THE NATURAL LINK: Tips for Sustainable Living, Commentary by Rebecca Wood, Michelle Stobart, Liz Rhodes and guest, recipes, news and much more. Updated monthly (or so we hope).

Did you know????

The average American spends 5-10 minutes a day in a motionless, running car, compounding air pollution problems and contributing to global warming. Often we think we're saving monty, time, fuel or engine wear. Turns out that's far from the truth. Here are a few things taken from the January/February 2008 issue of Natural Home that might surprise you!

MYTH: Idiling before driving warms up the car. Newer auto models don't need warm-ups. Unless the temperature is below zero, start the car and immediately drive away. The heater won't be warm yet, but the car engine will be warm enough for travel. Dress in layers to keep warm those 4-5 minutes it takes to get your heater warm.

MYTH: Idiling uses less gas than starting. An idle car gets zero miles per gallon. Ten seconds of idling uses more gas than restarting, accourding to ConsumerEnergyCenter.org. Two minutes of idle time uses the same amount of fuel as driving a mile.

FACT: If just one car idled 10 minutes less every day, CO2 emissions would be reduced by 550 pounds a year, according to the World Wildlife Federation.

So, next time you leave your car sitting around idling while you run in for a "quick" something from the house, think of what your impact on the environment is . . . not to mention your wallet.

Preheat oven to 375. Combine cranberries, orange juice, orange zest and ginger and let stand 10 minutes.

Beat the sugar with the butter until well combined. Add eggs or egg replacer and mix well. Add cranberry mixture and combine.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and stir. Add oats and chocolate chips. Add dry ingredients to the sugar, butter and cranberry-orange mixture; stir until well blended.

Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet greased with cooking spray.
Bake about 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool.