We’re in the midst of planning a big kitchen renovation—which will hopefully make our kitchen work better for our growing family. But we want to do it without making a whole lot of waste—and with being a lot more energy efficient. So here’s what we’re doing.

1. We called Green Demolitions, a company that takes anything usable out of the house, sells it at a huge discount, and uses the money they make to fund their charity that helps people overcome drug addictions. We’re hoping they can take out the old granite floor that kills everything that lands on it, and find it a better home.

2. We’re replacing the inefficient with the efficient. We’ve loved the fact that we have the original (from 1923) windows in some of the rooms. Until we discovered that it meant that we have the original drafts. Plastic coverings did little to stop it—and now we’ll have high-efficiency windows instead to keep out the cold (and hopefully, keep our heating bills to a minimum this year). And since the energy efficiency tax credits may end this year, now’s the time to replace the windows and net some savings on our taxes.

3. We’re looking at eco-friendly materials. There are so many new products out there, including counters made of recycled glass and flooring made from renewable sources like bamboo and cork. They’re just as strong (and as beautiful) as the products that aren’t as environmentally friendly.

It is, apparently, according to this new documentary, “Happy,” which shows that all that conspicuous consumption, dining out, fancy vacations and other frills and furbelows aren’t really what makes us happy—it’s more of the love, time with family, and other non-monetary life experiences that do that for us. And in fact, several people who voluntarily downsized their lives found much more happiness as a result.

Good news for everyone struggling in this economy, right? —Lisa Milbrand

The elementary schools are an environmental nightmare—I think my daughter’s kindergarten class was responsible for denuding an entire forest to produce the reams of worksheets, flyers and drawings that came home. And that miles-long list of school supplies doesn’t seem to soften our carbon footprint, either.

Fortunately, there are some ways to green up your back-to-school shopping to decrease the pillaging of resources. Here’s how to do it:

Reuse last year’s goodies. Everyone likes to start off the new year fresh, but sometimes all it takes is a good wash to make that backpack or pencil box school ready.

Look for recycled products. You can find everything from paper towels to those traditional black-and-white composition books made from recycled paper—along with pencils made from recycled newspaper (http://www.myobon.com/product/obonanza-2b-pencil-pack). And Etsy sellers often offer “upcycled” notebooks with unique covers culled from old books, or even cool children’s fashions like these dresses made from old men’s oxford shirts.

Consider more eco-friendly alternatives. Skip the standard, petroleum-based crayons for soy versions; look for greener glue, and lunchboxes that come with reusable containers to avoid all that extra plastic. (My girls love their Laptop Lunches bento sets!)

So many people fall into the same spending traps over and over again—without even realizing they’re doing it. And that’s how people with perfectly good salaries end up calling Suze Orman after amassing $30,000 in credit card debt. Brad Tuttle over at Time’s Cheapskate Blog has a brief rundown of spending styles—and the pitfalls they face. If you recognize yourself in one of those descriptions (I’m an early adopter all the way), you might be able to try to avoid your weak spots and keep your spending in check.

Or at least, you’ll be able to cry out, “but I’m an early adopter!” when you reach for your credit card. —Lisa Milbrand

Every year, I set out with grand visions of sculpting my tiny little plot of land into something spectacular. And always, something pops up that makes it all go a bit awry: mature plants that don’t survive the winter; a new plant that grows far beyond what I imagined and bumps all the surrounding plantings into weird, twisted things so that they can survive the newcomer’s onslaught; tiny woodland creatures who use my garden as their personal pantry.

Well, fortunately for me, Real Simple takes pity on a poor gardener’s plight: Their new “Top 10 Gardening Mistakes” piece is a must read for budding gardeners, with tips on how to avoid or fix your past mistakes.

I’ll be busy in the garden this week trying to transplant some lilies—or simply thwacking down the Montauk daisy thatn invaded their turf. —Lisa Milbrand