Talk with your parents about the benefits of planting trees. Deciduous (seasonal) trees planted near windows provide cool shade in the summer when their leaves are green, and then lose their leaves in the winter to let in more sunlight. Whichever way you cut it, that helps reduce energy costs. And any kind of tree at all makes a great pollution sponge, sopping up carbon dioxide and processing it into fresh oxygen for you to breathe. Go over a tree guide with your parents and find trees that will grow to an appropriate height in your climate zone, without causing problems elsewhere in the yard. There's a tree for almost every height and climate. Be sure to get care instructions for your tree, and water it regularly after it's planted. Take care of the sapling, and by the time you're grown up, you'll have a fine, strong tree that grew up right alongside you. Some adults are very image-conscious and won't let you do this in the front yard, but most of them should be okay with the backyard, at least. Find out how often the lawn gets mowed in the winter and the summer, and then space it out by an extra week or so. Lawnmowers produce a large amount of pollution, so the less you mow your lawn, the less smog you're putting into the air. Mowing less saves money on gas costs, as well. Offer to mow the lawn yourself in exchange for letting the grass grow a little taller. It's a good skill to know anyway; when you're a bit older, you can sometimes make pretty good money mowing other people's lawns for them. If your family owns a push mower, there's no need to worry about mowing less, since push mowers don't make any pollution to speak of. Of course, they're also much harder to operate than gas mowers! Especially in the summer, this can make a big difference to the overall strain your city or town puts on the surrounding environment. In fact, there are many cities that require homeowners to avoid watering their lawns during the summer months for this precise reason. Of course, the downside is that the lawn will turn brown and dry in late summer. On the other hand, you've got a great explanation as to why. In the winter, most lawns don't really need to be watered at all. If your family waters the lawn year-round, at least ask them to stop during the winter. There are many fertilizers, herbicides (weed killers) and pesticides (bug killers) on the market to help maintain the beauty of your yard; however, some of them are dangerous for the environment when used regularly over time. Try to find out which chemicals your family uses, and then go online and look up "green" alternatives that don't hurt the environment as much. Show them to your parents and ask them to switch. Herbicides are most commonly used on your lawn, to kill unsightly weeds. Which would you rather have: a lawn with some dandelions growing in it, or a lawn covered in plant-killing chemicals? Point this out to your parents and ask them to rely on weeding instead, even if the lawn ends up a bit less than perfect. In the garden or flower beds, some people use herbicides to get rid of weeds. Since the ground is softer in these areas, there's no need to spray. Get out some gardening gloves, a hoe, and a trowel, and spend some time every weekend pulling the weeds out by hand. It's a good chance to spend time outside with your family, and it's much cleaner than herbicides. Just as there are bugs that will ruin your family's vegetable garden (such as aphids), there are other bugs that eat those bugs as a tasty snack. Many garden supply stores offer live supplies of these bugs, such as lacewings (which love to eat aphids and look pretty, too), for order through the mail. Rely on nature's own defenses, and you can use pesticide spray a lot less. Leave beneficial bugs where you find them, too. In many cases, your garden already has some guardian bugs in it. Garden spiders, for example, eat all kinds of other pests, and are totally harmless to your plants. When you find these bugs, leave them be and let them help out.

Summary: Plant trees. Mow less. Water the lawn less. Use environmentally sound chemicals. Let the lawn go a little. Weed instead of spraying. Introduce beneficial bugs.

Your boyfriend may have made plans for the prom before you started dating, or he may have no intention of going to the prom. If you want to go together, you need to ask him to make sure you're on the same page. It's a good idea to ask a few months in advance so you can come up with other plans if your boyfriend can't go with you. It may be that your boyfriend is already in the process of planning an elaborate promposal for you, in which case, you wouldn't want to ruin it by asking him first. Before you ask him, consider talking to his friends and/or family to find out if he has something in the works. Certain guys may have a problem with a girl asking a guy, so make sure to think about how he will feel. If you decide that asking your boyfriend to prom is the right decision for you, it's important to keep his individual preferences in mind. If your boyfriend is shy or easily embarrassed, you may not want to go over the top with a public promposal. If he loves attention, then don't be afraid to make it a big spectacle. It's important to keep your boyfriend's interests in mind when deciding how you will ask. Show him that you put a lot of thought into the invitation by incorporating something personal, If your boyfriend loves sports, think of a way to incorporate his favorite sport into your promposal. You could, for example, spell out your message with basketballs or baseball bats. If your boyfriend is a movie buff, consider incorporating a funny quote or picture from his favorite movie into your invitation. If your boyfriend belongs to the robotics club at your school, consider using a toy robot to deliver your invitation.
Summary: Don't assume you and your boyfriend are going together. Find out if he's planning something. Think about his preferences. Personalize your invitation.