As gardeners, everybody knows we have green thumbs. But as stewards of Mother Nature, we ought to have green souls, as well.

Take, for example, a call I got from my mother yesterday. She stopped to get gas in Apex and was shocked at the price for regular unleaded: $3.05 a gallon. During her fill up, though, an employee came out to post the new price of $3.18 a gallon for regular unleaded. She was both appalled, and thankful that she was already in progress of pumping gas.

As temperatures climb for the summer season, accompanied by the seasonal rising of the gas prices, now more than ever it is important to find ways to conserve. And regardless of how you feel about the greenhouse effect, deforestation, mining fossil fuels, air pollution, water restrictions ... the list goes on ... conservation is never a bad idea.

But let's start with simple and easy ways we can conserve on our own. The City of Raleigh has imposed water restrictions. Would they have had to take that action if we all shaved five minutes off of our showers, or only watered our gardens twice s a week rather than five? Have you swapped out your incandescent light bulbs for LED ones ones? Have you opened your windows for a fresh breeze rather than turning on the air conditioner?

What are some simple ways you can think of that we, as individuals, can incorporate conservation methods into our daily routines? I'll start us off.

+  My family will ride our bikes everywhere we need to go on Saturday.  +

What can you do this weekend—and beyond—to conserve? It's not painful.

Come on, post a suggestion.