To help protect the environment, I pledge to:

1. Use less water! Take showers instead of baths, fix leaks, and turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. And buy efficient fixtures by looking for the WaterSense label.
2. Save electricity! Do a home energy audit, get programmable thermostats, buy Energy Star products, turn stuff off when you’re done, and change your bulbs to compact fluorescents.
3. Reduce, reuse, recycle! Try to find products with less packaging, take reusable bags on shopping trips, creatively reuse other products, and recycle what’s left.
4. Test your home for radon! Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless gas that can seep into your home and cause lung cancer.
5. Use chemicals safely! Read pesticide labels carefully. Lock up pesticides, paints, and cleaners where kids can’t reach them.

I tried switching to green tea awhile back, but I was getting some strange allergic reaction – tiny bumps on my skin all over – so my dreams of Asian enlightenment were obliterated and I just reverted to my longtime favorite: white chocolate mocha.

A video from the WWF is teaching us that industry needs to do more by using less water in the process:

btw: If you pick up the same flavored syrup from Whole Foods or Starbucks, you can make flavored coffee at home for a whole lot cheaper. A little peppermint and cocoa powder, and I’m set!