Use E85.

Did you know that there are over 6 million flex fuel vehicles on the road in the US? Flex fuel vehicles are designed to run on either gasoline or an 85% ethanol/15% gasoline blend called E85. Although flex fuel vehicles may seem like a relatively new concept, the first one was a 1908 Model T Ford. So they've been around a while. Unfortunately, many people don't even know they own a flex-fuel vehicle so you can bet they're not using E85.

Using E85 in your car or truck creates less pollution and decreases reliance on imported and domestic oil. So if you have an flex fuel vehicle, consider fueling up with ethanol. "But where can I buy E85?" you ask? Just visit afdcmap2.nrel.gov/locator, select the alternative fuel you want, enter your location, and you'll get a list of the stations near you. There are almost 700 of them around the country. Learn more at e85fuel.com.

And if ethanol's not your thing, try fueling with biodiesel or WVO, or drive a hybrid. Whatever vehicle or fuel you choose, remember to drive gently. There are lots of ways you can help reduce air pollution. Happy travels!

"There's simply no two ways about this fuel question. Gasoline is going - alcohol is coming. It's coming to stay, too, for it's in unlimited supply. And we might as well get ready for it now. All the world is waiting for a substitute to gasoline. When that is gone, there will be no more gasoline, and long before that time, the price of gasoline will have risen to a point where it will be too expensive to burn as a motor fuel. The day is not far distant when, for every one of those barrels of gasoline, a barrel of alcohol must be substituted." - Henry Ford, 1916

Choose pink, or not.

Last time I went grocery shopping, there were pink products everywhere. I'm not sure why because October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But there was pink soup, pink yogurt, even pink laundry detergent. Well, the products weren't pink but the packing was - all in support of breast cancer detection, research, prevention, and treatment. It can be easy to just buy all the pink products, but is that really the best way to support your favorite cause?

As it happened, I just bought the laundry detergent. It was the brand and kind I get anyway, so it made sense. But instead of buying a bunch of products you don't normally use, just send the money you would have spent to a charity that focuses on the cause you care about. They get more money to do good work, and you get a tax write-off.

So next time you see pink products, or any products who makers will support a cause you care about, choose carefully. And don't forget to support the cause directly.

"A good reputation is more valuable than money." - Publilius Syrus

Use enzymes.

A few months ago, I got fed up with the slow drain in our bathroom sink. We'd tried plunging and several brands of liquid drain cleaner. Each attempt would work for a while, but sooner, rather than later, the drain would be unbearably slow again. Then a home inspector recommended we try an enzyme drain cleaner. He drove a hybrid, just like us, and was happy to tell us that enzymes were better for the environment. What he didn't tell use is that enzyme drain cleaners even clean the drain better! After the recommended three daily treatments, our drain has been clear for months. I'm so pleased! Better for the environment and better performance. You can't ask for more. So if you are frustrated by slow or clogged drains, choose an enzyme drain cleaner.

"Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate." - Barnett Brickner

Be a RAINNmaker.

I've written before about online or virtual volunteering. I'm back now with a particular opportunity. If your are interested in preventing and helping survivors of rape, incest, and sexual assault, consider becoming an online volunteer with the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline operated by Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

Right now, the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline is only operating Monday through Friday from 2pm to 10pm ET. Unfortunately, they are overwhelmed with people who want to talk anonymously with a trained counselor. They need more volunteers so they can expand the hours and the program.

This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to help, but may not have much time. Volunteers must be trained through their local rape crisis center. Visit rainn.org and enter your zip code to find a center near you. It's important because, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men in the United States has experienced an attempted or completed rape at some time in their lives. That means you or someone you know. Won't you help?

If you are a survivor of sexual assault and need help, call the RAINN at 1-800-656-HOPE (1-800-656-4673). You can call from anywhere in the US, and free and confidential counseling is available by phone 24 hours a day.

"Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil." - Elie Wiesel

So long . . .

As you can tell, So what can I do has been on hiatus. I will continue to post occasionally, and there are over 300 posts in the archives for you to peruse. You can find them in the sidebar at the right of the screen, or use the search function at the top of the page to find topics of interest. In addition, you can read more of my writing on Associated Content. Here's the latest:



Enjoy, and thanks for reading! It's been a wonderful ride!

"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Ghandi

Search the web.

How often do you use search engines to search the web? If you're like me, it could be dozens of times per day. What if each search could raise money for good causes? Now several new search pages now make that possible. Choose your favorite:

* Good Search - 50% of revenue donated to the charity of your choice. Powered by Yahoo.

* LiveSearch - For each search, "Microsoft will contribute to ninemillion.org, a UN agency-led campaign providing education and sports programs for the nine million refugee youth around the world."

* Everyclick.com - 50% of revenue donated to the charity of your choice. (UK based)

* Charity Cafe - 100% of profits go to Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund and OxFam. Powered by Ask.com.

* ClicksCount - Donations to UK children's charities. Powered by MSN.

* Jikolp.com - 50% of revenue donated to charity. Powered by Google.

* Do Good Toolbar - Download the toolbar and each search results in a donation. Powered by Google.

--> If you work for a nonprofit, consider adding your organization to the list of charities for these sites. And spread the word among your supporters so they can search and fund your programs.

It's great when something you do everyday can make our world a better place. Thanks Brian, thanks Michele!

"The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose." - Frederick Douglass

Consider burial alternatives.

The cost of funerals is rapidly approaching $10,000, not as much as most weddings, but still pretty steep. The expense alone is enough reason to consider burial alternatives, but you may also be concerned for other reasons: land use, contamination of ground water by toxic embalming fluid, use of nonbiodegradable coffins and vaults, and the like. Thankfully there are many good alternatives for green burials that honor the deceased and comfort the bereaved. Here are a few of your choices:

* Natural burial "ensures the burial site remains as natural as possible in all respects.  Interment of the bodies is done in a bio-degradable casket, shroud, or a favorite blanket.   No embalming fluid, no concrete vaults." 

* Donation of the body for forensic research or medical training.

* Memorial reefs are an option for those who have been cremated. The cremains are used to create a "permanent living legacy that memorialize the passing of a loved one." Reefs are lowered into the sea to help restore the marine environment by creating artificial reefs and fish habitats.

* Cremation, a low-cost, widely-available alternative for those who are interested.

Many of us find it uncomfortable to think or talk about our own deaths, but having conversations about end-of-life care, organ donation, financial issues, and the like, can make things so much easier for your loved ones.

"One's death should mean something." - Edward Abbey

Play. Pump.

That's all folks will have to do to have clean water when you support PlayPumps. Did you know that

* Unsafe water and lack of sanitation is now the single largest cause of illness worldwide.
* More than one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water.
* 40 billion hours are lost annually to hauling water, a chore primarily undertaken by women and girls.

PlayPumps is working to change all that. Theirs is an innovative and sustainable system that pumps water using the energy of children at play on an associated PlayPump merry-go-round. What a neat idea! This nonprofit organization installs pumps (and merry-go-rounds!) all over the world helping people have clean water.

Won't you support their work? It's so easy to make a long-lasting difference. Remember, we all need water.

"We are never more discontented with others than when we are discontented
with ourselves." -Henri Frederic Amiel, philosopher and writer (1821-1881)

Host a Souper Bowl party.

There are just 15 days left until the Super Bowl. Lots of folks watch it for the football. I like the commercials, and sometimes the halftime show. If you're having a Super Bowl party on February 4, why not make it a Souper Super Bowl?

"The Souper Bowl of Caring is a youth-led, grassroots movement of caring, the result of thousands of young people joining together to fight hunger and poverty in their communities. Since 1990, $33 million has been raised for charities across the country." Check out souperbowl.org to find out how to:

* Register your community, religious, school or other group to participate.

* Donate to support the operating expenses of the non-profit Souper Bowl.

* Participate in the Service Blitz, by volunteering in your community on the Saturday before the big game.

Remember, each organizer gets to choose the agency to which to donate the money. I like Heifer International (for sustainable development), Potluck Food Rescue (for waste reduction), and Plant a Row for the Hungry (for healthy food), among others.

Have fun at your Souper Bowl Party!

"We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves." - Eric Hoffer, philosopher and
author (1902-1983)

Choose a refurbished computer.

Unused computers can create a lot of waste, not only of plastics but also of toxic metals used in the circuitry. Still, for many of us, computers serve an important need so we want to be sure we have a good one. Refurbished computers, made from machines returned shortly after delivery, work as well as new ones at half the cost and with a reduction of waste and damage to the environment.

You can help reduce e-waste by purchasing a refurbished computer instead of a new one. Here are two resources to help you choose a good one:

* Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool is "a procurement tool to help institutional purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes."

* Green Electronics Council has a mission to "inspire and support the effective design, manufacture, use and recovery of electronic products to contribute to a healthy, fair and prosperous world."

And remember, instead of throwing your outdated or nonfunctional computer in the trash, contact the manufacturer to see if they'll take it. Often the parts can be reused. Happy computing! (And happy 2007!)

"Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough." - George Washington Carver

Donate milk.

I've learned a lot about breastfeeding in the last few months. I know how good it is for my baby, so I was pleased to see that there are milk banks that provide milk for babies who cannot tolerate formula and whose moms cannot provide breast milk.

There are several milk banks in the US which will collect milk from donors across the country and ship it to recipients who need it. They are regulated by Human Milk Bank Association of North America. So if you have or can generate excess milk, consider donating it to improve the health or save the life of a baby.

Just this Christmas, my mother told me about how my great-aunt was a wet nurse for her niece. Since wet nurses aren't so readily available these days, consider donating milk to improve or save the life of a baby. Even if you don't have milk to give, you can still donate life.

"Resistance is the secret of joy." Alice Walker in Possessing the Secret of Joy

Change a light, change the world.

I've written before about EnergyStar products, but that post focused on appliances and larger purchases. But did you know that you can make a big reduction in energy usage (and your energy bill!) just by changing your lightbulbs?

EnergyStar's lightbulb campaign is rightfully called "Change a light, change the world." According to EnergyStar:

The energy used in the average home can be responsible for more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of the average car. When you use less energy at home, you reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and help protect our environment from the risks of global climate change. If every American home changed out just five high-use light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR, each family would save about $60 every year in energy costs, and together we'd save about $6.5 billion each year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from more than 8 million cars.

They even have a store locator to help you these energy efficient lightbulbs. These bulbs produce "bright, warm light but uses at least 2/3 less energy than standard lighting, generates 70 percent less heat, and lasts up to 10 times longer." How's that for efficient use of time and energy? If that sounds good to you, then stop by a home products store, so you can change your lights and change the world.

"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - ’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning." - Mark Twain

VOTE!

For most of us, today's answer to "So what can I do" is simple: Go to the polls and VOTE. Think what a difference it would make if all those who are eligible were registered and voted. Here's your chance to contribute to positive change. Don't miss out.

"Nothing is worse than active ignorance." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Follow through. (Blog Anniversary!)

During the week of October 6-12, "So what can I do" celebrates two years online! It's our blog anniversary! This blog is such a joy to write because the research and writing process is so uplifting. There are so many people who are consciously altering their behavior to make the world a better place! I like to think that this blog contributes to those efforts. In today's post, I ask you to tell me about how you've followed through on the suggestions presented here.

* Have you started donating blood?
* Do you now click everyday to make free donations?
* Have you written a letter for change?
* How was your socially-responsible wedding or celebration?
* Have you been recycling batteries or other items?
* Are you now using cloth napkins or cloth diapers?

Let us know what you are doing to make a difference. Leave a suggestion for the next year of this blog. Identify your favorite post and share it with a friend. Leave an update on how you've followed through on the ideas presented here.

So, at least for this post, instead of asking "So what can I do" ask yourself "So what have I done?" And leave a comment with your answer. Thanks for reading and leaving comments, and for the contributions you are making to make life better for all of us. And please spread the word. On to year three!

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous. Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Maryanne Williamson, as quoted by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural address.

Get a free car seat inspection.

Just this weekend, my mother saw a woman riding with two children under the age of two who were not buckled in their child safety seats. She tried to talk to the woman about ways to ensure her children's safety, but unfortunately, the woman seemed unreceptive. She should have listened: car crashes are the number one killer of children and 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly.

Child safety seats save lives, but they must be correctly installed. Thankfully, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and the National Safety Council have joined with others to form SeatCheck.org. They'll help you make sure your car seat is installed correctly. Here's how you can use this wonderful resource:

* Call 1-866-SEAT CHECK (1-866-732-8243) to get information on free child safety seat inspections. Information is available in Spanish and English.

* Visit SeatCheck.org to find a free child safety seat inspection site near you. The site is also available in Spanish.

Remember, this is important not only for parents of infants and small children, but also for anyone who transports a child in a motor vehicle. (Good call, Dawn!) Also, if the cost of a car seat is prohibitive, call your local department of motor vehicles. Your state may have a program that provides free or reduced price car seats to those who qualify.

So do something good for your child or the child you carry in your car. Get your child safety seat inspected, and keep children safe. Call or visit SeatCheck.org today!

"History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times of urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to endure." -Thurgood Marshall, US Supreme Court Justice (1908-1993)