By Susan Seliger

It’s summer – all you want to do is find a good beach read and let the warming globe recede for a while, right? Well, help is on the way. Here are five things you can stop worrying about right now – from John Tierney’s excellent and stress-relieving piece in the New York Times, 10 Things To Scratch from Your Worry List, where you’ll find five more things to let go – and let summer ring. Thank you, John – summer’s feeling cooler already.

1. Running the car’s AC: Stay cool without guilt – apparently the aerodynamic drag from opening the windows at 65 mph is just as bad for fuel mileage as cranking up the air conditioning.

2. Carcinogenic cell phones: Long story short – not much scientific evidence so chat away – but NOT while you’re driving to the beach, OK? That is something to worry about.

3. Evil plastic bags: Ok, now I know this one is heresy, but the EPA says paper bags are no better than plastic in terms of your carbon footprint. Solution – use neither and instead tote that cotton tote wherever you go – take out the beach blanket and use it for grocery-shopping.

4. Fruits from foreign countries: Food from other countries can sometimes be produced and transported with fewer greenhouse gas emissions that stuff grown right in your own country. Miles traveled is not always the best measure.

5. Killer hot dogs: We’re not talking about the nitrates – still a good idea to find a more natural version to avoid those. But all that fat in those little wieners? A recent study suggests it may not be as bad as the carbs you’re eating. So toss the bun – and relax.

For more background and five more things to let go of: 10 Things To Scratch from Your Worry List.

Photo credit: http://seto.org/mt-diary/misc/