And so the human race continues exploding, and the lucky ones like us who can concentrate on comfort do so, naturally creating more and more things for more and more people to "clean up."

And we all know that as soon as the 1 billion people in China get refrigerators and cars we can all kiss our sorry *bleeps* goodbye, let alone the pandas and the owls, so we might as well go and rent "Free Willy˛and sit down and consume some cash crops and forget it all.

But if you are a Super worrywart, like me, forget that. There are people who think that cutting up milk cartons is going to save us from the fate of wearing gas masks in the 21st century.

It's people like that who, at the grave risk of being called naive, are doing the weirdest little things like feeding their junk mail to red worms in basement lairs and presto! creating potting soil. It's small, but who knows? Somehow it might even help the 1 billion Chinese.

This column, then, will be dedicated to those and other weirdos and to helping YOU Fukuokan that you are now, become more and more one of them. Charting a "green" course for ecologically friendly living IS possible here, even without the earth-muffin health food stores and curbside recycling you might have been spoiled by at home. Besides my own investigations, tips will come from a new Fukuoka environmental consumers group, Green Jin, of which yours truly is the coordinator, and also hopefully from YOU. Please keep your eyes and ears open for aspects of daily living with a conscience, grocery shopping, recycling, energy conservation, house cleaning, fashion, cosmetics, mail order, restaurants gardening, travel and places to get more information. Send them to me c/o the Gleaner.

Summer soothers: One way to avoid buying drink containers is to make your own iced tea. make very very strong tea to save room in the refrigerator. When you want to serve, dilute with water and ice. Herb Teas are lovely iced; especially peppermint and camomile, which are soothing and calming (great for nervous English students, PMS irritability, hangover sufferers, etc.)

For a delicious zing that also soothes pain, try this ginger tea: Fill a saucepan with water and grate up a chunk of ginger. Put the grated ginger in the water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, refrigerate, dilute to taste with water and ice, and serve with honey.

MINI TIP: More than 40 percent of Fukuoka's garbage, is turns out, is paper. Fukuoka City, intent on reducing the Number ! garbage problem in town, is setting up paper recycling bins this year. They'll take it all - newspaper, cardboard, magazines and white paper.