Simple Ways

To Celebrate Earth Day

Every Day!

• Store your sewing accessories - hand for extra buttons, safety pins, threads, etc.
• Never have a screw loose - use as compartments for small nuts, bolts, screws and washers.
• Get the grill going - after candles have reached their end, place in double boiler and melt.  Then fill each carton half-way up with sawdust and top with melted wax.  Great fire starter.
• Start seedlings indoors - fill compartments with soil and plant seeds in each one.  After sprouting, cut out each of the compartments and plant - cardboard and all!
• Perfect painters palette - got a crafty kid?  Use them to separate the colors with the easiest of clean up.
• Goodbye Styrofoam - the stiff but lightweight design of the egg carton makes for great packing material!
• Scrap booking supplies - use cartons to separate the small stuff, like brads and loose stickers.

Use Organic and Natural Body Care Products
It turns out beauty is more than skin deep:  The average person slathers, lathers, rubs and sprays 10 different skin care products on his or her body every day - and since our skin acts more like a sponge than a barrier, we absorb the nearly 130 chemicals we regularly expose ourselves to.  You can take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from exposure to these chemicals.  Buy products that are made with natural and organic ingredients.  Read our article entitled "How Safe Are Your Cosmetics" to see if the products you are using today are actually doing more harm than good. 

Re-route Your Commute
Walking, biking and sometimes even running is ideal to get to work, run errands or go to school.  Not only is the is healthy for the environment, but for YOU too.  If you have to drive, then try to get a group of friends or coworkers together to cut down on everyone driving separately - saves on gas as well! 

To make your commute even easier - go the one of the many "map my" sites to plan your route.
Bike it:  http://www.mapmyride.com/
Walk it:  http://www.mapmywalk.com/
Run it:  http://www.mapmyrun.com/

Use Your Local Amenities
Borrowing from libraries, instead of buying personal books and movies, saves money and printing resources.  Consider donating the money saved to your local library.  Be an active civic participant and ensure that the public spaces and facilities in your town are well maintained.  This will promote a healthy, sustainable community. 

Support Local Farmers
If your food could talk, it would tell quite a tale.  Typical grocery store produce travels nearly 1,500 miles before it ends up on your plate.  All this traveling burns fossil fuels and results in carbon emissions (pollution).  Buying from local farmers means you're not only getting the freshest food possible, you're saving energy. 
To find farmers nationwide, visit sites like:
http://www.localharvest.org/
http://www.sustainabletable.org/home.php

• Garden Benefits - great for the garden because it improves the soil, which in turn supports healthier and more productive plants.  It improves soil structure, making it easier for soil to hold and use the right amount of moisture and air. 
• Environmental Benefits - significantly reduce the amount of solid waste that would otherwise find its way into the trash collection and dumping cycle.  Using compost to feed your lawn and garden will also reduce your dependency on chemical fertilizers. 

Fix That Drip
We each use about 100 gallons of water a day, enough to fill up 1,600 glasses.  Household water consumption is increasing faster than the population growth which means that more than 36 states are expected to face water shortages for the next several years.  Stemming the flow is as easy as fixing a leaky faucet or toilet; a dripping faucet can waste up to 74 gallons a day, a leaking toilet up to 200 gallons a day.  Repair a leaky toilet and you can save $30 a year, which may not sound like much until you realize it means 73,000 gallons!

Make a Rain Barrel
A rain barrel is a system that collects and stores rainwater from your roof that would otherwise be lost to runoff and diverted to storm drains and streams.  Lawn and garden watering make up nearly 40% of total household water use during the summer.  A rain barrel collects water and stores it for when you need to water plants.  Rain barrels provide an ample supply of free "soft water" containing no chlorine, lime or calcium making it idea for gardens, flowers or the potted plants.  According to the EPA a rain barrel can potentially save homeowners about 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months.   Here is a great video to reference:  http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/rain-barrels/index.html

Make Your Own Cleaning Products
Use eco-friendly cleaning products or make your own from ingredients in your home.  Home cleaning products are loaded with artificial colors and fragrances as well as harsh cleansing agents like ammonia, bleach and acids.  These chemicals can produce indoor air pollution by off-gassing toxic fumes that can irritate eyes and lungs.  Plus, commercial cleansers cost a lot. 

Grow a Vegetable Garden
There are so many reasons why vegetable gardening is a good idea.  You grow an amazing tasting vegetable knowing you did not use pesticides or other additives.  You have more nutritious vegetables because you will consume it once it is picked - no vitamins and minerals will be lost in transit.  It saves you money, time and gas needed to get to your local store.  It brings families and communities together as you share your bountiful crop with others.  If you are challenged by space - try growing them in containers or even on your windowsill. 

Recycle Your Computer
If it is time to put that computer to rest, looking for a recycling program is a must.  According to the US E.P.A., more than 800 communities have created electronics collection events to help manage e-waste.  Many computer manufacturers and retailers offer some kind of take-back program or recycling.  Mail-in programs are also great options for recycling.  Find local recycling options in your area. 

Choose Organic Cotton
Organic cotton is grown with natural fertilizers and is free from toxic chemicals.  Organic farmers rely on crop rotation to replenish and maintain soil fertility.  Mechanical cultivation and botanical or biological means are used to control pests and weeds.  It does not compromise worker's health and helps reduce water and electric use and toxic runoff.  No harsh bleach, silicon softeners or harmful dyes.  Organic Cotton is especially great for people with allergies and chemical sensitivity.  And even for those without sensitivity, it feels great on your skin!  Save Your World Organic T-shirts are available. 

Hang Your Clothes Out to Dry
Did you know that the dryer consumes the most energy of all of your household appliances?  To cut back on energy usage, you can easily hang your clothes to dry instead, and use the dryer as a last resort.   Hanging your clothes outside makes them smell fresher and the added humidity is great for your plants, skin and hair!  If you don't have the space outside, then you could invest in a drying rack made of wood or metal that you keep inside.  By doing so, you're not only saving energy and money, but you'll also save on the wear and tear on those energy-depleting dryers undertake on your expensive wardrobe. 

Stop Using Plastic Grocery Bags
Make the effort to switch from plastic bags to reusable bags and totes.  did you know the raw material of plastic bags is oil?  Therefore, the more we use them, the more we waste a non-renewable energy source.  These petroleum-based plastic bags takes decades to break down, so if not recycled they litter the streets, beaches, etc.  They pose a hazard for sea life too particularly when sea turtles and dolphins get entangled or ingest them because they resemble jelly fish.  Plastic bags CAN be recycled but they rarely are.  Watch this video and join the cause by bringing your OWN bag!

Reduce Paper Usage
Paper and paper products are amongst the most recycled items that we dispose of according to waste disposal statistics.  The average American consumes roughly 7 trees per year in paper, wood, and other products.  Our combined dependence on trees equals roughly 2 billion trees a year!   If you are buying paper products, make sure they ARE recycled - this saves the lives of trees.  For every 17 trees saved, you are helping the earth absorb 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.  One easy way to cut down on your paper usage is to boycott paper towels - use cleaning rags and dish towels! 

Hazardous Waste Disposal
Containers that are partially full of hazardous materials (household cleaners, motor oil, paints and pesticides) should not be thrown in the trash or poured down the drain.  If you do find yourself with leftover household hazardous waste (HHW), some communities arrange HHW exchanges where these types of products can be swapped or simply given away.  Exchanging HHW or giving your leftovers to others is a good way to make the most of the product and your money.  For example, paint is often collected and reused in municipal cleanup projects, such as removing graffiti from public areas.  Check with your local or state solid waste officials to find out more about HHW regulations in yoru area and use a find a drop-off near you:  Earth911.com.

Simply Recycle
Just imagine how clean and efficient our world would be if everyone took the time to recycle.  It's good for the environment, rewarding, and, in some areas, can earn you spare change.  Recycling helps cut domestic waste that would otherwise be buried in landfills and provides a steady supply of pre-used materials that can be transformed into new, practical objects we use every day.  Look to the Internet to find local recycling in your area.  Use this handy guide on how to recycle just about anything. 

Stop Consumption of Bottled Water
Bottled water marketing campaigns capitalize on isolated instances of contaminated public drinking water by suggesting that their products are purer and safer than tap water.  But the reality is that tap water is actually help to more stringent quality standards than bottled water, and some brands of bottled water are just tap water in disguise.  What's more, our increasing consumption of bottled water fuels an unsustainable industry that takes a heavy toll on the environment.  For an illustration on the water bottle - take a look at this video:  The story of bottled water 

If you simply do not enjoy the taste of your tap water, you can always buy a filter pitcher or install an inexpensive faucet filter to remove trace chemicals and bacteria. 

Let Your Grass Grow
I know, it seems counter-intuitive to our desire to have lawns that look like golf courses, but letting your grass grow a little is good for the earth.  Longer grass absorbs more sunlight and grows tougher and thicker grass, which in turn grows longer roots, which means less surface watering is needed to keep it green.  It's a win-win for the grass and a win for your water bill.  Also, when mowing the lawn allow the grass clippings to remain on your lawn; it adds nitrogen to the soil and discourages week seeds from germinating. 

Reuse Plastic Milk Jugs and Cartons
You can keep your plastic milk jugs and out of the garbage by reusing them.  Try some of these fun ideas:

• Bird Feeder - Making a bird feeder from a milk jug is very simple.  Hang the feeder from your tree and you'll attract all kinds of birds!
• Garden Pavers - Use a milk jug to make a plastic form for pavers in your walkway or garden.
• Soup Storage - If your making a big batch of soup to stick in the freezer, store the portions in milk jugs.  Use a permanent marker to record the type of soup and the date it was made, screw on the top and pop it in the freezer!
• Self-watering Planter - A unique planter that is good for your plants and great for the environment.
• Seed Starters - Cut one side panel off a quart-size milk carton.  Poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage, add quality soil, plant the seeds and wait for your plants to sprout.