Becoming a "Green" homeowner Growing concern about the future of our planet is leading more and more homeowners to think "green." In fact, many Ca- nadians are choosing en- vironmentally sound al- ternatives to the products they use in and around their homes. If you're unsure wheth- er you're a "green" consu- mer or not, ask yourself the following questions. Do you recycle tins and glass bottles and jars each week? Do you try to avoid purchasing products that are over-packaged? Do you try to use natural- based, environmentally safe products in and around your home? If you answered "no" to most of these questions, you might want to consid- er changing some of your practices. You can get your whole family in- volved in thinking "green." And by teaching youngsters to reduce, reuse and recycle, you'll be helping them to ensure a healthier planet for the future. What You Can Do There are numerous things you and your fami- ly can do to help make a difference. Most munici- palities now provide homeowners with blue boxes so that items like tins, bottles, jars, newspa- pers and cardboard can be picked up on a weekly ba- sis for recycling. By utiliz- ing your blue box you can deter a tremendous amount of waste per year from local landfills. If you don't have a box, contact your municipal office to see about obtaining one. If your municipality has a recycling program for yard wastes, you can save your grass clippings, flow- er cuttings, leaves, etc. and put them out on desig- nated pickup days. This also diverts a sizeable amount of waste from lo- cal landfills. Composting is another practice that helps both the environment and your garden. Home composting helps divert a lot of waste from landfill sites and, over time, you end up with a dark, rich soil booster which you can use as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. Kitchen scraps (except for meat, bones, dairy products, fats or oils) and lawn clippings PORT PERRY'S LONGEST ESTABLISHED REALTOR | FRANK 985-7386 REALTOR R] Toronto Line 686-3931 1888 SCUGOG ST., PORT PERRY PHONE: 985-7386 NESTLETON Spotless 3 bedroom bungalow in move-in condition. Interlocking brick patio, nicely landscaped lot. Walking distance to store. Priced at $149,000. Call John Wolters at 985-7386 or 986-4303. LAKE ACCESS 3 or 4 bedroom sidesplit with possible in-law suite. Large 80' x 400' lot. So much renovation just about everything is new! Ready to go at $184,000. Call C. Malcolm Bliss at 985-7386 or 985-3298.