Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Happy Earth Day ! Simple Ways To Celebrate Earth Day

Earth Day is just around the corner its time to pay it forward. So, lets celebrate April 22nd together and give mother earth a big hug. With green on everyone's conscious these days more and more people are choosing eco-friendly alternatives. Gone are the days when green only meant dull burlap sacs, granola and Birkenstock. Smile! Because a new era of doing good for the earth has been ushered in. So what does it mean to go green? Going green is living a healthier life style with minimal negative impact on planet we are so lucky to reside on.

It all starts with making the decision to choose healthy products that are better for you, your family, and the environment. This can be summed up as small day to day steps that make a positive environmental impact. Here are some practical, simple ways you can join the eco movement and make green living part of your lifestyle.

1. Carpool, Walk or Pedal Power to work. Trade in your gas guzzling truck for a sweet hybrid fuel efficient ride. You can even opt for alternate forms of transportation such as the metro, bus or biking. Lower your carbon foot, save gas and get exercise by walking to your desired destination when you can. Not only will you be making the planet a bit greener, but you will be pocketing the green.

2. Buy Organic or become a localvore! Buy organic food at grocery stores or local farmers market that is free of pesticide & chemicals and use less packaging. Now there is a greener way of eating within a 100 mile radius. Now everyone in your local community invited to join in and decrease air pollution cause for CO2. By becoming a locavore you are not only supporting your local farmer but and community, but minimizing CO2 emission needed to transport food around the globe to your neck of the woods.

3. Hooray for BYOB Recycable totes! Save a tree, be diligent about bringing your own sturdy recyclable grocery bag on those shopping errands and conserve paper. At checkout when asked by the cashier, "Paper or plastic?" get the joyful pleasure of saying, " No thanks, neither." If you don't have your own recyclable tote don't fret, you can purchase them at checkout for $1. These bags come in all shapes, sizes and attractive designs. Some grocery stores even give you a discount each time you bring your own reusable bag.

4. Eco Cleaning Products. Always buy non-toxic cleaning products. Read the labels and make sure the cleaning products are "biodegradable", "non-petroleum based" and "phosphate free"

5. Fight weeds & pest the all natural way. Say "goodbye" to herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers and "hello" earthy solutions.

6.Recycle Newspapers and Magazines. Don't forget to fill up your recycle bins with outdated newspapers. Better yet, in our ever growing high tech age cancel the paper boy delivery and your e-news online at the click of a mouse.

7. Full Loads Only. When you wash laundry, wash a full load. Top load machines use almost as much water to do a small load as they do a large one. Upgrade to energy efficient washer and dryer and recycle the old.

8. Take a Soak in the tub! If you are notorious for long showers & wasting water, then you should take a bath. If you prefer showers then install a cost effective and simple water saving shower heads to reduce your water waste.

9. Dishwashers = water saved! Thank goodness for the dishwasher, one of life's greatest invention since sliced bread. When getting those dishes squeaky clean use your dishwasher, not Fido's licks or your dish scrubber. Dishwashers use less water then if you were to hand wash and save you time. If you must hand wash fill one sink with soapy water and one with clear water so you conserve water.

10. Compost those peels. Did you know that a lot of our garbage waste can be recycled or composted with little effort on your part. Turn your vege and leftovers into fertile soil for planting and reduce unnecessary waste in landfills. You don't have to be a green thumb to have some compost action. Simply build or purchase a compost bin at your local house ware store that will do all the work for you. Consider using food scraps, coffee grounds, used paper towels, and banana peels in a compost pile rather discarding them in the garbage can. If you don't the space or desire to compost, make use of your garbage disposal for food.

11. Stop Throwing Money (aka paper plates) In the Garbage. Although disposable paper towels, paper plates are convenient and can be composted, it can become to costly. Minimize disposable purchases, instead opt for reusable alternatives or dine on real dinnerware collecting dust in your cabinets. If you are going to use disposable paper plates or cups go for corn based products that biodegrade. NEVER use plastic cups!

12. Re-use More, Dispose Less. Purchase reusable water bottles like the SIGG to stay hydrated on the go. Instead of buying a pack of bottled water, install a in home faucet water filter or get a refrigerator filter or Brita pitcher for a refreshing glass. If don't have a water filter you can opt reuse your water jugs and refill at your local water filtering site.


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