It's Easy Being Green

• Ice Age: The Meltdown is in theatres now. Small children might be scared by several scenes: ice caps plunge into the valley, flood waters rise up and reveal two terrifying, pre-historic sea monsters.
  
• Death and exinction are the villains of this story. Vultures follow the animals on their trek, clearly waiting for a carcass to be left behind.

• Sequels are rarely as satisfying as the original. Some characters, like Harry Potter, can stand a repeat performance. Ask your kids which characters fared the best in the second go-round. Did they like Sid as much as they did in the first film? How about Scrat, or Diego?
  
• Even the kids will notice the biblical symbolism. See if they can make the connection between the animals trying to reach 'the boat' (a large tree branch) and Noah's Ark.

Want to know what we learned by taking this adventure with our kids? Here are our buttery bits of wisdom for greenifying your life:

• Petition your senator: The McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act, which seeks to stop global warming, needs 51 votes to pass in the Senate. Californians can petition Senators Boxer and Feinstein and tell them to vote "Aye." This is simple way to teach kids that every vote counts!
  
• Put your family on a low carbon diet: Home energy counts for 21% of the global warming pollution in our country. Print out these simple, child-friendly suggestions for cutting back your house's emissions, and let the kids get to work. Many ideas are easy to implement (don't use a big oven when a toaster oven works).
  
• Purchase a carbon offset: Calculate your families' CO2 emissions (this simple on-line calculator does the work for you). You can purchase a "carbon offset" credit in projects which reduces or recycles greenhouse gasses.
  
• Save a tree: We found a printable letter to help eliminate that pesky junk mail that goes straight into the garbage.
• Inflate your tires: It really makes a difference in your car's mileage.
  
• Change a lightbulb: A compact flourescent lightbulb, or CFL, reduces strain on your home's power grid. According to http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/page.cfm?tagID=269, "if every household replaced just three 60-watt incandescent light bulbs with CFLs, we would reduce as much pollution as if we took 3.5 million cars off the roads."
• Use cloth bags: Do you wonder what to reply when asked "Paper or plastic?" The answer is that a cloth bag is the best solution... you just have to remember to bring it with you when you shop. If you forget, go with paper and follow these simple suggestions: don't double bag, use as few bags as possible and be sure to recycle the bags when you get home. If you can carry a large item, instead of using a bag, that helps too.
• Join the virtual march: Let your voice be heard through this online march against global warming.
  
• Go hybrid: If you can take this big step, congratulations. The latest models have a third row of seats.

• Earth Day is April 22. What started in 1970 as a way to educate college students about the environment has blossomed into a movement uniting Democrats and Repulicans, young and old, rich and poor. According to the Earth Day Network, Earth Day led to the creation of the EPA and the passage of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.
  
• Global warming is tough to comprehend but here is a fact that will make you sweat: The current pace of sea-level rise is three times the historical rate, and appears to be accelerating.
  
• The current environmental buzz word is sustainable, meaning consumers should be as resourceful as possible about our limited resources. Fish are a case in point: we should eat only the fish whose populations can be replenished. Here is a printable list for when you shop, or eat out: Monteray Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch guide.

• Use your hiking time to chat with your family about how your household can get a little greener.

• Pack a picnic for your family hike but don't leave anything behind when you leave.

• Click here for instructions on conducting a cool science experiment called Greenhouse Effect in a Jar.

• www.carboncounter.org Take two minutes and test your household's impact on the planet;
• www.earthday.net Earth Day's mother site gives a sense of how large this global movement has become. Calculate your own 'ecological footprint' and look at their helpful list of small changes that will make a large difference;
  
• www.energyhog.org This site, dedicated to energy conservation, is divided into sections for parents and kids. It offers silly games for kids and practical ideas for families;
• www.environmentaldefense.org This site and it's offshoot www.fightglobalwarming.com are chock full of helpful research and action items;
  
• www.ilea.org For a mind-boggling, technical explanation of the paper v. plastic debate, click here;
• www.greenla.com The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's site, which offers green tips and information about energy efficiency. Site includes information about how to get a free shade tree for your community through "Trees for a Green LA";
• www.newdream.org This is a very lifestyle conscious site with a good program called Turn the Tide;
  
• www.nrdc.com This effective and powerful organization is a superb resource for all things environmental;
• www.stopglobalwarming.org Join the virtual march to stop global warming today. You'll get regular information updates by signing up. This site's action items are particularly clear.