Schooling for Homeless Kids — Agnes Stevens is a 71-year-old retired teacher and the founder of School on Wheels. She and her group of 335 volunteers go to shelters, motels and even cars in and around L.A. to tutor homeless kids, and to distribute free backpacks with books and school supplies. For more information, go to www.schoolonwheels.org.

Biodiesel Car Rentals — Did you know that the Maui-based company Bio-Beetle, the world’s only all-biodiesel car rental company, has a branch in Los Angeles? You can check them out at www.bio-beetle.com.

Recycle Bottles & Cans — In my apartment building, we're making some extra cash by recycling bottles and cans. The tenants put empty bottles and cans in a separate container, once a week we take them to a nearby recycling center that pays us 5 to 10 cents per container, and every few months, we donate the money to charity. For more info, go to www.bottlesandcans.com.

More Trees! — If you have a green thumb but no garden, you might want to join the Friends of the L.A. River www.folar.org or the Tree People www.treepeople.org.

Helpful Sources — KCRW: www.kcrw.com; KPFK: www.kpfk.org; and Link TV: www.worldlinktv.org.