In celebration of Earth Day, tips to "go green" are being plastered all over the big ole' World Wide Web today. That's great. There is a ton of great info out there to motivate and inspire you to do your part. I am not going to bore you with a simple laundry lists of specific, scientific do's and don't's to help care for the Earth. I know you have already read a bunch of those so I'll save mine for later.
Instead, I thought I'd first give you links to lots of great sources for EARTH friendly information, products, tools, and events.
The book that will change the way you view the planet can be found here: michaelpollan.com
Michael's directives include make one day per week a meatless one. You will save money and if everyone in our country did that, it would be the equivalent of taking 20 million SUV's off the planet; (since agriculture leaves an enormous carbon footprint on the Earth!) He also encourages you to stop buying consumable products that your great-grandmother would NOT recognize as food. They aren't healthy. Really.
A company turning junk into cool jewelry you'll want to wear: eclecticelements.com
Teach your family. Start a recycling project at your kid's school: terracycle.net
Remodeling? Throwing out that 70's shag carpet? Shawfloors.com will recycle your carpet!
Ever wonder how big of a deal plastic bags actually are? Visit reusablebags.com for a running tally of bags consumed this year, and get all the facts. (Then buy a tote bag!)
Did you hear that there is a mass of floating garbage in the Pacific Ocean that stretches from California to Japan? It's the size of Texas, and 90 miles deep. We are a bunch of united nations giving our oceans cancer (which gives, our birds and fish cancer...which gives someone we all know cancer!) And the number one problem is PLASTIC!
Great-grandson of Jaquc Cousteau, Fabien has his own series on PBS all about this topic. His site is worth checking out here.
If you are about to go to the grocery store to buy cleaning supplies or just need some practical advice on the whole green thing, check out thedailygreen.com. It gives you tips in bite sizes, by topic. It also shows you how changing the way you consume helps you save big bucks throughout the year.
See the movie EARTH. It is in theater's now and it will inspire you to care for the place we all live.
Finally, if you want to know who can help you go green around the Detroit area, visit the Green Street Fair in downtown Plymouth, May 2-3. Visit http://www.greenstreetfair.com/ for more info.
(Now on with the preachy part of my post...)
Audrey's TOP 4 rules for a more natural and environmentally positive home:
1. PULL THE PLUG! Yes, unplug things. It takes such little effort. It also saves you money!
2. A FULL LOAD RULES! That goes for dishwashers and laundry. It also saves you money! Hang clothes to dry in the summer. Have kids help. It's fun!
3. CLEAN YOUR OWN WATER! Britta water filtering pitchers are awesome. They even make one that attaches to your faucet. Use a water filltrator to waste less water and shrink your water bill. Plastic water bottles are the WORST for the environment. If you use one MAKE SURE it gets recycled.
4. LEAVE IT AT THE DOOR! Take off your shoes upon entering a home. This means less yuck drug into your carpets and floors, and less vacuuming and cleaning products needed to sponge up after you....which trickles down to helping the planet!
Finally, enjoy the EARTH.
Go to the park. Go to the zoo. Plant your own garden, (or at least one tomatoplant.) Don't litter. Use less. Reuse what you have. Visit a landfill or recycling pant and see what is really going on. We are all connected and this EARTH is just one big body that has been eating junk food and skipping the gym for far too long. Let's take care of her.
