Earth Day 2008

Once again, it's Earth Day.

Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970. 38 years later, it seems to have finally found its way into mainstream culture. Everyone from HGTV to my Grandmother is promoting environmental consciousness of late. Thank goodness; it's long overdue.

National Geographic Channel recently ran a special: Human Footprint. If you haven't seen it, do. It's an interesting and surprising depiction of our consumption and the trail of waste we leave in our wake.

We've all heard some of these common Expert Tips to lessen our impact on the planet:

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Light [CFL] bulbs.
• If every household in the United States, alone, swapped one single incandescent bulb for a CFL, it would reduce pollution equivalent to taking 1MM [that's 1 MILLION] cars off the road. Think about that for 1/2 a second...
  
• Just be sure to get a "warm" CFL as CFL bulbs tend to give off a "cool" coloured light.
  
• Plant a native garden.
  
• Native gardens - those plants, shrubs and trees that are indigenous to your geographical location - require less water and maintenance than demanding that Magnolia tree thrive in Maine.
  
• Buy Energy Star labeled appliances.
• The Energy Star label on new appliances indicates a potential savings of up to 30% on operating costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
  
• Instead of a plastic or paper bag at the grocery store, carry reusable bags with you.
• They don't have to be fancy or cute - but they can be if that's your bailiwick - and many of the market bags available are made from recycled materials.
  

How about some ideas that may be less well-known and super-effective:

• Reuse corrugated boxes when moving or shipping your gifts and products.
• For every 2,000# [one ton] of paper reused, 17 trees are left standing. We all know the value of trees, right? Not to mention all the oil, energy, and water required to make new boxes. The 3 cu. ft. of space that ton of boxes takes up in the landfill adds up quickly, too.
  
• Use 100% Biodegradable packing peanuts when you move or ship.
  
• Those Polystyrene peanuts will be in the landfill for who knows how long. Cornstarch peanuts aren't really biodegradable. They require an additive - acts much like Alka-Seltzer (R) - that leeches into the water table when the product breaks down. 100% biodegradable peanuts are nothing more than grain and water. No additives. They'll break down, when wet, in 3-5 days from naturally-occurring bacteria. I've tossed them onto the lawn when it rains and ... voila... they're gone.
  
• Donate your old clothing, shoes, linens, and drapery.
  
• Not only will you get a tax-deduction and clear out your closets, but you will divert these items from the landfills. Despite what you've been told, even torn clothing has a second [or third or fifth] life in it. Textiles are re-processed into new materials & products. Don't forget to donate your undergarments. Yes, you read that correctly. Donating your unwanted clothing, shoes, and textiles also creates jobs in your community.
  
• Find your nearest recycling center.
• It might not be under the auspices of your county or city government but there are sure to be recycling bins located around your community. We don't have curbside pick up so we found recycling bins in several locations near our home. Since we started recycling plastics, glass, metal and corrugated from our home, our weekly trash pick up volume has dropped by HALF. That's 50% less material headed to the landfill.
  
• Don't put your old appliances out at the curb.
  
• Take them to a metal recycler if they don't accept appliances at your local recycling center [many don't]. The metal yard will pay you. Not a huge sum of money but they'll give you cash for the thing. Metal is a precious commodity with value! No wonder the big box appliance stores will remove your old refrigerator - they're selling it for scrap on the back end. Some will come to pick up. If they pick up, they won't likely pay you but you can be sure the appliance will be recycled instead of plowed into the landfill.
  

We:
Donate old clothing, shoes, linens and drapery
Recycle our plastic, glass, metal and corrugated on the way to work
Are holding on to that washer and dryer for now
Replaced all our incandescent bulbs with "warm" CFL bulbs
Picked up a couple of SIGG bottles at EarthFare to use with our reverse-osmosis water system
Use textile napkins instead of paper
Compost our food & yard waste

There's more we can do, absolutely. We're looking for every opportunity to reduce our footprint. Most of the changes we've made, we don't even notice a difference. There's been no negative impact on our lifestyle. Even if there was a change to the way we live, wouldn't it be worth it?

Give me some ideas!

Happy Earth Day.