Earth Day is extremely important.  We should live like Earth Day is everyday, but we all need reminders to step it up a little.  To do more.  To take one extra step to make the world a better place for our future, the animals, and our children.  Imagine our world without clean air; green spaces, clean water, enough food, edible fish, enough room for all of our trash, animal diversity, and so on?

We all know the little things matter the most.  If we all avoided throwing one battery in the garbage a year, imagine how many batteries wouldn’t leak toxic stuff into the landfills every year?  If we all planted just a few vegetables, imagine how much food we could collectively grow that is organic and not tainted by this wretched GMO business (more on that someday when I feel I can write without cursing)?  If we all used a water bottle that wasn’t plastic once a week, imagine how many bottles wouldn’t go in a landfill?  If we turned off one more light a day, that is a lot of electricity.

I wish I could install solar panels and buy a hybrid, but I can’t right now.  We have a relatively green house and I’m very proud of that.  Here are just a few things we do:

• Compost
• Grow vegetables
• Buy organic food when possible
• Use reusable grocery bags (we started to get lazy about this, but we’re back at it again full force)
• Use a Brita Filter instead of water bottles
• Use earth-friendly products for dishes, laundry, and house-cleaning
• Even use bowls and spoons for Anderson that are made from corn, not plastic
• Use cloth diapers and wipes, which has prevented thousands of diapers already from being throwing in a landfill to live for 500 years.

Here are a few things that I can DO BETTER.  I won’t make excuses like “oh I’m just running late today”  or “oh I’m so tired.”   I will stick to the plan.

1. Always turn lights out.  Always.  At night; when we are gone; always.  Sometimes, I go to bed knowing there is still a light on. No more.

2. Remember my reusable coffee mug and water bottle. I occasionally stop and get a coffee or a tea in the morning.  Ok honestly, several times a week, I stop for coffee or tea on the run.   Then, at work, I’ll drink water from a paper cup here and again because I’m sloppy about remembering a water bottle.  This coffee mug (and my bright blue water bottle – not pictured) will prevent me from using stuff that just gets thrown out after one use. These two stainless steel containers ensure I’ll never stop for plastic beverages or styrofoam cups while out, even on road trips.  If I, alone, can prevent several items per week from going into a landfill…imagine if we all did this one little thing together?

Of course I have to say it – what else can we do for animals and wildlife?  Here is one idea for you, even if you don’t live in the country.  Make your yard an Urban Wildlife Sanctuary.  By doing small things like providing food, water, and covered living spaces, you can create a place in your backyard for wildlife.  Here is more information on this HSUS program.  What a great gift idea for an environmentalist!?  Chris made our little yard official on my birthday a few years ago.

Without clean air and water, we have nothing.

Enjoy this Earth Day by getting outside today!