When will the weather make up its mind? First I’m wearing a sweater, then I’m stripped down to my sundress and sweating bullets. Summer is such a fickle time. Living in an old apartment building, we don’t have air conditioning, so keeping cool is its own daily challenge. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy eating ice cream and fresh-cut salads to try and stay cool. Nevertheless, I don’t think I’ll be able to look at spinach the same way again (or that pint of chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer).

How do you maintain your eco-intentions without melting into a muddle during a heat wave? It all starts with turning off your A/C (if you have one). I know, I know – you think I’m crazy, but trust me, this is going somewhere. Each A/C unit can release more than 2,200 pounds of carbon dioxide every year, according to Gretchen Roberts in Natural Health Magazine’s July/August 2008 issue.

There are a number of other ways to keep your home (whether you’re in a house, condo or apartment) cool during the warm season. Here are a few to put into place:

1. Use the microwave instead of the oven, so you don't unnecessarily heat the house up. (Hello, Amy’s frozen dinners!)

2. Add light colored window treatments. (Time for stylish curtains!) The U.S. Department of Energy says you can block out as much as 40% of summer heat with them. The pale colors help to reflect light away from your home, whereas darker colored will absorb the heat and displace it into accompanying rooms.

3. If you haven’t already, replace your light bulbs. Incandescents release 90% of their energy as heat – “not cool” during those warm summer evenings. Replace them with CFLs or, better yet, LED lights.

4. Use a ceiling fan – though it won’t do much to cool your rooms, it will cool you off. Human skin can cool down by up to 10 degrees with a breeze blowing on it. Don’t have a ceiling fan? Small room fans are a great alternative.

5. Open the windows in the evenings and leave them open until morning, allowing cool night air in: close windows during the day (especially those facing the sunny side of the street) to keep the cool air inside.

Disclaimer: I was born in Indiana. That means I have experienced all four seasons, including the beauty and majesty each one has to offer. Having lived in San Francisco for the past 2 years, many of my friends and family assume that I love being snow-free during the winters. Wrong! At first, the idea of having no snow to shovel or trudge through was refreshing, especially after living in Connecticut for 7 years, where winter happily makes itself known. Slowly but surely, the idea of experiencing the end of the year without snow just felt … alien. Had I grown but in, say, Puerto Rico or Texas, maybe Christmas in short-sleeve shirts would seem completely natural. Instead, I'm a homespun farm girl who love everything nature has to offer. Lately, many say due to global warming (and I agree with them), the weather has gone completely wacko. There has been more rain than snow in Massachusetts and Connecticut; Orlando, Florida was 80 degrees the other day; but the ultimate proof that things have truly gone nutty is that is snowed almost 4 inches in Las Vegas a few weeks back! Snow … in Vegas … something just isn't right about that … that feels alien. Maybe we should all be thankful that the weather patterns are shifting. Soon, central states all across the United States will be able to put away their tire chains and relax in lawn chairs during Thanksgiving, while folks in Vegas, Texas, and Georgia get covered in many feet of snow. It sounds extreme, but that is the way the weather is headed - 2008 is proof of that. Storms will get more violent, summers will be hotter, winters will be colder, and unexpected events will become commonplace.

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Navigating the world of green toothpaste is a little like trying to find a good handbag at a discount store - lots dodging of formidable land mines (aka ladies) who are determined to find that $50 Kate Spade, even if it means blowing up a few people along the way. So why bother? Well, because it's not considered a food, conventional toothpaste contains lots of potentially harmful stuff, including artificial colors, flavors and sweeters that are known to cause cancer in lab animals, like saccharine. Not to mention fluoride, which many natural health advocates insist is bad news. Since 1997, the FDA has required that all fluoride toothpastes carry warning labels. Don't believe me? Check out your tube. Mine reads "If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away."

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