My husband and I have a tendency to stretch ourselves too thin. We get overly involved in community and church activities to the point of feeling used. In our former parish we were lectors, Eucharistic ministers, on the parish council and the environment committee.

Mercury is poisonous, yet it's a critical part of most compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), the kind that environmentalists and some governments are pushing as a new way to cut energy consumption.

The article "Patriotic People Recycle!" uses basic statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency and other reputable sources to illustrate the compelling benefits to a nation when its citizenry recycles.

Air pollution isn't just a problem for poor, undeveloped, or developing countries, it's a global issue. If any of us care about our children, our children's children and their children, then we humans as a race should sit up and take issue regarding the quality of the air we breathe as a very, very serious concern. Remember, the planet is in our hands, and we only have the one.