Honoring Earth Day 2007

Over 20 million people participated in the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Join the 500 million people worldwide who will be celebrating Earth Day 2007 and incorporate some of these changes into your life.

• Get a home audit from your utility company. Find out how you can lower your energy consumption.
• Try reusable canvas bags. Give up on the debate over paper or plastic and start using reusable bags for your shopping.
• Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. Replace 4 incandescents and reduce your CO2 emissions by 5,000 pounds.
• Start using 100% recycled paper products in your home. Save some trees, they absorb carbon dioxide.
• Replace your vinyl shower curtain with a natural cloth shower curtain or a glass shower door. PVC or vinyl is petroleum based and emits toxins into your home.
• Install a water-saving shower head. This could save more than 3 gallons of water per minute.
• Give up traditional cleaning products for non-toxic biodegradable alternatives. Conventional products are harmful to both the environment and your health.
• Purchase some glass storage containers and reusable water bottles and get rid of your plastic. Plastic is made from petroleum, need I say more.
• Walk, bike, take the bus, carpool. We all love the convenience of our own cars, but think about other options. Try taking the bus to work (maybe you can save money on parking) or take a walk to the corner store for that gallon of milk.
• Start composting. About one third of the space in landfills is taken up with organic waste from yards and kitchens. You can easily use this material to improve your lawn and garden.
• As always reduce, reuse, recycle. Think about the excess packaging on the products you buy. Try to reuse an item before you throw it out or recycle it. Give it to a friend or donate your unused items to a charity like Goodwill. Recycle everything you possible can, even when you are away from home.

Try one or two of these ideas to honor Earth Day this April 22^nd. But don’t stop there, let’s treat every day like Earth Day and make an earth-friendly lifestyle a habit.