Leave it to a Wisconsinite to find a way to attach a piece of plastic cheese to an empty bottle to rid your place of mice.

Green Bottle USA is a small company based in Janesville, Wis., comprised of Bryan Muche and his two daughters. Together they provide a way to not only conserve and recycle our material resources, but also help out our animal resources.

Green Bottle USA's Catch-A-Mouse trap is eco-friendly, humane, convenient and safe for use around children and pets. There's no trap or snap, no pet's paws or little one's fingers getting caught, and no sticky glue or poison.

You simply use an empty plastic water or soda bottle, put some peanuts or peanut butter inside as bait and attach the cheese wedge entrance. Mice go into the cheese entry and can't get out of the bottle.

Once inside, it seems they feel comfortable and safe. They nibble on the bait and become relaxed — they often even fall to sleep. Once you've caught the mouse, you can take it away from your home and back to its outdoor environment.

To release mice, rotate the trap upside down and off they scamper, avoiding the "ick" factor of having to actually touch the rodents. Another plus, you're being green. Studies show that Americans throw away more than 60 million plastic bottles a day. Catch-A-Mouse gives those bottles, and mice, a second chance.

"We know that we aren't going to save the planet by keeping a few plastic bottles out of the waste stream," Muche said. "But I tell my kids even little changes can make a big difference, especially when it comes to conservation."

Catch-A-Mouse costs $7, plus shipping. For more information, call 608-295-7755 or visit www.greenbottleusa.com.

DIM AND SAVE

There's nothing like a dimmer switch to set the mood for a certain occasion. If you can also save money, that's an added plus. The Skylark EcoDim from Lutron Electronics affords both.

The EcoDim works with incandescent and halogen bulbs; it is programmed to limit light levels to no more than 85 percent of capacity. The 15 percent decrease in light levels is imperceptible to the eye and more than doubles the life of an incandescent bulb.

If you really want to save, put the EcoDim down to just 5 percent of capacity. The more you dim, the more you save.

The dimmers retail for $26, and the available glossy colors include white, ivory, almond, light almond, gray, brown and black. For more information, call 888-LUTRON1 (888-588-7661) or visit www.lutron.com.

BEST BULBS

Now that you have a dimmer, how about purchasing a bulb. Lutron Electronics has developed an easy-to-read website designed to answer that question.

The site, www.lutron.com/bulbs, evaluates bulbs on a variety of categories, including efficiency, price, performance, controllability and quality of light.

Here's what they found:

— Incandescent bulbs: Provide a rich, warm light quality, excellent color rendering and controllability, but are the least efficient.

— Screw-in compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs: Tend to be the most energy-efficient and last the longest. However, they provide the least desirable light quality, don't start up right away, sometimes flicker and are not readily disposable due to the mercury content. They also can't dim with a lot of reliability.

— Halogen bulbs: An efficient variety of incandescent lighting, which is up to 30 percent more effective than standard incandescent bulbs. Dimmed by just 30 percent, they offer the benefits of CFL and standard incandescent bulbs but eliminate the minuses.

"With all the various light bulbs available today, selecting the right one for your needs can be very confusing," said Michael Jouaneh, marketing manager for Lutron Electronics. "That's why we developed this website. It helps people choose the best bulb for their needs."

This new site complements Lutron's energy informational website, www.lutron.com/energy, providing data about the advantages of the dimmers.

(set caption3) Take the Skylark EcoDim from Lutron Electronics and pair it with the perfect bulb (perhaps this Phillips Halongena). Then relax, enjoying the light and the savings. Photo courtesy of Lutron Electronics. (end caption3)

Maggie Reed may be reached at [email protected]. To find out more about Maggie Reed and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.