Looking for Ways to Help Save the Earth? Here Are Some Suggestions

-- Bruce N. Shulman, Silver Spring

Every homeowner should plant at least one tree this spring. For those who have a spot of land that could hold many trees, free trees are available from state departments of forestry and soil conservation districts.

-- Constance Frederickson, Annandale

Driving by the various shopping plazas and malls around town, I'm always struck by the number of empty parking slots. Cut the parking in half, add bus service to the neighborhoods.

-- Laura C. Stuker, Sterling

I noticed that many employees at my company drank lots of the free coffee provided to employees -- mostly using a new Styrofoam cup every time. It seemed wasteful. So I developed an estimate of how much the Styrofoam cups cost and the amount of waste or landfill clutter created per year. Then I suggested a one-time gift of a ceramic cup for each employee to use and showed how much money the company would save per year, while helping the environment.

They liked the idea -- and I got a $100 reward.