Tuesday is fish-dinner day at my house. After yoga, I pick up fresh fish from the grocery store on my way home. Last week, something was different at the fish counter.

I just came from a marketing research group for a new Starbucks product. To quote one of the ladies at the table, "There's something classy about walking into a room holding a Starbucks cup...like Mary Kate and Ashley" Really? Holding a paper cup destined for landfill with a Starbucks logo on it makes you feel superior to others? I wonder if others feel her superiority when she's armed with her cup.

We live in a ranch house a la 1973 but we like natural, modern, sleek, industrial. The floor was peeling, we wanted to personize the look, the house was in need of some attention.

With today's unpredictable climate, producing an ample food supply for the world's population has become increasingly challenging, especially in developing countries. Much of the farmland in these areas have been made available by clearing rainforests, which only compounds the problem of global warming. Even after the land has been cleared, there's no guarantee that the field will produce a bountiful harvest. Often, a flood, drought, or other natural disaster will prevail, leaving farmers with little or no reward for all their hard work. If the crops do come through, they must be shipped hundreds or thousands of miles to the highest bidding consumers all around the world, and all too often, thrown in the trash where they end up in a landfill. We know our population is growing and demand for food is growing. We know weather conditions will only get worse. How will we adapt as a species to the new habitat that we've created for ourselves? What is the solution?

This week, after all the questionable nonprofit organizations in the news, I'd like to highlight one of my favorite nonprofit organizations. Red Feather Development Group, started by Robert Young in 1995, builds sustainable housing for homeless native Americans living on reservations in the middle of nowhere.

Growing up, my family only bought what we could not make ourselves. Mother made all of our meals from scratch, even while we were on the road. She sewed curtains, crocheted blankets, even made soap by melting down all of our soap scraps. My father had a wood shop in our garage and knew how to use it. He would produce coat racks, toy chests, shelves, desks and other furniture as needed.

Laughter. It's contagious. Once you start, it's hard to stop. It makes your sides hurt. It also boosts your immune system, causes optimism, relieves stress, has cardiac benefits, and evokes a sense of well-being. So many health benefits are attributed to laughing! We are each born with an innate joy of being and you know what? It's still there, we just have to get in touch with it!

When the oil runs out, will our future look more like the Jetsons or the Flintstones? With gas prices predicted to reach $7-10 per gallon by 2012, it is smart to prepare now. If you plan to replace your car before 2012, think about what kind of commitment you will make.

Imagine a world with clean power plants. All transportation, manufacturing, recycling would be done with near zero impact on the planet. Even better, the energy supply would be free (or low cost) and renewable. There would be no wires and poles, no dirty energy grid and no nuclear power.