I got to know Earth Day as an activist holiday in college. I remember celebrating the 20th Earth Day — I even have a friend who was born on the first Earth Day. (Happy birthday, Hal!) I grew up when litter was a big environmental issue — people actually thought it was normal to throw trash out the window when driving down the highway. Can you imagine? Pollution and oil spills were also big environmental news.

Anyway, I am now flabbergasted to stop and realize that the electric cars that we thought were crazy futuristic ideas are now actually in people’s garages. Even seeing real solar panels on roofs in my neighborhood is truly amazing. Our cars are regularly checked for dangerous emissions. We have come a long way.

In Arlington County, Virginia, where I live, residents are given recycling bins by the government along with our trash bins. In those bins, we can put as much commingled recyclable material as will fit, from office paper to glass, including newspaper, cardboard and all sorts of plastics. This is such a grand luxury as compared to life in the 70s and 80s.

So, I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all the Earth Day rallies before us. It’s all the banner-waving, litter-gathering folks (including me and some of my friends) that came before today that got us here. All the folks that made laborious trips to the recycling center with big sacks of stinky beer cans and bottles convinced counties and cities that collecting recyclables is worth it. Petitions and protests against pollution have cleaned our air and improved working conditions. Scientists have worked hard on green technology that now easily fits into our daily lives.

So today, as you think about global warming or alternative energy sources, or ocean preservation or national parks or whatever your favorite part of Earth Day is, remember that we have done some good over the last 40 years. Know that change is possible, and be proud of our big gorgeous, vibrant planet (still erupting and quaking and everything) and celebrate today!

Some of my favorite green causes:

• EarthLab — a comprehensive learning site.
• The Nature Conservancy — protecting Earth’s most important natural places — for you and future generations — through great science and smart partnerships.
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation — the bay will always need protecting!
• Environmental Defense Fund — linking science, economics and law to create solutions to our environmental problems.
• U.S. National Park Service — treasures we should guard for generations to come, and enjoy now.
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy — creating a network of trails from former rail lines.
• Surfrider Foundation — protecting the coastal environments, promoting low-impact use of the beaches, waves and oceans.
• Live Earth — What does the 40th Earth Day mean to you?
• Repower America — Together, we can solve the climate crisis. Join the movement calling for clean energy HERE (and enjoy a great remix video).

Also read: 4 ways to celebrate Earth Day

It’s the beginning of 2010, and I’ve gotta set my goals! Last year I gave up buying plastic water bottles, and it worked! I recommend it to everyone. We saved lots of money, and got attached to our water bottles and filtering system. It works just fine, and now we’ve got more room in the refrigerator for BEER! ☺

So here are the resolutions:

• More writing: journal every day, on paper. Some stuff didn’t get recorded last year because I didn’t want to share it with the world. So I need to organize my thoughts on paper first.
• More exercise: get in that gym, at least twice a week.
• More travel: including within DC. There are some great exhibits and museums that I need to see. Concerts and shows, too!
• Home improvement: continue to green my lifestyle, purge the junk and organize the good stuff.
• Taco night on Mondays: to simplify menu planning and because we like tacos. ☺

Wish me luck, and I wish you luck with your resolutions… if you’ve made them? If you haven’t yet, I hereby give you til the end of January to come up with some. We’ve got 11 months to go, folks. That’s a lot of time to pick something to improve on or have fun with.

Most importantly,

★  ♪ ♫   Happy New Year! ♪ ♫ ♪ ★

I have had so much fun writing for you this year, I wanted to get you a little something. It’s not much. Just a couple of podcasts I think you’ll really like. (It’s hard to send anything really big through the Internet.) So here you go, I hope you’ll love them as much as I do.

• The Bugle – a satirical news show featuring John Oliver of the Daily Show with his friend Andy Zaltzman. Andy operates from the U.K., which adds a nice international flair to the weekly podcast. They have me in stitches on a regular basis. I hope you’ll join us. There’s also a blog.
• Risk! – a collection of truth-telling that will make you laugh, snort, gasp and/or cry, depending on the people you know and how you normally spend your time. Kevin Allison, who I know of from The State, is in charge of this operation and narrates the podcast. I became a fan quickly.

That’s it! They are both free (at this time) on iTunes, so download to your heart’s content and donate to the creators if you love them. I hope they make you smile. Happy holidays!

Here are a few cool places to find unique presents, which I’ve dutifully bookmarked over the year. Just in case you’re shopping for someone like me.

• Daytrip Society: for the traveler/nature fiend
• English Retreads: fashionable environmentally conscious bags
• Yogitoes: yoga supplies
• PalmerCash: cool vintage-style T-shirts
• Underground Signs: create your own subway stop
• Survival of the Hippest.com: bling your twitter address
• BigCartel: from the artist direct to you – i.e.,  Sandra Juto or Bakers Dozen
• WWF: Adopt a species and help protect their habitat
• Still stumped? try Neatorama for that weirdo cousin of yours.

And don’t forget these very very important Christmas Cheat Sheets. FABULOUS! From Cookie, an awesome designer.

Thanks to @smashadv at Obsessed With Conformity for the WWF idea.

The first year I had my own apartment, I cooked a turkey for my family. It was a moment of pride and bonding. Since then, I became a vegetarian, (okay, a pescetarian) and Thanksgiving Day is still a bonding day for my family, but the menu is always a bit of a struggle.

My sister has married and has two children. Her husband has his own traditions — from another continent — and their children, still under five years old, are as picky as kids will be. I married a vegetarian, and the only meat I eat is fish. But to us the most important part of the Thanksgiving tradition is togetherness, so we’ve worked out ways to let everyone eat at the same table and be fed well. Our typical menu includes:

• turkey for 4-6 with brown gravy
• meatless turkey with vegetarian brown gravy
• 2 dishes of bread stuffing: one made with turkey juices, one made meat-free with vegetable broth
• 2 types of cranberry sauce: one with berries, one just jellied
• candied sweet potatoes: now sans marshmallows, (they contain gelatin, which isn’t vegetarian)
• green-bean casserole
• rolls
• home-made apple pie for dessert

I am in charge of the vegetarian dishes, although Mom has gotten lots better at these. And outside of this meal, of course, we have to come up with vegetarian and carnivore-friendly meals for the rest of the time everyone is together.

Some of the big hits have been:

• top-your-own baked potatoes with broccoli, cheese, sour cream and vegetarian Bac-os and/or vegetarian chili
• BLTs with vegetarian and regular bacon varieties available
• ravioli stuffed with butternut squash, spinach or mushrooms
• homemade pizza
• bagels, waffles, pancakes

See, it’s easy to get along with everyone at Thanksgiving. You just might need a bigger table. If you’ve had some other shared successes with your family of mixed lifestyles, please share your ideas in the comments. And Happy Thanksgiving!

There is nothing like a vacation to change your point of view.

I spent last week on Culebra, Puerto Rico, an island of approximately 2,500 people, and it was off season. So there were not a lot of tourists around, and that was just fine with me.

Culebra is not what I’d call a posh sorta place. It’s great for eco-tourism. Lots of untouched beaches. Plenty of opportunity for snorkeling and scuba. It’s a perfect place to go sailing. You can even do a fair bit of hiking.

Things you will not find on Culebra:

• McDonald’s
• WalMart
• CVS
• Starbucks
• movie theater
• 7-11
• Four Seasons
• Target

It took me a couple of days to get used to “island time,” as my friend Steve, who lives there, calls it. They get up with the roosters there, and everyone has a couple of jobs. But nothing gets done urgently.

So we could decide to go snorkeling in the morning, and the exact time of that was variable. It was ‘after breakfast,’ and we might go to the store, or two, on the way, depending on what needed picking up. You go with the flow.

It makes me stop and think, with all the beautiful places and wonderful people in the world, what am I so stressed out about?

I’m worried about the downfall of newspapers when Culebra has a monthly newsletter?

I’m worried about healthcare when there’s one clinic on the island?

I’m worried about Metro prices when there’s one lane to get two Jeeps past each other on this dirt road?

Well, for now, I’m relaxed. Thanks to some time away, and a great reminder that DC is not the center of the universe. Hope you get a chance to vacation, too.

These are my top picks for Halloween in and around Washington – not your typical nightclub parties, I know, but anyone can find one of those.

• Ghost Story Tours of Washington: Oct. 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31 8 pm, McPherson Square
• Boo at the Zoo: Oct. 23, 24, 25 5:30 – 8:30 pm, National Zoo, Woodley Park Metro
• Silver Spring Zombie Walk: Oct. 24, 7:30 pm, Silver Spring Metro (ends at AFI Theatre for Shaun of the Dead screening)
• Cypress Hill at the 9:30 Club: Oct. 31, 8:00 pm, U Street Metro
• Paranormal Activity: Various theaters, rated R
  
• Alexandria Colonial Tours: Ghosts & Graveyard Tour, Friday & Saturday nights, including a special Halloween Tour, King Street Metro
  
• Going Out Guide has all kinds of Halloween stuff.
  
• Washingtonian Guide to Halloween has parties and restaurant specials.