strawberry bed! Just my 2 cents, LOL-- Cheers!

Some of the tips below are for repurposing/recycling in general. Hope no one minds. Use binder clips to keep bags and other types of packaging for coffee, bread, frozen vegetables, etc. closed and to keep the air out. They provide a tight and secure closure. If your Pilates ring or exercise circle breaks, use extra thick pillows or shams to tone your thighs. Use 2 together for added resistance. Use sponges as cushions to miminize scratching the sink when washing heavy items such as stove grates. Check to see if you can get money off when you bring in your old broken items. For example, some retailers offer money off a new paper shredder when you bring in your broken one. The retailers will probably have it recycled. Not repurposed but at least there's hope that it doesn't end up in the landfill. I got a great micro cut shredder on sale with another $30 taken off. It's not green to buy bottled water but there are times when I just need to have it in the refrigerator. I recycle the corrugated bottoms that comes with cases of bottled water by using them as trays to cushion and protect pantry shelves and cabinet from stains and scuff marks. I use them to store spices, cooking oils, cleaners etc. They can also be used as drawer organizers too. Cover them with decorative contact paper. Another use: I use a corrugated bottom to create another layer inside a corrugated box. The materal/color blends in. My laptop is placed underneath the corrugated bottom and cleaning supplies are placed on top. I do this to hide my laptop from thieves in case my house gets burgled. A Shake and Bake box is used to hide my e-reader in the pantry. Place old broken laptops, Ipods, and other electronics in strategic areas to act as decoys when you're away. Burglars might take them and be satisfied with the loot and leave. I have an alarm system and I like to take extra precautions. Otherwise, drop them off at at responsible recycler. I use old terry face cloths as mats under my electric toothbrush and oral irrigator to absorb any drops of water. My bathroomm countertop is made of ultra-hard porcelain decorative squares. I feel uncomfortable not using something to at least cushion the surface. Use an old towel to clean floors by wrapping it around a Cuban mop. A Cuban mop is a simple T-shaped mop with no material mop head. Sham Wow type chamois cloths can be used with this mop too. Toss the towel in the wash. Sham Wows can simply be rinsed. At Lowes, a clerk once mistakenly threw in three 2-1/2 quart "Mix and Measure" containers in my bag without my knowledge. When I got home, the minimalist in me wanted to throw them out but I decided not to. I finally found a use for them. Instead of filling a big bucket, I fill one of the mix and measure containers with the right proportion of water and cleaner or water/vinegar to tackle small cleaning jobs such as the floor in one room. I also use them to store cleaning brushes. Keep an old toothbrush near the sink to clean ridged coffee filter holders, fork tines, ultra sharp knives etc. It sounds strange to mention soup and detergent in the same sentence. I use plastic takeout food containers with lids to store homemade soup in the freezer and store handy amounts of powder laundry detergent to keep near the washer. I designate specific containers for single purposes. Use old mouse pads as coasters or cushions to place jewelry, eyeglasses. The porcelain in my bathroom counter wore off a little of the finish on my eyeglass frame so I use an mouse pad in there. Empty garbage bag boxes are used to store plastic grocery bags. If you're using kitty litter that comes in a big plastic bucket, save the bucket when the kitty litter is used up. Wash it thoroughly and use it to brine a turkey. It actually fits in my refrigerator. I eventually switched over to a brand that doesn't use plastic. Plastic grocery bags or newspaper bags are used for dumping coffee grounds into them to prevent contents from spilling all over the garbage bin if the kitchen garbage bag breaks. Always Freecycle, and donate to Goodwill and the Salvation Army.

I use plastic shopping bags to line small trash cans, like in the bathroom & office...also for doggy-doo pickup bags on walks. The small plastic produce bags - I only get those if I'm getting something like green beans that have to be bagged - get used for sandwich bags etc; instead of buying sandwich bags, which has always seemed really silly to me. Plastic pop bottles and cans get "recycled" at the grocery store for cash. I think bottled water is a horrendous waste of money...I have one of those filter jugs for water, and keep it in the fridge. I used to have a filter that attached to the faucet; that worked very well too. Most bottled water is just filtered tap water anyhow, why pay for it when you can filter your own at home for way less? Plus you're not cluttering landfills with plastic bottles.