Green Living by Janet Marchant: Ring In a Green New Year!

The sustainably farmed cork has been popped from the organic sparkling wine, the bottle has been drained and then properly recycled, and yesterday morning's headache has been treated with an all-natural homeopathic remedy. Yes, 2008 has been chucked onto the great compost pile of history, and all that's left on most people's new year's to-do list is to chuck that old calendar into the recycling bin. However, now there's an even greener option for 2009!

Why go out and buy a whole new calendar when you can simply re-use your 2008 calendar? All you have to do is cross out the "2008" and write in "2009"! Now, I'm sure that some astute readers out there have spotted one little flaw in this plan. That's right, 2008 was a so-called leap year, which means that it had one more day than 2009 will have. Fortunately, there's an easy solution: Simply cut the square for "February 29" out of your 2008 calendar and stash it in a kitchen drawer, where you'll be able to find it and use it the next time a "leap year" comes around. This happens every time the year is divisible by 4, except for those times when it doesn't, such as in 1900, except for when it does anyway, such as in 2000.

Other than the minor complication of "leap years," I can't think of a single reason why you can't keep re-using that 2008 calendar again and again. I'm sure you will never grow tired of those same twelve cute pictures of puppies, kittens, or flowers that made you fall in love with the calendar in the first place.

So, my fellow planet-savers, here's wishing you a wonderfully green 2009!