INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Coal and natural gas are the most common sources of energy that gets turned into electricity. The burning of these substances is a major factor in world air pollution. Reducing your reliance on electricity is a great way to play a part in saving the planet. Here's what you can do: Use solar power for home and water heating. Shut off electrical equipment in the evening when you leave work. If you have central air conditioning, do not close vents in unused rooms. Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120. Turn down or shut off your water heater when you will be away for extended periods. Turn off unneeded lights even when leaving a room for a short time. Set your refrigerator temperature at 36 to 38 and your freezer at 0 to 5 . When using an oven, minimize door opening while it is in use; it reduces oven temperature by 25 to 30 every time you open the door. Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy. Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot. Turn off lights, computers and other appliances when not in use. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to save money and energy. Plant trees to shade your home. Replace old windows with energy-efficient ones. Keep your thermostat higher in summer and lower in winter when you are away. Insulate your home as best as you can. Another big source of air pollution that has led to global warming is emissions from cars, trucks, planes and other vehicles. The manufacture of the vehicles, the gas needed to run them, the chemicals they burn, and the production of roads all play a part. If you can drive and fly less often, you'll be doing a lot to help save the planet. Walk or ride your bike instead of driving, whenever possible. Find bike routes in your town and use them! Join a carpool or vanpool to get to work if biking or walking isn't an option. Report smoking vehicles to your local air agency. Maintain your vehicle properly. Purchase radial tires and keep them properly inflated for your vehicle. Paint with brushes or rollers instead of using spray paints to minimize harmful emissions. Buying local helps combat air pollution in two ways. You don't have to travel as far to get what you need, and products don't have to travel as far to get to you, either. Making smart choices about where your food, clothes, and other goods come from can help make a dent in air pollution. Shop at farmer's markets and buy food that was produced as close to your home as possible. When you're online shopping, pay attention to how far the items you order will travel before they arrive. Try to find items that won't have to travel long distances. Pay attention to where your clothes, electronics, home goods, and other possessions were made. As much as possible, buy items that were made in your region. Industrial farming practices are not only harmful to individual animals, but they're also unsafe for the planet itself. Factory farming produces a lot of air and water pollution. You can address this issue in a personal way by doing the following: Eat more vegetables. This simple change is a way of opting out of the factory farming industry. Question where your meat comes from. Learn to hunt responsibly for a more natural source of animal protein. Buy only locally-sourced meat from a small farm. Avoid eating beef. Cows emit lots of methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas, and other pollutants. Try to reduce your beef intake and opt for other types of meat. Identify local groups working to combat air pollution, and find a way to get involved. By educating yourself and others about the problem, you can have a greater impact than you'd have by simply making lifestyle changes. Join a group that plants trees to help clean the air. Become a bike activist. Work to have safe paths built in your city. Contact your local representatives to speak up about issues particular to your region. If there's a factory spewing pollutants into the air, for example, get politically active to put a stop to it.

SUMMARY: Use less electricity. Drive and fly less often. Buy local goods. Eat vegetables and locally-sourced meat. Become an air pollution activist.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Plugs are great for projects where you may need to access the screws again for disassembly. They are also a good option if you don't need the screws to be completely invisible. Purchase plugs that are the same material as your project's surface. They'll be available at a hardware or home improvement store in a variety of bit sizes. For example, use oak wood plugs if you're attaching oak treads to a staircase and want to hide your screws. You can also use screw cap covers, which come in a variety of colors and materials and fit into the head of a Philips head screw. Many can be painted or stained to match the look of your project. For custom projects, you can also make your own plugs, provided you have a drill press. Just purchase a plug cutter for your drill press that matches the counterbore size of your screw holes. Clamp a piece of wood that matches your project to your press table, set your press to medium speed, and use steady pressure to slowly feed the plug cutter into the wood until it bottoms out the wood. To remove the cut plugs from the wood strip, first tape the cut surface so the plugs won't roll away when you remove them. Use a bandsaw to cut through the piece of wood near its bottom, which is the side opposite the one you made your plug cuts. Once you slice through the wood, you can remove the plugs by pulling off the tape and pushing out any that don't stick with a screwdriver. Another option is to buy a wood dowel in a similar color to your project, the same size as your counterbore. After putting in the screw, apply a little wood glue to the counterbore and tap in the dowel. Cut the dowel flush with the surface and sand it smooth. You'll need to counterbore your screw holes in order to secure your plugs. It's best to choose a piece of scrap wood and test out your counterbore bit and plugs. That way, you'll be sure that your plugs fit well into your counterbores without ruining your project. After testing on scrap wood, drill a counterbore into the surface where you'll be hiding the screw hole using a brad-point bit. If necessary, mark off where you'll be driving your screw beforehand. The counterbore's depth will depend on your needs, but should be no deeper than half the depth of your project's topmost piece of wood. For example, if you're attaching wood treads to a staircase that are 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) thick, your counterbore should be no deeper than 1/4 inch (0.64 cm). To help guide you, measure your bit for the proper counterbore depth and tape off the area above it. Select a twist with the same diameter of your screw's shank, and attach it to your drill. The brad-point bit that you used to counterbore will leave a small, tapered mark in the center of the bore. Place the twist in this centered mark and drill your screw's pilot hole. Repeat this process to make bores and pilot holes for each screw you need to drive. After you've made your bores and pilot holes, drive your screws. Use a screwdriver or a drill bit with the appropriate head (most likely Phillips head) for your screws. Be sure to drive them tightly to the bottom of each counterbore. Dab a small amount of carpenter's glue into the sides of a bore. Take a plug, whether store-bought or custom-made, and line up its face grains with the surrounding wood surface of your project. Insert the plug into the bore, and use a mallet to gently tap it into place. Use a damp rag to wipe away any glue that leaks out when you tap the plug into place. Repeat this sequence to hide each of your screws. Give your glue enough time to dry according to its instructions. When it's dry, use medium to fine grit sandpaper (at least 180 grit) to smooth over your work surface and make the wood plug flush. Dry wipe or vacuum any residue to finish hiding your handiwork.

SUMMARY:
Acquire your plugs. Make custom wood plugs. Test your counterbore and plug in a piece of scrap wood. Drill a shallow counterbore to house the plug. Drill a pilot hole for the screw in the center of the counterbore. Drive the screws to the bottom of the counterbore. Insert the plug into the counterbore. Sand the surface to hide your work.