Going green

So, hubby and I have decided to bite the bullet and get very serious about "going green". The only problem that we face is the fact that in our little town......there's no recycling facility except for 30 minutes away - which in my opinion kinda defeats the purpose of being green, because you are using extra gas to get to the recycle center. I guess hubby will end up going to drop off our recyclables (is that the right word?) on his way to work (we'll see how that works out!)?

We've started our own compost bucket (can't wait to see how that smells in a few days! eeekkk) and we have a container on the back porch that we are putting all our paper, plastic, and glass in. We've recycled aluminum for years because you actually get $ for that. For about the last 6 months, we've been utilizing the reusable shopping bags that are available at Food Lion, Bi-Lo, and WalMart*, among other retailers. I don't know if anyone else has gotten the weird looks from people that I have gotten when I am going into or coming out of the store (with the shopping bags), but people look at me like I am some sort of tree huggin' Grateful Dead groupie that is out to singlehandedly save Mother Earth! That is not me at all. I'm just thinking forward a few years, and I want to do my part to leave a better place for our next generation.

Speaking of, if hubby and I are planning on having some raised beds for a very small garden next year....what are some things that we need to be doing to be prepared for planting time? Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated!