A local nonprofit, Clean Jordan Lake, is recruiting volunteers to pick up trash at Jordan Lake from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 8.

Volunteers will meet at the Jordan Dam Visitor Assistance Center (also known as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters) at 2080 Jordan Dam Road in Moncure. To sign up, visit www.meetup.com/HelpCleanJordanLake.

Efforts will be focused near the B. Everett Jordan Dam, where large amounts of trash tend to accumulate after storms. If possible, bring boats and kayaks (pfd required) to help reach the parts of the shoreline not accessible by foot.  Pants, long-sleeve shirts, hats and bug repellent are highly recommended.  Bottled water, lunch, gloves and trash bags will be provided.

The cleanup is in cooperation with the US Army Corps of Engineers, the NC Department of Transportation, North Carolina Big Sweep and the Haw River Assembly.

Sue Stock reports that local appliance stores are ready today for shoppers looking to cash in on the federal government's 15% instant rebate program on Energy Star appliance upgrades.

Some triangle stores opened as early as 5 a.m. today!

You can get more information from Sue's big story, which ran in the paper on Wednesday. 

How much do you really know about climate change?

Take the Climate Change Quiz at the Clinton Foundation website, and they will donate $2 on your behalf toward the purchase of solar flashlights for people living in camps in Haiti. There are 10 questions -- I only got 5 correct, but still earned the $2. And I learned a little about greenhouse gases. 

It's not too late to take part in National Park week, which runs through Sunday.

Admission is free, and events and volunteer projects will be held on Earth Day and throughout the week.

To find a national park near you, visit http://www.nps.gov/findapark/.

This past weekend's Earth Day celebration in downtown Raleigh was a chance to discover some home-grown businesses that are making a difference.

One in particular that looked popular with the crowd was a tent with fashions highlighting Redress Raleigh and Revamp. Redress Raleigh is an annual ecologically friendly fashion show. (It was last weekend as well, but find out more about it here.) Revamp is one of the show's co-producers.

The idea behind Revamp is to re-fashion old clothes so they're stylish now. Her stock includes clothes, jewelry and other accessories.

Revamp is the brainchild of designer Julie Powell, who sells her clothes to vintage stores through her wholesale company, American Vintage Clothing & Classics. We've written about Powell's efforts in the newspaper. See the article here.

There are many other groups and businesses with equal eco-friendly efforts out there. Share your finds.

Are you thinking of replacing that old refrigerator or dishwasher? This weekend is the time to do it. The North Carolina appliance rebate program runs tomorrow through Sunday, which offers a 15 percent instant rebate on Energy Star appliances. Find out more information about the program here.

Don't just be green in this life - you can carry it on into the
hereafter. Yes, it means what you think - even the funeral industry has
jumped on the eco-friendly bandwagon.

Here's a nice family outing for Earth Day: Disneynature's new film "Oceans" opens in theaters tomorrow.

Employees of CA, a Cary software firm, are spending Earth Day volunteering at Umstead State Park in Raleigh.

The volunteers will be in the park Thursday afternoon preparing fire buffers to reduce the risk of wildfires. Already this year, wildfires have burned more than 5,000 acres in the state.

How are you planning to help the planet on Earth Day?

Have you wondered how big your carbon footprint is compared to the average American household? Are you trying to figure out what aspect of your lifestyle can have the biggest impact on lessening your footprint? Don't you just wish there some simple way to calculate it? Yahoo! Green has a handy calculator that can do just that. Just answer a handful of questions, and it tells you whether your footprint is below average, average or above average, and offers tips on what you can do to cut back. Check it out for yourself at green.yahoo.com/calculator.