If you've ever wanted to express how you feel about your company's refusal to go paperless, a Japanese company may have the answer. It's invented a machine that converts office waste paper into toilet paper. About 1,800 sheets of discarded office paper produces two rolls. Given that a typical American office worker uses about 10,000 sheets of office paper each year, your company may never have to buy toilet paper again.

Then again, don't call the supply company to cancel your standing order for toilet paper yet. The machine is heavy (1,300 pounds) and expensive ($95,000), and there's no information available about how much energy it requires to do its thing. So your greenest options remain the common-sense ones: Buy recycled paper products, reduce the amount of paper you use, and recycle used paper instead of throwing it away.

For the first time since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a World War II victory garden, there will be a vegetable garden on the White House lawn. Last week, Michelle Obama, along with 26 fifth-graders from Bancroft Elementary school, broke ground on an 1100-square-foot plot that will become a kitchen garden for the White House.

The first lady is interested in educating people about making smart food choices and knowing where their food comes from. Her new home's kitchen garden is a step in that direction, providing fresh, healthy food for the White House and setting a terrific example for the rest of the country.

When it's time to plant, the fifth-graders will return to help. Plans for the garden include growing 55 kinds of vegetables, including lettuce, spinach, broccoli (not a favorite of at least one past president), onions, peas, carrots, and herbs for seasoning. But no beets.

With spring here, why not think about planting your own kitchen garden? Here are some tips for getting ready to grow your own food:

• Start with good soil. Healthy plants need rich, fertile soil. Till the soil to break it up, and mix in compost. You want the soil to be crumbly so that air and water can get through.
  
• Choose a good site. Make sure your garden gets sun for six to eight hours each day, is sheltered from the wind, and is in a well drained area.
  
• Plant cover crops. Crops such as peas and fava beans enrich the soil with nitrogen, which plants need to grow. Next spring, you can till these crops right into the soil; this so-called "green manure" is great for improving the soil.
  
• Choose the right plants. Know what grows well in your climate and when to plant it. Chilly northern states have a later, shorter growing season than warm southern states. Similarly, arid climates require different plants and techniques from soggier regions. To find out how to work with your climate, check out the USDA's Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Some plants that are generally easy to grow include corn, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, herbs, onions, peas, and tomatoes.
• Try container gardening. If you don't have room for a full-sized garden, try growing vegetables and herbs in terra cotta containers. Even a few herbs grown on a windowsill can add big flavor to your food.

For many babies and toddlers, bath time is play time--spent splashing around and blowing soap bubbles. As a parent, you expect the children's bath products you use to be tear-free and gentle on tender skin. But did you ever stop to wonder what's in those products that are marketed as fun, gentle, and safe?

The last thing you'd expect in your child's bath is known carcinogens.

Yet a recent study commissioned by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found two worrisome chemicals in dozens of products:

• Formaldehyde was present in 23 of 28 children's bath products tested. Concentrations ranged from 54 to 610 parts per million.
• 1,4-dioxane was found in 32 of 48 products tested. Levels of this chemical went as high as 35 parts per million.

Scientists have linked both of these chemicals to cancer.

Banned in Europe, 1,4-dioxane currently isn't regulated in the United States--even though the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission calls even tiny amounts of 1,4-dioxane "cause for concern."

Formaldehyde makes its way into products because it kills bacteria (that's why it's in embalming fluid). Yet it also can cause allergies; eye, nose, and throat irritation; skin rashes; respiratory problems; asthma; headaches; and even cancer. In the air, as little as 0.1 part per million can irritate eyes and trigger asthma or other breathing problems. Formaldehyde shows up in everything from paint and building materials to particle-board and wooden furniture to paper products--you definitely don't need it in your baby's shampoo.

The Personal Care Products Council, an industry association, calls the study's findings "false" and claims that any traces of these chemicals in children's bath products are "well below established regulatory limits or safety thresholds." (You can read the Council's response to the study here.)

But you're probably wondering the same thing many other parents are wondering: Why are these chemicals in children's products at all? And how can you make sure that your baby's shampoo is safe?

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics lists companies that have signed its Compact for Safe Cosmetics, pledging to use safe ingredients and provide the public with information about what goes into products, so you know what you're buying. You can search its database of companies that have signed the compact here.

Bath time should be for splashing, laughing, and rubber duckies--not hazardous chemicals.

My name is Nancy Conner, and I'm the author of Living Green: The Missing Manual. I'm writing the book now; you'll find it in stores this summer.

This Missing Manual is packed with information about how human actions affect the environment and how we can improve our stewardship of this planet we call home. You'll find tips and suggestions for greener living at all levels: small changes you can make today, lifestyle adjustments that will keep your family green and healthy, how you can get involved with like-minded groups and large-scale pro-environment efforts. As I write, I'll share some of those tips here.

As a preview, here's the Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Why Living Green Matters
• Part I: Living Green Begins at Home
• Chapter 1: Home Green Home: Creating a Safe, Earth-Friendly Living Environment
• Chapter 2: Save Energy, Money, and the Earth
• Chapter 3: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
• Chapter 4: Building and Remodeling
• Part II: Greening Your Lifestyle
• Chapter 5: Raising a Green Family
• Chapter 6: Eating Green: It's Not Just Spinach Anymore
• Chapter 7: Responsible Shopping
• Chapter 8: Going Green: Transportation and Travel
• Part III: A Greener World
• Chapter 9: Green Business Is Good Business
• Chapter 10: Alternative and Renewable Energy
• Chapter 11: Getting Involved

As you can see, the book covers a lot of territory. If you have any specific questions or topics you'd like me to address, I'd love to hear about them. Just leave a comment on this blog.

Thought for the day: Small changes multiply. It took many years of thoughtlessness and abuse for the Earth to get to its present condition. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and wonder what you can possibly do to make a difference. The answer: Start small. By yourself, you can't save the planet overnight. But if you do one thing today to make your life a bit greener, you've made a start. And the more people who do that, the bigger the difference.

Here are ten ideas to get you started:

1. Buy paper towels made from recycled fibers. Better yet, replace paper towels with old t-shirts or cut-up towels for cleaning and dusting.
2. Don't drive when you can walk or bike. For short trips, leave the car in the garage and use human-powered transportation instead. You'll save gas, reduce emissions, and get some exercise. For longer trips, use public transportation whenever possible.
   
3. Adjust the temperature in your home. Heating and cooling indoor spaces is one of the biggest energy expenditures. By turning the thermostat down just one degree in winter and up just one degree in summer, you'll save money and energy both. A degree or two doesn't feel a whole lot different, but over time it can make a big difference in energy use.
4. Reuse shopping bags. Some people buy sturdy bags; others reuse the bags provided by the store. Just be sure you remember to take along the bags you're using when you head for the grocery store. Driving back home to get your reusable bags isn't exactly energy efficient!
   
5. Save paper by switching to online bank statements and bills.
6. Wash clothes in cold water, not hot.
7. Buy in bulk to eliminate wasteful packaging.
8. Take a shower instead of a bath, and you'll use only half the amount of water. To save more water, turn the tap off when you brush your teeth.
9. Buy locally grown produce. Not only is this good for your local economy, buying local means saying "No thanks" to expending massive amounts of energy to refrigerate and transport food across the country or around the world.
10. Turn off lights when you're not using them. Put outdoor lights on a timer, or use solar-powered lights to illuminate walkways.