By now, all of us are recycling our everyday household items on a regular basis (right? right?! don't make me come over there!). However, every so often, a light bulb -- a CFL, of course -- goes off in my head, and I realize there's something I could have been recycling that never occurred to me. What can I say? I'm slow to learn.

We've put together a list of surprising items you can recycle -- if you can't reuse, repair, or repurpose them first -- now that you know about them!

In case you didn't get enough Earth Day/Week news, the TODAY Show featured a California family that has gone extreme green. The Johnsons are an adorable family of four that don't create or throw away waste. I know what you're thinking: Twisty ties are taking over their home. As well as: Why do these people have to make me feel guilty about my carbon footprint that could be smaller, but dammit, I recycle!

Surprisingly, the steps Bea and Scott Johnson take are quite simple, yet create a dramatic result.

April is Earth Month and last Friday was Earth Day, but we should be concerned about our planet 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The resources we use so capriciously may not be so readily available to our children and what we do today matters. It really matters. 

But tell that to a lot of people and they will tell you it's all mumbo jumbo and environmentalists are a bunch of tree-hugging hippies who don't know their left from their right. Well, they are wrong. And it's scary.

Global warming has become an increasingly hot button (pun intended) issue for world leaders. The warnings from the scientific community are becoming louder, as more and more research points to rising dangers from the ongoing buildup of human-related greenhouse gases, which are produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels and forests.

Sure, you can simply ride your bike to be eco-fabulous and get where you're going -- without style, without flair. OR, you can treat your bicycle like the fashion accessory that it totally is. It's time, my glamorous friends, to sweeten up that blasé old Schwinn. Be bold. Add color. Accessorize! Make a statement!

We've rounded up 7 sassy fashion statements for your bicycle -- because we know you want to express yourself beautifully as you sail across town. Don't you?

Just in time for Earth Day, the Nissan Leaf electric car has been named the 2011 World Car of the Year at the New York International Auto Show! Electric cars, remember those from the Henry Ford days? And various times in the last three decades, after people said KEWL for about five minutes and then promptly went back to not caring again?

This time a cute little electric car beat out some big, serious German motors -- Audi and BMW -- in a car contest. That impresses the heck out of me, and makes me think differently about electric cars, especially after spending $150 the last three weeks to fill up my gas guzzler. I'd totally get one, except ... $33,000 bucks? Well I don't have a 10th of that. And for me to pay that much for a car, I need it to sound like it's at least going to make it down the road to the store for some hamburger buns, and not crumpled lifeless by the side of the road.

Could they have come up with a more wimpy ass name for a car?

As you well know, Earth Day is Friday, and there's no better way to celebrate Mother Nature than by cooking up an eco-friendly meal. After all, responsible eating -- whether you're buying local produce, reducing meat consumption, or choosing sustainable seafood -- can help to reduce carbon emissions, pollution, and the strain on natural resources. And, you might just discover that what's good for the planet is also quite delicious, too.

Check out these three tasty eco-friendly meal ideas your whole family will enjoy.

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and our planet will get some much-need attention and extra love as events are held across the country. It's a great time to reflect on our resources and what we can do to preserve them.

But what about the rest of the year? Sure, we may recycle here and there, but are we really doing everything we can to do our part? There are plenty of other little things we can do in our day-to-day lives that make a big difference, but too often we're too busy, or too lazy, or just don't know what to do.

Ian James Corlett is the author of E Is for Environment: Stories to Help Children Care for Their World -- at Home, at School, and at Play. He shares five things all families can do to keep our earth green and clean:

Everything costs more these days -- gas, airplane tickets, Royal Wedding souvenirs (I know you've been pricing Will and Kate throw pillows -- I think they'll go on mega-sale April 30). Add to that list your family's groceries. Milk, eggs, and even tartar sauce are all a few cents more ... which adds up big time. If only you could do something to shave off a few dollars of that food bill -- wait! You can! You can become a farmer!

Okay, not like a farmer with a barn and livestock and bales of hay (psst, overalls are way overrated), but you can grow your own veggies on that little patch of grass by the patio. Some vegetables may not be worth it to grow on your own, but those more expensive, good-for-you salad fixings are perfect to plant ... and save moolah!