The book, Serve God, Save the Planet, includes some practical applications that I hope I can incorporate into our home. Since recently moving to central Texas, one of our first challenges will be water conservation. Since I hope to plant herbs, vegetables, and maybe fruit trees/bushes, I will need to find plants that grow well in the regional climate; specifically heat and drought tolerant plants (visits to the local nurseries rather than box stores). I also need to identify ways to capture rain water (rain barrels) and recycle water that we use every day. The second and coinciding challenge will be energy conservation. Our two-story house has electric central heat and air which is by far the greatest energy hog (especially during the long Texas summers). However, I know there are other energy hogs (such as the clothes dryer) and many energy vampires in our home that need to be rooted out and neutralized (if not tossed out). Thankfully, our house has a great north-south aspect that provides excellant breeze opportunities during the spring. I want to install some screen doors to maximize the free comfort the breezes can provide. After moving in, I had my husband install a clothes line in the back yard and have begun the age forgotten tradition of hanging clothes out to dry. Unlike the humid coast of Mississippi, the dry air of Central Texas, along with mega doses of sunshine, dries our clothes faster and fresher than the dryer ever could. Not using the dryer is our first major change. Now, what might be next?