My father is part of an ecology group looking to expand its recycling in a village not far from here.

So on a lot of Saturdays, he volunteers to collect TVs from people upgrading before the digital switch. (Thank you to those people! Older TVs contain a lot of lead, so recycling is a great option.)

He called me to find out if I knew where they could recycle computers and electronics. I told him Will County has a ton of drop-off sites, but that's not a lot of help since he's not in Will.

Instead, he called Will County's Land Use Department to find out who they contract with to recycle their electronics. And he ended up talking with someone really passionate about keeping all of that stuff out of the landfills and got a lot of leads to try to expand the recycling programs in his town.

I have to say, I was pretty proud. Not just because my dad is trying to get this done, but because my county is pretty much on the cutting edge of recycling. The rest of the collar counties think we're out in the country, but they should probably be taking notes. If you own it, the land use department probably has a drop-off for recycling it.

if you're like me, you aren't organized enough to have stuff ready for special recycling events. Instead, I have a box in the garage where the weird stuff goes, like motor oil, batteries and dead computers. When we have a reasonable pile, we'll go distribute it to the right Will County sites, like shopping in reverse.

Visit the Will County Land Use Department's Web site for info on business recycling, special recycling events, drop-off sites and a recycling guide.

OK, Joliet may have failed to impress but kudos to the rest of the world (especially Homer Glen!) for turning off the lights for Earth Hour 2009.

I'm a big lame-o who gets all teary eyed when there is a worldwide effort for almost anything. The moment of silence the Friday after Sept. 11? I sobbed like a schoolgirl when I saw on the news people all over the world freezing where they were when the clock struck noon. I'm tearing up even now thinking about it.

I had to work during this Earth Hour, but took a quick spin down Jefferson in Joliet to see if anyone took part. Thank you, McDonald's and Starbucks.

Our reporter Tony Graf will be doing a story about events in Homer Glen and Lockport. Homer Glen is a star pupil for Earth Hour.

For those of you who want to see if you tear up like I did, take a look on the Internet at pictures of Piccadilly Circus and Big Ben in London and photos of the Vegas strip and pyramids in Egypt. This isn't a silly, local event. This is worldwide and it matters.

Yeah, I'm tearing up again.

One thing I love about my street in Plainfield is that their are no street lights and most residents leave their outside lights off.

Aside from one guy who is too happy to turn on his floodlight and a new renter who thinks his outside lights should be on 24/7, it's really nice. We can see the sky, enjoy visits from nocturnal creatures and not have to shield our eyes if we have to run out to the garage for something.

On Saturday, I hope the world will get to enjoy that feeling. From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, businesses and residents all over the world are encouraged to turn off nonessential lighting as part of the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour.

Consider adding your approval by flicking off those outdoor lights, that lamp you leave on just because and other non-essential lighting. And while we're at it, lets talk about what "essential" means. If you don't live in the White House or the big house, you probably don't need a flood light on your house. If you think your lights are the only reason you're not being robbed every night, your street better come up in our police blotter a lot or you're just kidding yourself and exposing your neighbors to unneeded light pollution.

You won't be alone if you opt to turn them off. Lockport's city council approved a resolution supporting Earth Hour, and Homer Glen has planned a week of activities tied into Earth Hour. Many are astronomy related since light pollution tends to block out our view of the stars. Homer Glen's environment committee even went door to door to encourage businesses to turn off their lights during Earth Hour.

If you've visited a local McDonald's, you may have noticed a sign up saying they will participate, too.

Yeah, it's big enough to turn off the golden arches. More than 1,500 cities are signed on, including Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, Rome, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Mexico City, Moscow, Sydney and Tel Aviv. Find me another event where Dubai and Chicago are on the same page.

Among the icons going dark are the Sears Tower (which I will not call by its new name), the Strip in Las Vegas, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum and the New York Public Library.

I just finished taking a beginner's sewing course at Joliet Junior College's Romeoville campus.

It was a lot of fun, but not without its challenges. But at the end of the class, I had a certificate (woo-hoo!), a finished set of jammies with little monkeys on them and a burning desire to sew more stuff.

One of the women in the class said she read an article that said more women have been buying sewing machines during the recession to save money.

I'm not sure how well that would work. We import so many cheap goods from China that you can get a pair of flannel pajama pants at Wal-Mart for $10 or less. Enough flannel from Jo-Ann Fabrics to make the same pair will run you $15 if you don't have a coupon. And that doesn't even count the expense of sewing accessories, the machine or your time.

So why bother?

photo courtesy of www.rareseeds.com

Ignore the rain, because it's time to think about spring.
For our area, the last frost is expected about April 20.
That means you need to get thinking about starting seeds.

Yeah, you.

Here's the deal, if you grow your own veggies, you decimate your carbon footprint because you aren't having your green beans flown in from Buenos Aries. I don't think they grow our green beans in Buenos Aires, but you're still saving the world from the carbon emissions that would even be needed to truck in the veggies to your local farmer's market.
And you slash your food budget while still getting organic, wholesome fresh veggies -- as long as you're willing to do an organic garden.
With the recession having everyone in its cold grasp, you could use some grocery savings. This is a great way.

When the K-Mart near Westfield Louis Joliet mall was doing the crazy clearance to prepare for their transformation to a MyGofer store, we couldn't stay away.

My favorite purchase: Martha Stewart Everyday storage containers. I saved 30 percent on top of the marked-down price. They are small glass containers like Pyrex's old brightly colored refrigerator sets, but they have plastic tops so you don't break them on the trip to and from work. The glass means I can heat up leftovers without having anything leech into my food. I can leave the plastic tops off, or set them loosely on top while microwaving because, ta da, they don't contain Bisphenol A. BPA leeches into the body from plastics and can mimic our hormones, possibly causing problems.

And I love my little glass storage. I use the Pyrex at home because I am a sucker for those colored containers of yore, but for lunch at work, Martha is king.

Until Sunday.

Sunday was the day we stopped at World Market (when did these stop being "Cost Plus World Market"?) on our way to Whole Foods in Naperville.

And there they were, gleaming and beckoning: stainless steel lunch containers. Turns out they're called tiffins. I've seen these stackable sweethearts in local health food stores and online. But these were cheaper, came in two sizes and, I swear to God, they made eyes at me.

I managed to get out without buying one, but now I wish I had picked one up. According to the store's Web site, "A tiffin tin is a traditional Indian lunch box designed to keep foods hot until lunchtime. Our stainless steel versions have black handles and are available in two designs. Dishwasher safe."

I'm not sure how well they'd keep stuff hot, and you can't exactly pop stainless steel into the microwave, but I really, really want these. No leeching, no breaking, no garbage for landfills. Has anyone tried this one or a variation? Let me know. I suspect I'll break down next week and get one of these ultrasafe cuties.

If you're a psyched as I am and can't hop to your local World Market, it looks like you can order them online here.