Friday, April 4, 2008

EARTH DAY -APRIL 26, 2008


Earth Day for me parallels New Years Eve - minus the excessive amount of alcohol I typically consume- because I make a conscience effort to evaluate how I am living my daily life and how it impacts the environment. Do not get me wrong- I am not health nut nor do I chain myself to trees but I do believe that we have a responsibility to ourselves and our friends and families to reduce our environmental impact.

There are a million of ways you can introduce more environmentally-friendly behaviors into your daily life. Here are a couple easy and affordable suggestions:

*Use tupperware containers for your lunch instead of sandwich bags
*Bring reusable bags for your grocery trips; if you do use plastic grocery bags
take them back to the grocery store on your next trip to recycle them
*Cut up old clothing i.e. socks, t-shirts, etc. to use as rags instead of using
paper towels
*Turn off lights when you you are not using them. No one cares if your house
looks cozy from the street.
*Walk or ride the bus to work at least once a week to work. A work out might
shave off a couple pounds while you are at it.
*Get your coffee in a reusable coffee mug instead of a disposable paper cup.
Most coffee shops reward good behavior by shedding off a dime for your total.
*Decline a bag with your next take out meal. Do you really need a paper bag to
carry your single aluminum foil-wrapped Chipotle burrito?
*Wear your jeans and other articles of clothing more than once. Febreeze it.
*Wash your dishes by hand to control how much water is used or ensure that your
dishwasher is fully loaded before pushing starting the cycle.
*Buy "green" cleaning products. Clorox just launched a new brand, Green Works,
that is only few cents more than non-green brands and actually clean.
*Don't pick up crap freebies from events, etc. if you are not going to use
them. Chances are you will throw them away.

Most of these simple behavior changes require minimal changes in your daily activity and can help you save money, get fit and feel better about your place in life. So why not kick off Earth Day and a new way of living by volunteering for Earth Day this April 26, 2008. You decide how much time you can contribute and what activities you are able or willing to do.

To volunteer, visit http://www.nowgetbusy.org/volunteer/.

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