Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Earth Day 2009

Happy Earth Day everyone! Let's take small steps (or greater steps!) to lower our consumption and reduce waste.

THREE very simple Earth-Huggin' things you can do:


(1) This CFL [Compact Fluorescent Lighting] bulb uses 80% less energy and lasts up to 10,000 hours. Mark and I only use these light bulbs in the house, and since I've been living there, we haven't needed to replace one! Our bathroom now have 5 places for bulbs - for what?! Mark put one CFL bulb in the middle spot, and it brightens the entire bathroom easily. Plus I'm pretty sure it keeps our electricity bill a little lower as well.



(2) Plastic Bottles: Eight out of ten plastic bottles end up in the landfill. Yikes. Try and use a refillable plastic water bottle that does not release chemicals. Even if you recycle all the water bottles that are disposable, it will still take a great amount of oil in the process to break down the plastic to be recycled. The problem is not only that we're not recycling as much as we could, but we're PRODUCING more than we need. So recycle what you have, and do a little water-bottle research. This will also save you money. And if you like purified water, buy a Britta to keep in your refrigerator to refill your bottle.



(3) Earth Hour: Well Earth Hour happened in March, and a large portion of the world participated! OVER a billion people! If you didn't, or if you want more, there's still time! Turn the lights off, unplug everything, and sit on your porch for an hour. Play cards, read a book, paint a picture, but don't rely on energy for ONE WHOLE HOUR! Can you do it?! See results here from this past year.


Check out this BLOG - it's a really good source for greener, healthier living. Seventh Generation tries to live by this Iroquois quote from YEARS and YEARS ago: “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”


Happy Earth-Lovin' Day!

jb

1 comment:

The Bates Girls! said...

Oh love it...I need to get caught up on my posting. Have pics of earth hour we celebrated with Mags pickin the guitar!