In seventh grade, my friend Fran and I started a recycling club. We contacted the county dump about pickup, got the school district to donate extra metal wastebaskets, decorated them and put them in classrooms, and once a week went on collection rounds during our lunch period. We developed a strong bond with the school custodian, who gave us half his office/closet for paper storage.

I don’t remember exactly what prompted us to take on the task, but we were passionate about it in the way that 12-year-olds are passionate about saving the world.

We haven’t saved the world, but Fran and I have stuck to our guns. We both garden and compost, recycle and conserve. We use and reuse things — clothes, containers, bags — for years and years. Fran is the only human I know whose flip-flops last for decades, and I still tease her about that sweater she got in eighth grade that she was still wearing when her son got into college. (“Was not,” she said. “It wore out two years before that.”)

People like us used to be called frugal, or stingy, or cheap. Now there’s a new word for it: green.

It’s a nicer word. And there are a lot more people like that out there. People are swapping incandescent lightbulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs to save energy. People are trying to swap their compact fluorescents for LED bulbs, to eliminate mercury from the waste stream. People are thinking twice about driving an extra 30 miles, or about chucking a reusable container from the takeout deli. People are catching roof runoff in a rain barrel to water the flowers, or closing the blinds at night to keep heat in the house.

And there are people suffering from high fuel and food costs, wondering if there isn’t something they can do to save a little money. People wondering if there are ways they can change their everyday lives to be just a little less wasteful, a little more green.

To bring all these people together in a place where they can share ideas, The Gazette is launching a new blog called Greenpoint. It will be a forum on conserving resources, saving energy, buying locally, growing food, and other ways we can reduce our impact on our world.

It starts on Monday, April 21, the day before Earth Day. We want to hear from you, whether you’re changing your lightbulbs or planting a vegetable garden, whether your concern is saving the world or saving some money.

You can send ideas, tips, questions or sources to greenpoint@dailygazette.net. You’ll be able to add your comments directly on the blog. And you’ll be able to be involved in a conversation about greener living, with other readers who are thinking about the same thing.

Now, does anyone know of a source for household LED lightbulbs?