Now let us tackle paper. Paper is everywhere. And yet we sometimes think of it just as a very ordinary thing that we can just throw away after. In fact, there are tons of times when we would just waste them. But we can recycle these pieces of paper. Heres how:

• After children’s drawings and paintings have been displayed for a while they can be used to wrap presents - this also makes the present special.
• Discarded A4-sized paper can be cut and stapled together to make notepads. Alternatively, if you save five reams, it will cost you about $5 to get a print company to convert this paper into ‘proper’ notepads.
• ‘Use the envelopes you receive in the mail a second time by placing a new address label over the last address. I call this the OMT System (”One more time system”). Old envelopes can also be used for scribbling down shopping lists, to-do lists, and notes.’
• Resealable envelopes can be reused many times: ‘My daughter takes one to school when she orders her lunch. The envelope has all details written in felt on the front and the money sealed inside. She brings the envelope home and we use it again until it gets too shabby.’
• Old calendars, colourful pictures, etc. can be used to make your own envelopes. You can unstick a used envelope and use it as a template for making envelopes.
• Old rolls of wallpaper can be used for childrens’ drawings.
• Junk mail can be used as scrap paper, or as bedding for pets.
• Cardboard cartons can be used to collect paper for recycling, instead of plastic bags (even breakfast cereal cartons are good).
• SPCA and pet shops appreciate old newspapers.
• Toilet roll centres can be recycled - they’re made of cardboard.
• To fill in a rainy day get a paper recycling kit and get the kids to rip up old used paper to make recycled paper, it can be great fun.
• Old magazines are appreciated by:
  • Doctor and dentists’ surgeries
  • Motels
  • Friends

What else can you do with paper?

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October is traditionally an exciting month for b5medias Lifestyles Channel and their readers. Summer is over and the Holidays have not yet begun, so it is the perfect time for us to thank our readers for their continued loyalty.

To do this, the Lifestyles Channel joins forces with hundreds of sponsors to create a two week extravaganza of giveaways, jump-starting the holiday season and allowing our readers to win gifts, both for themselves and for giving.

This years Blogtoberfest is better than ever before. We have simplified the process and the sponsors have been extremely generous in the gifts that they are offering and as the result, well be passing on in excess of $7,000 worth of prizes.

Dont miss a minute of the fun!

Blogtoberfest officially kicks off Monday, October 6, 2008

There are lots of great prizes to be given away. Prizes are available to U.S. and Canada residents unless otherwise noted.

All you have to do is:

1. Browse the channel or visit your favorite blogs
2. Watch for sponsored prize winning posts wearing the official Blogtoberfest button shown above.
3. Leave a comment on that exact post. Your comment IS your entry.
4. Check back with that blog within a week and see what the prize is and if youre the lucky winner.

Consider subscribing to the various blog feeds to make sure you dont miss out on any exciting opportunities. Many blogs will be conducting between 2 and 7 giveaways and just win those will be appearing is a secret and half the fun!

Each prize winning post will share links to other prize winning blogs for that same day. This makes hunting easier and improves your chances of winning!

Thats it!

Participating blogs found at the bottom of our channel hub:

www.b5media.com/channels_lifestyles.html

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This is a series of posts that are focused on recycling. After all, we do need some fresh ideas on what to do with those things that we see in the house and yet we do not know what to do with them. Of course, if we do find a good use for them, they sure would not be making their way to the garbage bin. Recycling them would be better.

And so this is the first of the series and this is all about what you can do with those plastic bags that you get from shopping and everywhere else.

• Use them as bin liners.
• Place them in the bottom of plant pots and hanging baskets - they act as great drainage systems.
• Children can use them for carrying PE gear to school.
• Scrunch them up to surround items when you’re packaging as an alternative to bubble wrap.
• Use them in the garden to hold your grass cuttings and hedge trimmings before transfer to a compost bin.
• Use them when packing for a holiday to keep dirty/wet clothes and shoes away from dry clothing.
• Use them as ‘doggy doo bags’ when out walking your dog!
• Some supermarkets recycle plastic bags, so you can return plastic bags to them.
• Re-use washed zip lock bags for sandwiches and snacks rather than using plastic wrap.

Other ideas on how you can recycle plastic bags?

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Recycling seems to be a recycled issue already. I mean, some people may not believe in it because they have heard it many times over that they think that it is already just a hyped up topic and there is really nothing much to it. However, we should not keep our hopes go down because there are some facts about things that may just want you to start recycling.

In case you didnt know these, then now is the time.

• 25 plastic bottles can be recycled to make an ecofleece top.
• A styrofoam vending cup can be made into a pencil or a pen.
• Steel cans that have contained anything from baked beans to fruit cocktail, pet food or soup can be recycled to make new cars and bridges.
• Empty glass bottles and jars can be recycled to make things like decorative paving, as well as new glass jars and bottles.
• Paper and cardboard can be recycled to become new toilet paper, newspapers and magazines or paper packaging.
• Plastic bags and containers can be recycled into garden furniture, decking and fencing.
• An empty aluminium drink can be recycled for other uses again and again.

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The Vatican is the main home for Catholicism. And that is also the fortress where Pope Benedict XVI currently resides. And yes, he is also the man behind most of the rules for the Vatican. And one of his most recent moves is to actually go with solar power and have solar panels installed. That, as we all know, would help them save on energy. And this is certainly not a very surprising move from the Pope because he has been very vocal about his support for protecting and conserving all our natural resources.

And with his word, the Paul VI auditorium is now being given a new kind of roof. See, you would find the tiles of this auditoriums roof to be already old and they have been degrading through time. Now, the roof is new and instead of tiles, you would find 2700 solar panels on it. This auditorium is where the Pope holds court for pilgrims each week when the weather is not cooperating.

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