While I was teen working in New York City and eating lunch, a stranger approached me.

I was sitting in a diner, drinking a cup of coffee and trying to gobble up a quick BLT. I was reading the newspaper, and had no clue of what was going on around me. I only knew that I had 30 minutes of my own - to eat lunch, and clear my head. I didn't care that it was raining out, and I didn't care that it was only 1pm and I still had 4 more hours of work. I got a coffee instead of the fries, and qualified for the "lunch special", and the meal only cost me $4.99.

Sure, a bargain at today's prices, but that was back in the early 80's.

An old woman came up to my table and introduced herself. "Hi, my name is Gayle Smith, and I would like to introduce you to Green Living". She handed me her business card....

She was an older woman, well into her late 60's. Her hair was long and gray. Her clothes; well, appeared to be homemade or possibly hand me downs. She wore no makeup, nor jewelry nor perfume. Her shoes appeared to be expensive designer shoes; but it was evident that they have seen better days. She did not carry a handbag or pocketbook.

The woman - "Gayle" - asked if she could join me for lunch. I was taken a back; I really didn't know what to say or do. I asked that my waitress bring us a round of coffee - as I felt that Gayle probably needed it.

I finally did allow Gayle to sit at my lunch table and join me. I had never done this before, and was on guard. Sure, in NYC, there are plenty of people who will pick your brain and then pick your pocket. Maybe Gayle was one of them; I was very uncertain, and almost afraid. I knew that I needed to get back to work in about 20 minutes, and knew that I shouldn't be spending time with a stranger. But, she was very interesting....

Gayle wanted to discuss how I felt about the environment.

Environment, you say? What about it?

Again, this is going back to the early 80's. We threw cans and bottles out of car windows. We dumped trash into the streets and waited for our sanitation department to clean it up. How about going on a long trip? - Did you or did you not stop onto the side of the road to pee? I can vouch that there were not many rest stops along the way. Didn't Mom always have toilet paper? No, maybe she had newspapers? How about a paper bag? Old rags? Where did those all wind up?

So, now I have this strange woman sitting in a diner with me - yes - at my table. We are both drinking coffee; although mine has milk and sugar - Gayle's is black.

She begins to speak - She approached me with many questions, and amongst them, the most memorable are:

Can you, and and would you and your family agree to help to save the world?

If you did only ONE thing differently each day, would it be an inconvenience?

Do you feel that it is important for the next generation to prosper, or should they shut down and die?

What do you do with your grass clippings?

Did Gayle introduce "Green Living" to me? Yes, I think that she did. She continued to discuss a number of items:

1. Waste not, want not.

Why purchase items and waste what you cannot use? I, personally, have purchased many items that were great for the "moment", but when I took them home, they were of no use to me. So, now - trash? right?

2. Purchase only what you can use and consume in an immediate period of time.

Sure, I need milk. Do I buy it everyday? - No. I purchase one gallon of milk and I try to make it last for 3, maybe 4 days. Milk goes bad too quickly, and it's too expensive to replace. How about eggs? They seem to last for a couple of weeks. I don't purchase more than I need. This way, I have eggs on hand, but not too many. They go bad quickly too - yes a couple of weeks goes fast.

3. How about toilet paper and the such? - When paper goods are on sale, sure, buy them up - but don't buy TOO much. Stock your cabinets or pantry with what you could consume in one month. Anything more is overkill. Sales are going on everywhere, and if you think that you are getting a good deal - that is great; but wait for the coupons!

Okay, so, now you got some info under your belt. Now, what do you do and where do you go with it?

Let's start here:

1. Recycle I. It doesn't matter what you have, just don't put it in the trash. There are many organizations that would be happy to take your pre-owned items.

2. Recycle II. You consume food, you read the news, you purchase items that are packed in bottles, cans, glass, cardboard, or the like. Recycle it! Don't throw the boxes away in the trash. Allow yourself to recycle the items and know that you are doing something for the earth and environment.

3. Recycle III. Computers, Cell Phones and the like should not be overlooked. Those could be recycled too! Log onto the website of your local township, state, library or school. You will find many sources that would be willing to take your used electronics off of your hands.

4. Recycle IV. I'm actually living a good life recycling items that I would have not in the past. Can others help me with comments or suggestions for doing more?