Congratulations

World Cup Qualifiers

BY ERNA ADELSON & JACKIE McFARLAND

  A name we have seen printed in prize lists for many years, we caught up with Scott while he was designing courses in Parker, Colorado for the series of ‘A’ shows at the Colorado Horse Park.

HOW A SUMMER JOB CAN LEAD TO LEGENDARY OPPORTUNITIES
  “It’s been a long, strange, trip,” says Starnes of his ascent to his current status as one of California’s well-known course designers. Not a competitive rider but rather a former collegiate defensive back, Starnes’ experience in the elite equine world was hard to come by, and is a testament to his work ethic, determination, and skill as a technical designer.

  It all began with the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, when Coto de Caza was host to the Olympic pentathlon show jumping events. Starnes took what was supposed to be just a summer job as part of the set up crew and ended up having a knack for the assignment. Shortly afterward, he met the legendary Pamela Carruthers and upon her encouragement traveled to Spruce Meadows where he crewed and assisted with course design. During the next decade Starnes observed and drew inspiration from some of the finest in the field from Equitation Finals to Grand Prix, including Jon Doney, David Ballard, Richard Jeffrey, Leopoldo Palacios and Linda Allen. While assisting abroad, Starnes was also working his way up as a course designer in his own backyard, learning from Tommy Dendiu, Richard Keller and Michael Curtis about designing for hunters and equitation as well as jumpers. As the horse show schedule in southern California expanded, Starnes was gainfully employed and no longer
had time to spend summers in Spruce Meadows.

THE DIRECTION OF DESIGN – DERBYS & BEYOND
  We asked about designing courses for the new USHJA Hunter Derby, a more recent addition to our ‘A’ rated shows that requires a designer’s imagination to create a demanding yet inviting course for hunters. Whereas an equitation medal final or grand prix have many of the same technical questions and distance challenges, the Hunter Derby has its own requirements. “It is supposed to be more like an actual foxhunt while maintaining traditional hunter style,” Starnes commented. “The class requires a completely different build, at least four height option jumps, 3’6” and 4’, plus handy options.” Only in its first year and growing in popularity, this class requires the skill of an experienced course designer and when done well is as awesome to watch as a great Grand Prix.

  Certainly steeped in the system, Starnes is the first person to admit that his career path would be considered unconventional. “Nowadays course designing is regulated more strictly,” he says. “You need to apply for a license, attend a certain number of clinics, and design at least three grand prix courses every two years to maintain your certification.” He notes that the new guidelines require all course designers to get licensed which he feels helps to ensure the safety of both horses and riders and improves the sport for all involved.

FAVORITES & FUTURE
  Though Starnes says that his most memorable assignments have been while crewing high-end events like the Olympics, World Cup and the Masters at Spruce Meadows because of the caliber of the designers and the athletes involved, he reveals that designing local and regional Medal Finals make him most happy. “I love designing at the Oaks because it’s home,” he says. Starnes is far from settled, though. With his FEI license pending, he may very well be back at the Olympics in London 2012, this time at the helm.

BY ERNA ADELSON & JACKIE McFARLAND

  Have you ever wondered (or have you been around long enough to know) – who is Mary of Mary’s Tack & Feed? We were honored to have a chance to chat with Mike Mosley, owner of this well-established brand, to find out the answer to this and more.

  A well-known destination for So Cal equestrians in need of the finest, most current gear for horse and rider as well as a very visible sponsor of horse shows and advertiser in multiple publications, Mary’s Tack & Feed is conveniently located next to Showpark (the Del Mar Horse Park). Founded in 1963, the store established a clientele before the show grounds existed.

  A former representative for numerous tack suppliers, Mosley was able to gain access to Mary’s through a history of business with the original owner and founder, Mary Hammond, who had been running her tiny operation out of an old gas station since ’63. After Mosley took over in 1976, he introduced new merchandise, but retained the original name, superior inventory, and meticulous attention to customers. “I learned a lot from Mary about how to treat people and what to carry,” he says. “She had a really good eye for quality and already had a reputation and customer base, so why would I change a good thing?”
Mosley reveals that a place like Mary’s is the product of a lot of hard work and a little good luck. “There have always been quality horses and riders in San Diego,” says Mosley, “But the right equipment has helped keep them here.”

  As business flourished, one thing Mosley did need to change was the size of the store. In 1983, twenty years after its humble beginning, Mary’s relocated from its 600-square-foot location to a site twenty times larger – a 12,000-square-foot location two-story building on Via de la Valle, where it stands today. The outpost store in San Juan Capistrano opened approximately ten years later to further accommodate customers in Orange County. While e-commerce sales have helped Mosley and his team serve customers in distant locations like the East Coast, Hawaii, and even Japan, the internet is actually only a small part of his business. “There is nothing in print advertising or on the internet that can replace the feeling of actually walking into the store.”

  Mosley and the rest of the staff at Mary’s are incredibly dedicated to their customers and take pride in providing the latest designs in tack and equipment, hard to find items, and high quality options. For each niche in the equine industry, Mary’s employs a specialized buyer so that the inventory is always up to date. “There are constant challenges involved in staying on top of the market, like keeping the variety so the inventory is interesting and satisfies the customer, whether the item is for a horse, for training a horse, just for riding, or just for fun,” says Mosley.

  “It is a monumental task for new employees to know as much as possible about the merchandise,” he adds. Thus, everyone on the floor regularly attends Mary’s University, a school within the tack store, so that they are able to answer any and every question about what is currently being offered. Mosley estimates that Mary’s stocks about three times as many products as a Home Depot, so a student of Mary’s University actually has quite a course load.

  Though there are challenges to running a 12,000-square-foot tack store the size of Mary’s, Mosley says that the people are the reward. He explains that “I have not only been incredibly blessed by the people I work with, but since so many of the clients have been coming to Mary’s for so long, they feel like old friends.” Mosley intends to keep the formula for Mary’s simple as the brand continues to expand in the future. “I think people will always have horses and the best products for horses are still high-quality and created by craftsmen, so we will continue to carry those items.”

  So the answer to the question – Who is Mary? – is not just Mary Hammond but also Mike Mosley. His innovation plus Mary’s tradition create an excellent retail environment for equestrians.

www.marystack.com
800.551.MARY

BY LAURA WARE

  About a month ago, I wrote a really sad story about the death of my favorite horse of all time - Tustin. Fortunately, not all is lost, and though I have had to gain some patience and take a step down from the height at which I was previously competing, my parents were gracious enough to purchase me another jumper.

  In the middle of April, my mother (who is also my trainer) and I traveled to Europe to find a promising young jumper prospect that, ideally, will eventually enable me to compete at the Grand Prix level. The trip was exhausting, fun, emotional, and a great mother-daughter bonding experience. Plus, I learned how to read a map really well - nothing like trying to find a hotel in a foreign country in the pitch dark to encourage the development of this skill! After what seemed like sitting on a zillion horses and driving every back road in Holland and Belgium, we were able to narrow our list down to three promising prospects - a five year old French gelding (Westin), a five year old German mare, and a seven year old Dutch mare. A multitude of traits caused us to choose Westin as our first pick. Even though he was a little younger than I had hoped for, he was ride-able, intelligent, and sweet...just like Tustin.

  So with a clean vet check and one more test ride by the dealer (we had only tried him indoors, and wanted to make sure someone we trusted saw him jump around outdoors), we bought him. The two weeks between the time we arrived home from Europe and the time we wired the money seemed like an eternity, and he finally arrived in California during the first week of May. The day that my mom picked him up from the airport happened also to be my prom night, so I saw him for maybe five minutes before having to run off. Half of the people at our barn had already picked out his name before I even got to sit on him! Once he was mine, I absolutely fell in love with him. The first time I rode him at home, he acted wise beyond his years - didn’t spook at a single thing in our arena, essentially he behaved like a perfect gentleman. And he was super fun to ride!

  After a few weeks of training him up a little bit at home, we took him to his first southern California show. We only did two Low Children’s Jumper classes and one Children’s Jumper class, but he jumped around the East Grass Field at the Oaks like he had been doing this forever. He’s such a game little horse. He’ll try anything I ask of him, even if I make a few mistakes. After a successful go at that height, we decided to start showing him in the Five Year Old Jumpers. What a great experience for me! Even though I’m not getting to jump as big as I had been with Tustin, being able to gallop around the Grand Prix field in my white breeches doing the Five Year Old Classics is every bit as thrilling as it was in the High Junior Jumper Classics. Warming up with and competing against Grand Prix riders on their young prospects makes me feel special, because, like them, I feel I’m now a good enough rider to train my own young horse. The “optimum time” classes are challenging - you really have to pay attention to the strides and turns the early horses in the class take, even more so than you would in a regular speed or Sec. 2B round. Learning to ride this type of class adds a new variable to my development as a rider and riding a smart, green horse like Westin is especially rewarding. I feel like every time I get on him he is more ride-able than he was before.

  Now, I love Westin dearly and truly enjoy riding him, but I really wish he wasn’t mine. I wish I hadn’t made the trip to Europe last April to buy a horse, because that was a direct result of Tustin’s death. I wish I still had Tustin, who had already undergone the long and sometimes frustrating process of becoming a trained horse. Admittedly, if I had the option, I would prefer to be competing with my friends in the High Junior Jumper classes and chasing Prix Des States money rather than training a young horse during my last junior year. Every time Westin does something that isn’t absolutely perfect (lucky for me, this is rare), I end up comparing him to Tustin, and then I grumble “Well, Tustin never would have had that rail,” or, “I wouldn’t have made that mistake on Tustin,” which is unfortunate, because Westin doesn’t deserve this. He’s a fabulous horse.

  A few weeks ago, after a Five Year Old class that didn’t go as well as I had hoped, I came out of the ring complaining to my mother about how Westin just didn’t match up to Tustin. One of my mom’s clients overheard this, looked right at me, and set me straight. “Laura, listen to yourself whining and moaning. I can remember hearing the same complaints two years ago about Parker (my hunter.) ‘Oh Parker won’t do this’ and ‘Oh Parker can’t do that’. Well look at him now, Laura, winning classes right and left. Westin will turn out just fine.” I am still a kid, often immature and impatient, but even I am old enough to know that her assessment is absolutely right.

  After all, when I have my silly, little-girl dreams about becoming a Grand Prix rider, it is no longer Tustin who I am riding in these dreams. It is Westin.

Photo: Laura Ware and Westin © Cathrin Cammett

BY LAURA WARE

  Attention to all incoming college freshman who wish they’d gone after a few more scholarships during their senior year of high school, incoming high school seniors who are just starting the whole college application/search for scholarships nightmare, and all other junior riders who would like to test their horsemanship knowledge and try to win some scholarship money - The Los Angeles County Hunter Jumper Association has something for you - The LAHJA Horse Mastership Competition. A few years ago, the LAHJA Horse Mastership Program began in an effort to reward riders for their horsemanship skills. This competition, which is open to all LAHJA junior members, consists of three phases: hands-on, written exam, and equitation over fences, and awards $5,000 in scholarship money to the top three overall finishers ($2,500 for first, $1,500 for second, and $1,000 for third).

September 26, 2008:
  In order to participate, riders must send their registration forms and a check for $50 to the LAHJA by September 26, 2008 (registration forms can be found on the LAHJA website). This competition is open to all junior riders who are members of the LAHJA, and it is mandatory that all competitors attend the LAHJA awards banquet on December 14th. The results of the competition are kept secret until this date, and all participants will receive special gifts and ribbons. In addition to the scholarship money, the overall winner will receive a perpetual trophy, and a special award will also be presented to the high point 11 and under rider.

October 18, 2008:
  The hands-on phase will take place on October 18, 2008, at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center during the Gold Coast 7 Horse Show. This phase tests the contestant’s ability to perform hands-on skills around a horse such as tacking up, wrapping legs, and identifying certain feed, equipment, and body parts. Horses will be provided, and the time schedule for this phase will be e-mailed to each contestant by Monday, October 13th. Each individual test should not last more than 20 minutes.

  The written exam will also occur on October 18, at around 6:30 pm. This exam will test each competitor on horsemanship material an experienced junior rider is expected to know, and is based on information found in the United States Pony Club ‘B’ manual. This test will take place on the patio outside the horse show office at the Gold Coast 7 Horse Show.

November 14, 2008:
  For the riding phase, competitors are required to submit a video or DVD of a jumping round performed during the 2008 show year that they feel best demonstrates their riding ability. Riders are welcome to submit a hunter, jumper, or equitation round at any height, but all rounds will be judged as an equitation class. In addition to the video, each rider must submit a declaration signed by the videographer and the rider’s trainer stating when and where the round was performed, the official class name, and the class specifications from that horse show. The rider also must include a list of divisions in which he/she regularly competes. The video/DVD must be received by the LAHJA by November 14, 2008, and professional quality videos/DVDs are recommended.

  More details on this program, along with some practice test questions, can be found at www.lahja.org/programs.php. Also, Sandrine Seiffert is offering two clinics at the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center to help junior riders prepare for the Horse Mastership Competition. The clinics, which will cover material included in the written and hands-on phases, the first is happening this weekend July 23 and 24, and the next is August 19 and 20 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm (session 2). The clinics are free to LAHJA members and cost $50 for non-LAHJA members. If you would like to attend, contact Sandrine: ddstables@gmail.com.

Attention Amateurs!

August 1, 2008:
  Purina Mills and Bates Saddles are sponsoring another horsemanship challenge, this one for riders past their junior years. To participate, riders must take and submit a nine question quiz (found on www.equisearch.com) before August 1, 2008 (the contest ends tonight). Three winners will be chosen at random; two will be awarded a Bates saddle, one will win one ton of Purina Mills feed.

  While on equisearch.com, riders can also enter the 2008 Week with the Maddens Contest. In order to enter, riders must write a brief essay explaining why they would like to spend a week training with the Maddens. Two riders’ essays will be chosen; each winner will receive a Bates saddle and a week with John and Beezie Madden or Frank Madden. The deadline to enter this contest is also August 1, 2008. For both of these contests, entrants must be 18 or older and a resident of the U.S. Go ahead and test your knowledge – you could win big!

Laura Listens is brought to you by Laura Ware. Winner of the 2007 LAHSA Junior Medal Finals and a recipient of the 2008 WCAR Jumper Rider Grant, Laura rides with First Field Farm and often trains with Archie Cox. She is very successful in the all three disciplines on her own mounts as well as catch riding other horses.

BY KATHY KEELEY

  There are two choices if you want to ride on a college team in a formal program: NCAA varsity equestrian and IHSA collegiate teams. Many parents think the two are synonymous when in fact they are very different - from scholarships and show formats to athletic benefits.

  While there are hundreds of club teams, IHSA, there are very few varsity teams - about 20 or so teams at the varsity level. Varsity teams are only allowed 15 total scholarships according to NCAA rules. They work under a budget and do not have unlimited scholarships. This makes it very competitive for a freshman to get a full scholarship.

The NCAA route: Steps to get on a team
  Getting on a team has become more and more competitive as interest grows. Due to this it can be challenging for English riders to get on a team, and the challenge is greater if you want to be the one showing on the team.

Tips:
  • Go online and register with NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Association. You cannot be recruited unless you have registered. You can find more information about this at: http://www.ncaastudent.org
  • Make a video showing your riding skills on several different horses, including green ones. One segment can be on your show horse, but the others need to be at various levels of training. Wear britches, polo shirt, and tall boots for the video so you look professional. Demonstrate that you can do lead changes, jump different horses, and perform equitation on different mounts.
  Note: With help from friends and the trainer, we videotaped my daughter riding seven horses from green broke to her fancy show horse.
  • Write a resume of your riding experience starting with most recent. List your major wins including championships, blue ribbons, and riding experience. Include the resume with your videotape.
  • Go on recruitment trips to 1-2 schools. Make an appointment with the coach, go on the admissions tour, and watch the team at a lesson or competition. Spend a couple of days getting a feel for the campus. Be prepared to answer the questions of why you want to be on their team and what you would contribute to the team.
  • Follow-up and email the coaches. Keep them posted on any show success during your senior year. Some coaches receive over 200 videotapes, so communication is important. Most teams are put together in January and February, so have a plan B if you are not accepted on the team.

  • Keep an open mind and look at several schools. Your chances of acceptance increase the more schools you are willing to consider.

3 important things to consider if you want to be on an NCAA team:
  1. Early workouts: Girls are required under NCAA rules to work out in the weight room or training center three days a week, often at 6 a.m. You jog, lift weights, and use the exercise machines while working with a trainer assigned to your sport. Attendance is mandatory.
  2. You work for your coach, not the reverse, as you may be used to if you show on the circuit. The coach is in charge. Team members do most of the work with the horses, from bathing, grooming, and braiding, to exercising the horses. There are no moms or grooms to assist.
  3. Teams can be up to 50 -100 girls: Only four or five girls actually show in a competition from each team, which means that the majority of the team will be benchwarmers at the events.

My daughter’s story
My daughter chose to take the NCAA varsity team route. She liked that she was treated as a full college athlete with all of the privileges that male athletes receive, like tutors and advisors, study hall, community service, and early morning weight training. Other perks include early class registration, book pick up, and access to an athletic center with trainers.

Days are very busy, starting at 6:00 a.m. with weight training, classes, riding, team meetings, training room visits for massages, more classes, and then returning home to study at 5 pm. Her riding skills and confidence have grown significantly as she has learned to ride an unfamiliar horse with a three-minute warm-up and then ride an equitation course. I’ve watched her gradual transition from show rider to athlete and team member - a transition that required her to change her mindset, but it has paid off. She loves wearing her letter jacket and hanging out with the football and baseball teams—an athletic perk. She has found a place that’s not all females, another definite perk in her mind.

If you want to think ahead and prepare to get on a team, then here’s what we recommend:
Focus on equitation, get experience riding lots of different horses, and show in different places. Showing at the college level is all about equitation, so training in equitation as opposed to just the hunter or jumper rings is key. Years of riding experience helps, especially at a competitive level, which prepares you for handling the nerves, excitement and competition in different venues. Coaches may prefer riders who have some experience in other types of team sports and athletics because they understand team dynamics, athletics, and competition, whereas the show arena is an individual sport. Keep good records of your show history.

We have learned a lot by participating in the sport through the NCAA program. An entirely new perspective from the ‘A’ show circuit, varsity riding is not for everyone.

Think and look carefully about the fit for your competitive and collegiate goals. Web sites for more information:
www.varsityequestrian.com
www.ncaa.org
www.usef.org
www.showmom.com

For more tips, resources and articles for ShowMoms, visit: ShowMom.com

BY MARCIA HESTER

  It seems like yesterday that I was watching my daughter Lauren with pigtails and ribbons canter around the pony ring at horse shows across the country. Of course, the ponies lead to children’s hunters, which lead to junior hunters. Next on the agenda is equitation, a discipline which requires a special horse. Equitation is the backbone for jumpers and suddenly Lauren was a junior in high school and preparing for SAT and ACT tests. I am sure many of you have experienced this same transition. A question my husband and I often asked was: where does this lead our young daughter? There are many different answers to this question. NCAA Equestrian teams are among the answers. Lauren signed up in the NCAA clearing house so that her high school transcripts and testing would all be sent to the NCAA for eligibility. This is one of the simplest steps of the process. Lauren thought that a being part of an equestrian team might be an interesting way to attend college. She had listed universities that had teams in one column and others without teams in another. Lauren thought she would wait and see what the future would bring. We were delighted to hear from several schools who were interested in her as a potential team member.

  The recruiting process is very exciting. The team coach invites the rider to attend a special weekend at the school. The university provides plane fare, hotel costs and transportation. It is an opportunity to tour the campus and talk to academic advisors, athletic trainers, attend a special athletic event and meet other potential team members. It can be a bit hectic working all this into an already full schedule of school, horse shows, and extracurricular activities. Lauren, however, somehow managed to find more hours in every day.

  Lauren visited Southern Methodist University in Dallas when she was a freshman in high school. Her sister, Hilary, was applying to colleges and wanted to see the school. Early on Lauren felt SMU was her university of choice. She was even more enthused when SMU offered her a full athletic scholarship. Lauren’s orientation was stimulating and informative. We learned that there are many wonderful benefits available to a student athlete. The athletes have special tutoring, priority scheduling for classes, books, tuition, medical care and sports training, and also a built-in network of friends.

  Most of the girls who compete in college sports have learned great time management skills. Lauren was accustomed to managing school, riding, volunteer work and competitions, so adding college classes, study, team workouts and practice was not a burden. She felt prepared for this. The team concept was one of the most rewarding parts of her experience. In NCAA competition, 3-6 riders compete head to head with 3-6 riders from an opposing school. The riders each draw a horse and then the other team draws its horses. They ride the same horse over the same course. An equivalent process holds true for the individual flat pattern that each must perform. The team usually travels with 4-6 riders for fences and 4-6 riders for the flat. The same rider may ride in both flat and fences. This is up to the coach’s judgment.

  The horses are often challenging and the riders are only given 4 minutes and 4 jumps for a warm up. We have seen a few very wild rides! There aren’t too many advantages for either team except that the home team usually owns the horses, so they are familiar with individual animals. SMU’s team, under the direction of its wonderful new coach Ashley Schaefer, is now ready to become competitive in the conference. Steve Orsini is the new director of Athletics at SMU and is 100% behind the team. Currently, SMU is examining the introduction of new horses for their program. The riding program has recently moved to a beautiful new facility just 10 minutes from campus. SMU is welcoming seven new recruits, four from the west coast: Mallory Olson, Jennifer Weeks, Jordan Petersen and Lauren Michaels; and three from the east: Emily Gardner, Lauren Needham and Claire Wenholz. Coach Ashley Shaefer was at Showpark this past weekend in order to see some of her “new girls” in action.

  The best part of NCAA competition is being part of a team. Although each rider strives to do well individually, the results of the competition are based on the overall team’s performance. Therefore, it is truly a sport where everyone participates in some way. The girls who aren’t competing on “game day” will have responsibilities such as warming up the horses, tacking and grooming, and of course cheering on their team members. As a group effort, team riding can provide an experience with a very different emphasis from the individual intensity of our local and national horse shows.

BY ERNA ADELSON

  We’re not talking green with envy or even Green Working Hunters, we’re asking you consider how to be more environmentally aware and take action at home, at the barn and at shows. Whenever possible take into consideration your surroundings. Here are a few tips on how you can reduce your carbon footprint and nonpoint source pollution.

DIRTY DEFINITIONS:
  Carbon Footprint: A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our daily lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation, etc. RESOURCE: www.carbonfootprint.com

  Nonpoint Source Pollution: NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt runoff. As it moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water. These pollutants include bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and faulty septic systems. RESOURCE: www.epa.gov/nps/

AT THE BARN:
  • Incorporate natural lighting or Compact Fluorescent light bulbs to save energy. Find them at your local home improvement center. INFO: www.energystar.gov

  • Encourage the use of organic, biodegradable shampoos and products. OPTIONS: arbico-organics.com & www.thenaturalhorse.net

  • Utilize new, ammonia reducing, sustainable stall bedding made from recycled rubber products. INFO: www.equinecomfortsystems.com

  • Compost manure and reduce waste up to 50%. INFO: www.horsesforcleanwater.com & www.californiarangeland.ucdavis.edu

  • Employ barn cats rather than pesticides and poisons. ADOPT A KITTEN: www.petfinders.com

  • Fill up with Biodiesel fuel. LEARN MORE: www.biodiesel.org & www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/4789

  • Build a solar barn! WEB: www.envisionsolar.com

References: Allison Mouch of Equestrian Services, LLC, and Alayne Blickle of Horses for Clean Water


Do you have a Green House?

  In addition to “greenovating” your barn, here are some ways to go green at home. With an awareness of how you can help our environment, try a few of the suggestions below and do your part.

Excellent Resources for finding products & plans that work for your lifestyle:
  www.greenhome.com
  www.greenliving.org
  www.thegreenguide.com

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - all easy steps to help save the environment:
  • Reduce the use of single water bottles - buy a Brita filter and a reusable water bottle   
  • Reuse washable organic cotton cloth bags for grocery shopping
  • Recycle plastic, paper, aluminum, glass and buy recycled paper products

Air Dry:
Reduce environmental impact by decreasing the use of your clothes dryer. Letting clothes air-dry instead saves tons of energy per load.

Go non-toxic with your cleaning products and laundry soap. Check for these in your supermarket or go to
www.greenhome.com.

Let there be light:
Reduce energy consumption by switching to compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs vs. high wattage light bulbs. They can found at home improvement stores or via the web. Consider installing a skylight to bring in natural light.

Let the Sun in:
In addition to light fixtures, many appliances can be replaced with energy-efficient or solar powered ones. Sun Frost makes eco-conscious refrigerators and other kitchen appliances. Solar powered chargers, lighting options, and fans are also available. Though they may look pricey at first, solar panels and appliances will be worth their price tag in saved electricity and electric bills. (www.greenhome.com)

Keep a green eye out:
Recycled furniture, organic pet supplies, and even decomposable trash bags are available out there. Look for organic aisles at local stores or shop online.