It seems like the words "Organic", "Sustainable" and "All Natural" have become the backbone of a new fashion trend rather than the mainstay of an environmentally low-impact lifestyle. However, the first step toward reducing our carbon footprint is becoming more thoughtful consumers and understanding the implications of our actions. During the Sustainapalooza event on May 2nd, sponsored by OSPIRG and Lane Community College, students and members of the Eugene community flocked to the Pioneer Mother lawn on the University of Oregon campus and celebrated a movement to live a more sustainable lifestyle. The Flux Magazine business team was there to participate in the call-to-action and brought along an A-Z list of ways to re-use common household items in creative and resourceful ways (The list is an excerpt from the Reader's Digest "Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things). Here are just a few fun ones: Baking Soda: Use as deicer in winter: Salt and commercial ice-melt formulations can stain—or actually eat away—the concrete around your house. For an equally effective, but completely innocuous, way to melt the ice on your steps and walkways during those cold winter months, try sprinkling them with generous amounts of baking soda. Add some sand for improved traction. Crayon: Fill furniture scratches: Do your pets sometimes treat your furniture like…well, a scratching post? Don’t despair. Use a crayon to cover scratches on wooden furniture. Choose the colour most like the wood finish. Soften the crayon with a hair dryer or in the microwave on the defrost setting. Colour over the scratches, then buff your repair job with a clean rag to restore the luster. Peanut Butter: Plug an ice cream cone: Ice-cream cones are fun to eat but a bit messy, too. Here’s a delectable solution: Plug up the bottom of an ice-cream cone with a bit of peanut butter. Now, when munching through the scoop of double chocolate fudge, you’ll be protected from leaks. And there’s a pea-nutty surprise at the end of the treat. Along this line, Flux-ers were on campus this week to show some homage to the new "urban camping" movement (you can read more in the next issue of Flux!). We set up a tent and blanket and relaxed all afternoon to demonstrate the new, alternative way to camp. check us out!