Being Green (Made Easy)
Most people know that it is important to recycling and not to litter, but there are little things that you can do to make the earth healthier. For example, turn off a light when you leave the room, shut off the water while you are brushing your teeth, or even start a compost pile in your backyard.
How to start a compost pile
What you need
Carbon-rich "brown" materials, such as fall leaves, straw, dead flowers from your garden, and shredded newspaper.
Nitrogen-rich "green" materials, such as grass clippings, plant-based kitchen waste (vegetable peelings and fruit rinds, but no meat scraps), or barnyard animal manure (even though its color is usually brown, manure is full of nitrogen like the other "green" stuff). Do not use manure from carnivores, such as cats or dogs.
A shovelful or two of garden soil.
A site that's at least 3 feet long by 3 feet wide.
How to
Start by spreading a layer that is several inches thick of coarse, dry brown stuff, like straw or cornstalks or leaves, where you want to build the pile.
Top that with several inches of green stuff.
Add a thin layer of soil.
Add a layer of brown stuff.
Moisten the three layers.
(read more at Rodale's organic life.org)