Your Earth Day Checklist

Around this time of year, we are reminded how true that is. Not only is the harsh light of environmentalism shined upon our ozone-destroying ways, we're also reminded how hard it is for the world's media outlets to come up with fresh "green" tips, year after year.

Yep, if you pay close enough attention, you'll see that this year, the news will just be regurgitating the same stuff that they did last year in the hopes that we've forgotten what they've already told us.

So, this list we present to you is NOT our list of tips on how to live a more "green" lifestyle; rather, it's a compilation of the "no-brainer" tips that we guarantee you'll see from 90% of the media outlets this week.

Use it as a check-list to tell which news sources decided to spend no time at all on opening our eyes to new ways to be green! (On the flip-side, however, you CAN look upon all these tips as being recycled, which is good for the environment!)

• Keep an eye on ENERGY STAR ratings! The higher, the better!
• Use public transportation!
• Swap one day of driving for walking or biking — even a single trip will help the environment!
• Buy food from local farms!
• Bring your own reusable bag when you go shopping!
• LCD televisions are more eco-friendly than CRTs!
• Turn off your computer at night!
• Unplug electronic devices — including cellphone chargers — when not in use!
• Turning off the water while you're brushing your teeth can save gallons of water!
• Pass up bottled water for filtered tap water!
• Swap out incandescent lights for compact fluorescent bulbs!
• Think about what you want from the fridge before you open it!
• Recycle!
• Share a shower with a friend! (OK. OK. You probably won't see this one ... except, maybe, in Maxim magazine.)