I don't think I've been in a stretch limo since prom, and though I see a lot of them while walking Bay Area streets, they never stop for me.

However, I have taken plenty of hybrid cabs and car services. I took one home from after-work drinks on Tuesday (it's Strong Beer Month in SF, btw). Having had two glasses of 11% alcohol-content beer, I was feeling friendly, so I asked the driver if he liked his Prius. He said he liked it, and then went off for the rest of the ride (which I swear he drove as slowly as possible) about Robert Redford buying up all the land in MT, and how that was not OK. I don't really have an opinion on Robert Redford, but if I'd been in a stretch limo I would've activated the tinted privacy window.

It seems like when celebrities speak up on issues like the environment, the public feels like those stars had better be morally righteous on every issue. Personally, I think it's great when famous people use their fame to bring attention to bigger issues. Nobody's perfect.

-Toshio...off to use my legs as transportation...

My brother even wrote the name on it in permanent marker.  A birthday present for my first double-digit birthday (which I remember thinking was so momentous), it was yellow and black and perfect.

Years later, my next bike was a Gary Fisher bright green mountain bike that never saw much of the mountains but was a killer ride to race up the beach from Santa Monica to Malibu, chasing the setting sun.  Let me tell you - THAT bike has seen the world, traveling with me from LA to London, from London to San Jose, from San Jose to NYC, from NYC to SF.  When I say that it has seen the world, I should clarify - it's seen my apartments and storage spaces - because in each of those places, it sat, collecting dust and rusting.

But all you Bikers here in SF are inspiring me, and I'm thinking that my trusty ol' Gary Fisher needs not only a name, but also a new chain and some tires.  Just watch me dust it off and start to fly.

And if any of you are looking for a great city bike, check out Jorg and Olif - gorgeous bikes made in the Netherlands (and those people know their bikes).  Just enter or say BITER during checkout and recieve a 5% discount during April.

-Heather... off to look up bicycle repair shops...

Ha! I would LOVE to see The Cricket carting around the cat or the whole herd of my six new baby chickens.  And although I do think I am slightly crazy, I am not officially crazy and so therefore will not pursue this wild little notion.

And in general, I bet this tip won't be adopted as readily as say changing out your lights and replacing with CFLs.  Just a hunch.

OKAY officially conducting a poll:  are ANY BITERS going to do this tip?  Maybe it is good to get people thinking about alt transportation, though, right?

Off to think about The Cricket mushing... aww... that WOULD be cute.  JB

The only car service I can remember using is the limo we rented for high school prom, and I'm one year shy of being legal to rent a vehicle, but since moving to San Francisco one of my guiltiest pleasures has been taking taxis everywhere I go. This in spite of the fact that the city's got phenomenal public transportation, and you gotta pay almost three bucks just to step into a cab (that's where the meter starts). It's a total splurge expense, but whether I'm coming home with four too many pints of Anchor Steam in my stomach or exhausted post-yoga, since giving up my car in November, taxi rides are one of my deepest, darkest eco-inefficient secrets. Luckily, in town we've got quite a few Ford Escape hybrid taxis roaming around and more are being added to the local fleets all the time, so my guilty pleasure doesn't have to be so guilty.

-Toshio... off to hail a cab to dinner and a movie (Reno 911!: Miami)...

Generally, this happens sometime around 7:30 in the morning. SOMETIMES, I'm lucky and I actually shower before 2. On a good day, my teeth are brushed and I'm out of my PJs before noon.

People think working from home would be sooo great. Sure, there are the great things (for whatever reason, being able to be there for the cable guy seems to be the common analogy used - like we are all constantly having the cable guy come install something), but by and large, all of our SF empoyees are looking forward to new office space.

In the meantime, I'll covet the office space of my friends, and the casual carpools (great one in the East Bay here) they use to get there.

-Heather... off to do a VERY clean, green commute... walking to a meeting since I'm in NYC..

So, I bought a Prius.

For whatever reason, this makes me feel like a middle-aged mom. While I love the fact that I only have to put gas in it about every 5 weeks, I haven't gotten attached to it enough to name it yet. Trixie (my biodiesel Benz) - she got her name in the first week I had her. Mr. NoName Prius, on the other hand, has been around for nearly 3 months now, and I still have no idea what to call him/her.

Thoughts?

Still - I get a full tax CREDIT - not even a write off - so I can't complain.

-Heather... off to stare at my Prius and pray for naming inspiration...

It feels like about two months ago it started snowing and icing and being dark and yuck, and it hasn't let up yet.  I started complaining to someone here and they were like, "what did you not understand about moving to Montana? Have you looked at a map?"   And true, we are pretty far north, in the Canadian Rocky range.

But for some reason when I was more in the countryside of Montana, the winters weren't as rough. Now I realize that is because of all the valleys and mountains, there are different climate systems just 50 minutes apart.  I was in the more moderate one, it turns out.

This snow and negative 20s crap combined with having no garage, and I definitely raised my hand to test out today's tip reco's.  Once again I had to kowtow to vinegar... cheap and eco-friendly and has a zillion uses.  It was my fave for keeping ice from forming.  (Note:  it doesn't not keep snow for landing on it though!  But I hate scrapping ice off b/c the scrapers are never straight across and so all you get are these little ribbon-like tracks after many minutes of standing there, freezing, just trying to get to work.)

 Yeah, I am about over winter.  But I guess I should be lucky we got one.... thanks to Global Warming some places have been wearing short-sleeve tops that used to have white winters.  Speaking of Global Warming, here's a tip:  buy five people you know a copy of an Inconvenient Truth.  It is really powerful and even the staunches of conservatives won't be able to say "it's just a warming trend, happens all the time."

Off to, yup, de-ice.  Wait, I don't have to.  I sprayed water and vinegar on my car last night.  I rule.  - Jen

You want to know the best way to cut carbons where they count?

Take the MyFootprint.org quiz which will tell you how many planets we would need if the rest of the world's population lived as you do, then do the analysis to see where you racked up the most points (this cool tool lets you know how). 

Share your score with other Biters, here. (Come on, I will tell you my score if you tell us yours!  Mine is 4.6 Planets.  I need to cut down on air travel for the biggest impact to my score. But I can't, so I will make sure to buy offsets for those flights instead.)

Off to talk to Billy at Native Energy about getting some offsets for all of us at the Bite - and even our subscribers, just for signing up... Jen

PS:  we were interviewed on a TreeHugger radio spot for exactly this notion... some of our compadres have some interesting thoughts on cutting carbons and New Year's resolutions in general...

TreeHugger Radio 14: New Year’s Edition

As we step into double-0 seven, TreeHugger Radio has asked some of the brightest stars in the green blogosphere about their resolutions for the New Year. We queried Heather Stephenson and Jen Boulden, creators of Ideal Bite; consultant and brainy green hottie Summer Rayne Oakes; Ben Jervey, founder of The Big Green Apple; designer, architecture student, and Inhabitat creator Jill Fehrenbacher; green business guru Joel Makower; and TreeHugger writer Jacob Gordon. Resolutions range from reading more books to eating less meat, from pushing green design to watching Wal-Mart. ::TreeHugger Radio (listen)

You know, at the Bite we try to give you a fresh, sometimes funny perspective and dialog into what we call "light green living" (ie: keep it real, treehuggers - no one is perfect.)

And there are certainly enough enviro non profs that will give you sample letters to Senators and such, but the team really felt that this issue was such a no brainer, that stodgy big utility companies really needed a wakeup call, and maybe a letter coming from you - not generated by an automated email system, will start to get the message heard.

Here's to a powerful, green, prosperous, balanced and alt-energy filled 2007! - Jen

SAMPLE LETTER:

To Whom It May Concern,

I recently learned about green power through an Ideal Bite Daily Tip. Some energy providers offer options such as solar and wind power to their subscribers. My question to you is, do you have plans to make these kinds of options available locally?

You're probably aware that conventional power plants (such as coal) are responsible for more air pollution than any other source in the US. An EPA study released in 2004 concluded that 22,000 deaths could be prevented each year if more utilities took advantage of available new technologies in place of coal.

From a financial standpoint, it seems like it would make sense for utility companies as well - just consider that some of the nation's largest companies (like FedEx Kinko's, HSBC Bank and Kohl's) are already purchasing green power. More businesses (and residential customers like me) are sure to follow.

Please let me know if plans are in the works!

Eagerly awaiting your response,

[Your John Hancock]

The following was written by Erica, part of the crew at Better World Club

Last week, Jen told you how she liked to stick her tongue out at Hummer drivers.

While Jen's actions may put them in their place, there's a bigger issue involving Hummer drivers, no irony intended. We at Better World Club have been wondering whether the theory that guys who drive Hummers are trying to make up for certain shortcomings is true. If you drive a Hummer and are reading, we'd love to hear evidence to the contrary, but until we do we'll keep believing the stereotype!

Better World is the nation’s greener—and cooler—auto club. Like Jen and Heather, we try to take out work—but not ourselves—seriously. In addition to the Hummer issue, there are some more serious questions we're thinking about. Lately, the topic of convo that's been on everyone's lips at BWC:

Why is everybody thinking in such small terms when it comes to fuel economy?

The auto companies are patting themselves on the back for making a few cars that reach 30 mpg. The environmental groups act as if 40 mpg is utopian. But we’re on the verge of much higher numbers. Toyota says that they are going to add plug-ins to their hybrids in 2009.  If so, we’re looking at 100 mpg, maybe more, if they do it right. What's the mpg necessary to get off imported oil? Certainly nothing as low as 30 or 40 mpg. But a higher mpg is achievable if consumers demand it. So we're all counting on you Biters - let the car manufacturers know what you're thinking - and let us know what you're thinking too. Just leave a comment or two in this blog - especially if you own a Hummer.

If you want more information on the effort to increase fuel mileage, click here.

Please add on your games to this starter list:

1. Sticking your tongue out at Hummers. (The best is when you look cute and the dude at the wheel is looking at you thinking he is looking hot and then when he gets close enough he sees you are sticking out your tongue in disgust. Ha! it kills me. Really makes my day more than it should. Anywhoo.)

2. Trying to not break when you see a red light... if you could just coast all the way up to it, and by the time you get close to the car in front of you, the light is green and cars are moving. Ah! Just think of the gas and brake bads saved!  (Same goes for game in stop and go traffic... normalize the stop start baby... kick it into low gear and cruise. Yes, you are that cool.)

3. Others?

(Off to coast my way on down to a NYC watering hole... been a long day on the M.S. set... jb)

So there always has to be an early product that really serves as a wide-spread Beta for what's to come.  And then all the eager beavers out there (known as "early adopters" in marketing speak) rush to buy the newest thing to be invented.  My Dad is one actually... I can't tell you how many laptops and Treos I have received from him... he always has to have the lightest laptop first, or the first Treo video phone first.  Then another comes out that is better, and voila! I get styled.

Anyway, long way of saying that I am not going to get a GEM. I am not an early adopter so into technology or with loads of disposable income. Not to mention, I did the savings calculations with its nifty calculator on the website and it saves me $700 a year - which I would gladly pay to be able to speed around the highways of MT.  I mean, my barn is 15 miles away, and so that would cost me an extra 20+ minutes to get there, so about 45 min. r/t. extra time spent.

However, the one part of me that is drawn to it is my love of golf carts. We used to sneak golf carts out when on beach VKs and rip up the greens. I know, bad. But it was so fun! So if I were rich or lived on a golf course I would be an early adopter of this and support the cause.  But for now, my Jetta, my horse, my bike, and my legs will get me where I need to go.

So here's a shout out to you early adopters... especially you, my dear not-so-old Dad!

Off to check to see if my Pops would be interested in a GEM... he is an early adopter and lives on a golf course afterall... I just may have a GEM yet... Jen

  Hey all, wanted to introduce you to the latest Bite team member - my new '76 Benz biodiesel.  God bless her, she needs a name.

Course Jen said I need to name her Ida ("As in IDA got a nicer car if I didn't go in debt to start the Bite").  Personally, I think this makes Ida self-conscious and sad, so I think she might need a new name.

So, opening it up to you all.  She's white (but used to be blue) with red seats...  ideas, anyone?

-Heather... off to drink margaritas at the Ramp...

It is utterly disgusting how much waste is created by moving.  As I sit here in the midst of books strewn about my office floor, I'm a bit embarrassed by the sheer amount of STUFF that I have. Although, I gotta say - I did give away all my boxes and packing papers on Craigslist, so I'm feeling a little smug about that. (Next time you move - seriously - do this.)

But really... it's an utter disgrace that I have this many books and all these THINGS.  So, in recompense, I guilted myself into thinking I'd survive without a car in order to offset my move.  I even had fantasies of tuning up my bike and riding it everywhere.

Well, I had those fantasies for about a minute... until I realized that Portrero Hill is, well, really, really REALLY steep.  No bike for me.  (Did I mention this is a steep-%!$ hill?)

So yes, I am in the market for a biodiesel convert.  Saw a great one on Sunday - fingers crossed there.  If you know of any on the market for a song, give a shout, since I want a pimped out 70s ride with biodiesel and a wooden steering wheel.

-Heather... off for a walk on these knee-knocking steep hills...

One of the great joys of my job is that I get to decide on editorial - what gets published when, who writes the blog, etc...

So it's no coincidence that this whole week is devoted to the car and issues surrounding autos.  See, with this Bay Area move - after not needing one for years - I need a car again, and this is the week I start shopping.

So what does a green girl do?  Hybrids are great, and they are practically CRAWLING all over the hills of San Francisco, but ultimately, it seems a little crazy to me to buy a brand-new car - even if it is a hybrid - when they are just going to come out with better and better models in the next couple of years.  I am not one of those people who approaches vehicle purchases like a mobile phone - expecting to upgrade every 18 months.  But I want the gas mileage.

The main problem for me with the hybrid is that I'm still relying on fossil fuels.  Yes, there are a whole host of issues around biodiesel, I get that (stay tuned tomorrow).  Yes, I can take it to CalCars and pay to have them convert me to an electric-hybrid combo, and I'd get 100+ mpg (but forego trunk space).  But ultimately, I like the idea of getting around - with comfort and style and warmth and room - without burning petroleum reserves. 

It lets me save the oil for my plane flights and wine importation.

-Heather... off to see a '76 converted biodiesel Benz.  White with red leather seats... wish me luck...

If you are like me (and God help you if are you, in general), you can’t resist the urge to speed.  Even when driving non-high-performance cars, I still find myself “accidentally” speeding.  Once I drove someone’s new BMW X7whatever to go look at a horse a few hours away, and everyone in the car kept nervously laughing and telling me nicely that I was going 110 mph and I really should consider cruise control.

I have isolated my main cause for the lead-foot:  good music.  And there is a positive correlation – the better the music, the faster I drive. I think I clocked 95 mph in my old Honda listening to “Missing” by Everything But the Girl. 

So maybe I should just listen to talk radio (Car Talk, but of course), and NPR (Living on Earth, but of course), and save the good music for dance parties.

Why do YOU drive fast?  Or better, how do you keep from driving fast?  (Cruise control is a bit annoying to me b/c you have to keep futzing with it when you run up against a big truck that you have to pass.)

Off to listen to classical and see if that can balance me out.. Vroom! – Jen

The other day, when I arrived home from New York, I was shocked that I all of my luggage arrived, as did I, without event. But when I got to my car I realized that - of course it would not be that easy - I had a flat! As many times as I had watched my father change a tire, and even received lessons from him and a few boyfriends, I was now in a business suit, with lots of luggage, and I was hungry since the airlines think that small bags of lousy pretzel nutty things will suffice on three-hour flights.

It was then that I kicked myself - not the tires - for not having checked them since it was a slow leak caused the flat (it was a 14 day trip). Checking the PSI is such an easy thing to do, and I know all the stats about driving with your tires properly inflated, but here I stood, feeling a bit like a big sissy for not rolling up my sleeves and changing the tire, and feeling a bit stupid for not having checked the pressure more regularly.

As I waited for the Bozeman Sheriff's department or AAA to come to my rescue (I called both, it was really a matter of who came first . . . did I mention I was hungry?), I pondered the fact that tires are these beautiful yet awful things... they get you where you need to go, and don't ask for much. Yet, tires are one of those whacky inventions that will be here longer than cockroaches if we have an atomic blast... they just pile up. In the state of CA, some 33.5 million reusable and waste tires are generated each year. Someone once told me that a company invented tires that don't wear down, but then a big tire company bought them up and shut them down because that would have killed tire sales. That sounds a bit more conspiracy-theory than I generally believe... but who knows?

On a lighter note, it seems like more and more uses are being created for tires, like turning them into carpets, floor mats, irrigation pipe, lumber, office supplies and playground covers. I believe that the footing in the indoor arena where I ride has some recycled tire; it is nice footing except for when a horse urinates you have to sop it up, since tire particles aren't known for their absorbency. Anyway, point being, I am going to check my tires more often, so I can keep them longer, save on gas, and most importantly, not be stranded feeling like a dumb sissy.

-Off to look for the everlasting tire (Willy, you out there?) -

Jen

So it seems that there are two darling vehicles of the Hollywood set, and they are from two very opposite corners of the fighting ring.

In the first corner, we have the Hummer, which is strongly featured in the TV shows Entourage and CSI: Miami, (amongst others), and driven by celebs like Arnold Schwarzenegger (who is converting his to hydrogen-fueled), Coolio, Shaquille O'Neal, Don King, M C Hammer, Roger Clemens, and Mike Tyson (who is a biter but not an IDEAL Biter).

And in the other corner: the Toyota hybrid Prius, featured in the final episode of Six Feet Under, and driven by celebs like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Bill Maher, Donna Mills, Woody Harrelson, Patricia Arquette and Cameron Diaz.

Although the Hummer gets 8mpg and looks a bit menacing to those driving a small little economy car (me!), it has established itself among some crowds as the pinnacle vehicle.

And although the Prius is very modest in its features (ie: no mega leather seat warmer action for those Hollywood-hineys!), it still is admired by many.

What will it take for the Prius to beat out the Hummer if the fight is not about gas guzzling, but about being COOL?

The jury is out. Biters, start your engines.... Let us know what you think. And if the comments have merit, we promise to get them to the automakers that be.

Off to put my name on the Toyota Hybrid Highlander waiting list, which shot out by 6 more months right after Katrina hit. - Jen

I still haven't sold Celeste.

I know I have to. I know it's silly to keep a car when I never need her and I live in New York and I really only move her on Tuesday mornings when I do the very odd alternate-side-of-street-double-parking thing that only Brooklyn could dream up.

But maybe if I promise to drive with my windows down all the time when under 45 mph, and if I PROMISE to roll them up when I go faster than that... well, maybe I can keep her??? Please???? (She IS actually the exact color of both the first and the last stray cats I brought home to my parents - it's a reasonable analogy).

I know, I know. I can't keep her. eBay, here I come.

-Heather -- off to clear out the files of papers I have stored in the trunk.

PS - Kudos go out to Victoria E and Barbara - continually bringing fun feedback and salient viewpoints to the comments! Keep it up...

PPS - Jen is in Jackson Hole at the moment. I'm trying hard not to be madly envious...

This is the truck I want, complete with horse trailer.  Luckily it is not in the budget right now anyway, so I don't have to worry about buying something that is against my values.  But I tell ya, they are nice to have in Montana, and I am getting super excited about the developments with hybrid technology and biodiesel.

Here is the deal
Hybrid technology would definitely not work for a truck like this because there is no "pulling power." And biodiesel actually has its issues in the fact that a) it is usually made with virgin veggie oil made from corn or soy, and those veggies are usually grown with pesticides, and b) biodiesel needs to be processed with fossil fuel energy.   (There is a biodiesel processing plant that is wind powered, though, which solves one of those issues.)

Optimistic
I am optimistic that soon these two things - the hybrid technology and the biodiesel engine - will be combined for the ultimate eco-truck.  The hybrid engine will be used when heavy lifting is not in order.  The bio-diesel will kick in when heavy lifting is needed. There are already both hybrid and biodiesel commercial busses, and I think the issue with the combo not being able on the consumer market is that it will add a good few thousand dollar premium to the price.  But the demand will rise for this combo, and the profit-driven product development world will see great opportunity, and then devise a way to offer them at a lower price.  By then, biodiesel will be made only from used cooking oil that is processed with green energy (she says in her best PollyAnna voice).

Hopefully this happens before 2010 - as I am not the patient type, and I know a lot of folks in MT that really cannot stand their 8 mpg "rigs" but drive them out of necessity.

Off to ride my horse to the show, who needs a truck & trailer? (okay, me).
- Jen

I'm selling my car.

Truth is, I don't NEED a car. I move my car from one side of the street to the other once a week during street cleaning. That - plus the maybe twice-yearly weekend trip and the maybe-once-a-month drives to nurseries for plants - is the extent of the driving I do. I take the subway or cabs everywhere I go. So - it makes absolutely no sense for me to have a car. I should have sold her years ago.

But see, I made a fatal mistake. I named my car. My sister-in-law thought the color was sort of "celestial," so she was dubbed Celeste. And Celeste and I have been on cross-country trips and drives to the beach (and she works as a fantastic storage unit for the stuff I need to take to Goodwill). I've laughed with friends and cried over boyfriends and sang Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dosed" and U2's entire "All That You Can't Leave Behind" album at top volume while driving her. My friend, Tash, from London, and I learned all the states and their capitols in alphabetical order in her (before we talked our way out of what would have been a really bad ticket in Nevada), and my Mom visited New York for the first time as a passenger in her. Celeste has been a part of my days during the best years of my life, and she feels like an old friend.

But here I am, greening my life; attempting to help everyone else green theirs.

And in maybe my biggest green lifestyle move to date (I really don't like to let go of things - it's just not in my nature), I'm getting a ZipCar membership and selling Celeste.

Someday, I will laugh at all my pictures of her in front of pretty much every landscape imaginable in the US. But in the meantime, I'm going to "recycle her on eBay," and knowing me, I'll probably be a big weepy mess when she is finally purchased.

My dad is a pilot. While growing up, and still considered a dependent (as if I am not one now, but that is a different story), I was known for jetting off everywhere at moment's notice. And why wouldn't I? It was free. For example, I flew to Hawaii for three days on college fall break in pursuit of winning the affection of my cooler-than-school surfer boyfriend. And now� well now, I live in Montana. I moved here to help ME become more 'sustainable' - as the energy of the city combined with my natural energy really just whipped my adrenalin levels into a frenzy. Although that was fun, it couldn't last, and neither could my health in the long term. So now I sit writing on top of a mountain in the town of McAllister, only known as a town due to the presence of the 'Bear Claw' bar and post office that closes for lunch.

Although it's a dreamy existence, it does get lonely. You can only talk to cows, horses, and The Cricket (my pup) for so long and not be hurting for more a meaningful response than a whinny or some bad gas. So, I am a sucker for cheap flights back East to see my friends and family, and to attend all the open-bar gala weddings where I change out of my Carharts for a full-length dress. Plus, I consult for businesses all over the United States to help make them become more sustainable (environmentally, socially, and economically), so plane travel is just a fact of life.

However, when working with a client that provides a mechanism to offset air travel emissions (myclimate), I realized that I was this huge hypocrite environmentalist. Turns out that each time you fly, your portion of the flight contributes an average of nearly a ton of carbon dioxide pollution. (Carbon dioxide is a prime component of climate change.) So, unless we are all planning for beachfront property in Iowa, this is probably not a good thing.

To get the full scoop on just how hypocritical I was being (or maybe to find out that all my other, greener ways would balance out my environmental indiscretions), I took this quiz, called My FootPrint, which tells you just how many planets we would need if everyone on the planet lived like you do. I was excited to see my results -- I guess getting a little high on my green horse. I don't eat meat; I recycle; I drive a 33 mpg Dodge Neon only when horseback won't get me there; I don't even have to chose between paper or plastic because I bring my own (hemp!) bag to the supermarket. I welcomed the opportunity to assess my ecological footprint (bring it on!).

The results are displayed like this: "if everyone lived like you, we would need __ planets." My score, in large thanks to air travel, is 3.9 planets! I found a shallow 'victory' for at least coming in below the average ecological footprint in the US: 6 planets.

Beyond this pointing to the fact that we can't smooth out the world's inequalities by making the poor much richer (because if everybody lived like the average American it really would take 6 planets to meet all our needs), it told me that we all have to find a big bang for the buck way to travel in class� green class. So, now I am committed to offsetting my air travel emissions (what? You thought I would miss your open bar gala-esque wedding? Ha!). Emission offsetting means that you purchase a corresponding number of trees or clean energy credits to neutralize your carbon contribution from your flight. Below are some good resources to do this.

Some Green Air Travel Tips:

Purchase wind certificates. Organizations such as Native Energy, allow customers to both calculate and purchase certificates (sometimes known as green tags) to offset emissions caused by automobile or air travel. (I personally like this one because it helps Native American tribes as well.)

The Better World Club, an eco-oriented auto club, offers free carbon offsets on two domestic and one international flight each year to members who book plane tickets through its in-house travel agency. Nonmembers worldwide can purchase offsets-$11 for a domestic flight and $22 for an international flight.

Plant trees. The United Kingdom-based Future Forests, plants trees in more than 80 forests throughout the world. A global flight calculator determines how many trees you need to plant to offset a flight - two trees, for example, for a New York-to-London round trip, or $30�as a part of the CarbonNeutral flight program.

Well, I'm off to ponder the climate change effect of bovine flatulence.

Cheers, Jen

Tire_pressure The other day, when I arrived home from New York, I was shocked that I all of my luggage arrived, as did I, without event. But when I got to my car I realized that - of course it would not be that easy - I had a flat! As many times as I had watched my father change a tire, and even received lessons from him and a few boyfriends, I was now in a business suit, with lots of luggage, and I was hungry since the airlines think that small bags of lousy pretzel nutty things will suffice on three-hour flights.

It was then that I kicked myself - not the tires - for not having checked them since it was a slow leak caused the flat (it was a 14 day trip). Checking the PSI is such an easy thing to do, and I know all the stats about driving with your tires properly inflated, but here I stood, feeling a bit like a big sissy for not rolling up my sleeves and changing the tire, and feeling a bit stupid for not having checked the pressure more regularly.

As I waited for the Bozeman Sheriff's department or AAA to come to my rescue (I called both, it was really a matter of who came first . . . did I mention I was hungry?), I pondered the fact that tires are these beautiful yet awful things... they get you where you need to go, and don't ask for much. Yet, tires are one of those whacky inventions that will be here longer than cockroaches if we have an atomic blast... they just pile up. In the state of CA, some 33.5 million reusable and waste tires are generated each year. Someone once told me that a company invented tires that don't wear down, but then a big tire company bought them up and shut them down because that would have killed tire sales. That sounds a bit more conspiracy-theory than I generally believe... but who knows?

On a lighter note, it seems like more and more uses are being created for tires, like turning them into carpets, floor mats, irrigation pipe, lumber, office supplies and playground covers. I believe that the footing in the indoor arena where I ride has some recycled tire; it is nice footing except for when a horse urinates you have to sop it up, since tire particles aren't known for their absorbency. Anyway, point being, I am going to check my tires more often, so I can keep them longer, save on gas, and most importantly, not be stranded feeling like a dumb sissy.

-Off to look for the everlasting tire (Willy, you out there?) -
Jen