Make Every Day Earth Day!

Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’
into the future……
The Steve Miller Band

Today provides yet another opportunity for the well intentioned, to set and meet eco-friendly goals and establish eco-friendly practices. Earth Day is a celebration of the natural resources and wonders of our planet, as well as our responsibility to act as stewards of the same.

Blooming trees, roving dandelions and rains, from mists to flashing thunderstorms, mark the presence of spring here in the midwest. Folks are grooming their yards and breaking out the baseball gloves. Barbecues and picnics are back on the agenda as well. It’s lovely. If we want this bounty to be around for our descendants, we need to take care of it.

On that note, here are a few ideas for celebrating Earth Day and some resources to keep you on the green track:

1. Go play–outside. Slather on some sunscreen, grab a frisbee or a ball and have fun.

2. Make sure you have a reusable tote or two or three for your shopping excursions. Target has them, Wal-Mart has them and Sophie Uliano offers a really chic one for the fashionistas (free with the purchase of the Gorgeously Green eco-friendly guide book).

3. Eat local–pick up some local food favorites and have picnic while enjoying the sunset.

Check out these websites for more information and ideas:

Earth Day
http://www.earthday.gov

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Earth Day Site
http://www.epa.gov/earthday/

Envirolink-The Online Environmental Community Earth Day2008
http://earthday.envirolink.org/

Earth Day Network
http://ww2.earthday.net/

Happy Earth Day!

Dream Green This Christmas: Five Gift Giving Tips For A Holiday Dressed In Holly

Gifts equal shopping. Shopping equals more travel, and more travel equals higher gas usage, which equals increased carbon emissions. Many of the gifts given could end up generating more waste in our landfills (packaging and decorative wrapping) and increased stress levels, due to the hectic race to find and purchase the perfect gifts (remember, part of living green is living healthy).

What to do? Boycott the Christmas gift giving tradition? Of course not, there are alternatives. Here are five tips to get you started.

1. Plan your shopping trips, so that they occur along your usual routes as much as possible. If you work downtown take a stroll by the shops. Is there a shopping center or mall along your route from work? Check it out?

2. Carpool. If you’re planning to go to the local outlet mall, get your friends together and make it a shopping date.

3. Give sustainable gifts: water bottles, canvas shopping bags (decorate them with fabric pens or iron on patches for a personal touch), or stainless steel travel mugs. Check out other suggestions on Treehugger’s Holiday Gift Guide.

4. Give recycled gifts. Look in your closet, your cabinet or storage space. What’s in there that you haven’t used in the longest time, is gently used and could be of service to a family member or friend? Read Brian Smith’s story at Altenet.org. You can also recycle or create decorative wrapping paper and cards using old Holiday cards, decorations and papers that you have around the house.

5. Give homemade gifts. If you make great holiday cookies, pies, or other treats. Whip up a batch and give them as gifts in reusable decorative container. If you’re an artist, create miniature works to share with family and friends.

Send Halloween E-Cards for a Cause and Some Laughs

I’m horrible when it comes to sending personal correspondence. I’m the person that remembers that birthday, holiday or other cards need to be mailed the week before, then I forget it until the day of. Luckily for me, there’s a wonderful little thing called email. I save money (no postage), and I don’t generate more refuse to be tossed into a landfill. Check out Grist’s Halloween e-cards. Put a smile on a friend’s face, and spread the word, they can help make our enviroment a healthier one.