If you have a political sign in your yard, you're probably wondering what to do with it right about now. Depending on whether your signs are are plastic, metal, wood, or corrugated plastic commonly called coroplast, there may be a special collection pickup or drop off location near you. A call to the King County recycling hotline revealed that most plastic signs are unfortunately garbage, but cardboard can be recycled. Obama supporters can put materials up for free at ObamaCycle to be claimed by another user.

With coroplast signs, you can make bike panniers, fenders, or handlebar bags with these guides from Kent Peterson, formerly of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and now at Bike Works, where he will host a coroplast workshop on Saturday. Novice DIYers can start with the handlebar bag, while the more adventurous ecomaniacs can tackle fenders. The step-by-step instructions for panniers (pictured at right via Peterson's blog) are especially easy to follow. Recyling election signs into bike gear lets you prepare for winter weather and continue to show your political opinions. More...

After the trick or treaters have retired and brushed their teeth, your neighborhood continues to be home to little vampires. Chargers, TVs, computers and other electronics on standby suck energy without a purpose, but at a cost. Good Magazine estimates that a plasma TV in active standby costs an average $160 per year. Use Halloween as a reminder to unplug electronics on this list and give copies to neighbors.

Next, we look forward to carving this CFL shaped pumpkin from Ready Made Magazine, an especially important reminder as upcoming Daylight Savings Time means earlier nightfall. Go ecomaniac and light your pumpkin with an LED. (Image: Flickr/oskay) More...

Whether you’re new to biking or want to expand your pedaling horizons, set goals for three riding trips for yourself: one easy, one medium and one difficult or across town. (You can use the notes section in the bikes section of our book.) A good ride deserves a reward, so grab dining coupons from our book and treat yourself to dinner somewhere new at your destinations. More...

Most of us make weekly trips all over town for necessary errands. Find an easy public transportation route, match your trips with a friend, or add extra time to bike or walk. Combine car trips into one route to save money, gas, and time — plus you’ll feel organized. List your weekly trips (you can do this in the notes on the transit page of our book), then rank them from 1 for closest to your home or office to 5 for furthest away. Reorder the list by number in the second column for an efficient trip. More...

EcoManiacs, (don’t) start your engines. Get rid of them. The internal combustion engine has been chugging along since the 1800s and is in need of a makeover. More...

Is there a safe biking or walking route between your neighborhood and school? Look for an established route through the Bicycle Alliance of Washington at bicycle alliance.org/saferoutes. More...

Your skin is your largest organ, so it makes sense to only put organic ingredients on your body as well as in it. Many major brands contain harmful chemicals that are unregulated in the US. More...

Maybe you’ve got an alternative fuel car, but what about a biodiesel home heating system? If you have an oil-fired furnace or boiler, you may be able to swap your oil for biodiesel (or a biodiesel blend) with just a few changes. More...

Seven to ten percent of your household electric bill may be from phantom power — appliances and gadgets that are turned off but still draw electricity. The phantoms include cell phone and iPod chargers, TVs and DVD players, printers and appliances in the kitchen. More...