Rats, not often talked about, but they’re everywhere.  Here’s the trouble – many people feel they only have one choice in dealing with these pests – Rat Poison.  Problem is Rat Poison doesn’t work instantly – no dramatic Shakespearean moment – rat takes one bite, then ahhhh, and falls dead.  No, instead the rat eats the bait, and then slowly gets weaker – becoming potential prey for cats, owls, etc.  Or, they go off somewhere to die – maybe in your attic, maybe your neighbors’, maybe your vegetable garden, or someone’s compost pile.  Problem is, besides smelling nasty, the dead rat is now full of poison, and who knows how much it will have spread around your neighborhood before it’s demise – lots of collateral damage.  So, while rat poison may work, it’s potentially quite hazardous in a community setting – you don’t want your old pest to poison your neighbors tomatoes, especially right before they feed them to their new baby.

But what can you do?  First off, try to get rid of their source of food – just tonight I found a ton of rat droppings in a bucket of bird seed I had set inside a bench, thinking their was no way in.  Lock up birdseed, or any other food source you leave outside, including Fido’s or Fifi’s un-eaten dinner.

Next step, try to get rid of any invitations for rats to move in.  Put metal screening over all access points to attics or crawl spaces.  And, here’s a double green suggestion that I learned from the groundskeeper at the local School District:  All that ivy blanketing huge areas as ground cover – a haven for rats to live in.  No one walks in there, it’s safe and secluded, plenty of water since it needs to be watered so much.  Cut your rat population, and decrease your water use by ripping out that ivy ground cover and planting some Bay Friendly grasses!

Still have a problem:
    •    Traps – there is always the traditional mouse trap – use peanut butter, and put the trap in a paper bag, so it’s easily disposed of when the vacancy sign has been removed.
    •    The rat zapper – apparently 4 AA batteries can deliver a lethal electric shock, and the rat is contained for handy disposal.
    •    Get a dog – apparently some breeds are excellent rat control devises.
    •    There are even natural baits that are toxic to rats – that won’t cause any secondary poisoning.
    •    Call in a professional, but find one that uses green methods.

More info:
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/129/1/Earth-friendly-rodent-control.html
http://www.ratzapper.com/

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What began in 2007 in Sydney in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund, EarthHour has grown to be a huge international statement in the fight against global warming.  Coming up on Saturday, March 28th, EarthHour participants around the globe will turn off lights and unnecessary electricity for an hour beginning at 8:30pm.  How can you be play a part? – simple, shut off your lights.  One person, what kind of effect will it have?  That’s exactly the thought behind EarthHour – a critical mass of individuals around the globe making a huge statement.  

On March 27, 2007 2.2 million people in Sydney shut off their lights – plunging the city into darkness for an hour.  Last year the same idea was repeated around the globe – 400 cities in 35 countries went dark.  Restaurants went dark, the string of lights on the Bay Bridge, the Ferry Building, The TransAmerica building, Ghirardelli – all were shut off, lights on the Coliseum in Rome – dark.  Chicago, Manilla, New York, Atlanta, Toronto, Fiji, Kazakhstan – all shut off lights.  Even Google turned it’s home page black for the hour.

This year participation around the globe is expected to be even greater with cities in 75 countries already agreeing to take part.  Participation is easy – grab a candle, a book, a board game.  Get your kids involved – my son made us keep everything dark last year starting at dinner time – it was like a winter night with no electricity. 

For more information including tips on how to get kids involved, visit:

http://www.earthhourus.org/main.php

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Another use for toothpaste: OK, don’t mind the Saturday Night Live reference from the 70s, but you must learn about this other use for toothpaste.  Silver Polish.  Yes, I was skeptical at first also – how is toothpaste going to remove tarnish from silver?  But it’s certainly easy enough to try.  I’ve always wondered what was in silver polish, and do I really want to eat off of forks that were just smeared with the stuff?  Here’s a green cleaner that has numerous benefits:

1. You already have it around
2. It smells good
3. Your kids will want to polish the silverware because it doesn’t seem like a chore when your spreading toothpaste on a candlestick.
4. It doesn’t leave that black stuff all over your fingers when you’re done.  
5. Throw the rags in the wash – they just have toothpaste on them.

I’ve found that it works best if you wet a rag first – slightly damp.  A small squirt of toothpaste and a bit of elbow grease, like you would with normal silver polish.  Then rinse and buff.  Your silver will be clean, shiny and minty fresh.  However, please note, do not use on just any metal, toothpaste may harm things that aren’t silver.

Try this:  You are getting ready to go out, and you notice your silver bracelet looks pretty tarnished.  One squirt of toothpaste on your hand, rub it around for a few seconds, then under the water – shiny as new.  

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