Earth stewardship: the right thing to do

Today my youngest and I were chatting in the car about how easily people could save natural resources by making a few small, painless changes and maybe some bigger, sacrificial ones. The topic came up because I was drafting behind a semi for about 10 seconds before saying, "OK, we need to move now because this isn't a safe distance." That led to a brief discussion of wouldn't-it-be-nice-if-someone-invented-a-safe-way-to-draft-behind-trucks, which led to a likewise-brief discourse on how easily we can DO THINGS BETTER. Like . . . forgoing the repeat step in the shampooing process . . . sharing your magazine subscriptions among a group of friends instead of tossing each issue after you've read it . . . buying bamboo cutlery to carry around instead of accepting a handful of plastic cutlery at the drive-through . . . insisting politely to the store clerk that you don't need the soap bagged separately before being put in a larger grocery bag because (a) the soap is already wrapped in at least 2 layers and (b) you brought your own shopping bag . . . telling the server nicely that it's not necessary to refill your water glass each time you take a sip . . . using your worn washcloths and towels for rags instead of throwing them away and buying more paper towels . . . turning off the water while you brush or shave . . .