How to Save the Earth with Very Little Effort – Earth Day 2010

Happy Earth Day 2010.

Just a thought: for the whole week, take note as you are about to put something in the garbage. Is it plastic? Is it paper? You’d be amazed at how much stuff gets thrown away from your own household made from these materials.

What if, just what if, next to your kitchen waste basket you placed another waste basket. The second waste basket would be for recyclables. You will be amazed, perhaps shocked at how much more you recycle, and just think, you used to throw it away.

There are about 300 million Americans and lets say that on the same day every American had some yogurt, baby food, or something in a plastic/paper container and threw the container away. Would you like 300 million plastic containers in your backyard, in your city, or in your state even? People would protest, make a big fuss, etc. Now times that by 365 days per year and 80 years for your life span. That’s a lot of plastic not taking into account population growth, and it’s just one product we’re talking about!

So, take a bag if you don’t have an extra waste basket around, and give recycling collection in your home a try!

Get Ten Times the Results in your Efforts to Save the Planet

For those who feel a concern for the world around us and try here and there to recycle, consider an idea to help you increase your contribution by ten times!

A few conditions apply, however. You need a recycling service somewhere near you. Most modern cities now have a recycling program in conjunction with waste collection that picks up your recyclables. With a system like that, recycling almost couldn’t be easier.

How can you increase what you recycle by ten times? It’s easy especially if you don’t recycle much but would like to.

The solution is simple: Wherever you store your kitchen waste basket, ad an additional basket alongside for recyclables. Easy! You can do that; anybody can do that!

Will it really make a difference? Do it, and you’ll see the difference. As a family, we’ve been conscientious about recycling and will save cardboard boxes for recycling and milk jugs and the like, but once we started with a second waste basket that was designated for recyclables, our recycle count shot through the roof!

You see, there are lots of little things, plastic and other materials, that are recyclable, but since they’re little, it was easier to place them in the garbage than set aside a little pile for recyclables or walk outside to the large recycle bin we have from the city. Instead of throwing away bags and paper goods, we put them in the recycle basket. Instead of throwing away recyclable food containers, we place them in the recycle basket.

When you’re standing next to your waste basket with a recyclable object, it’s easy to send it to be recycled if you have a recycle basket or bin right next to your garbage basket. The ideal spot would be next to the kitchen garbage basket.

Just image if you, me, and the majority of the world made this tiny little switch and began to recycle more. The results would be outstanding.

So, do your part. It isn’t that hard but can make a big difference.

Another big contribution you can make concerns how you take care of your lawn. Use a reel lawn mower which requires no gasoline, so it doesn’t pollute, is not noisy, and mulches the grass back into the lawn. For additional ideas and information visit Earth 911. You can subscribe to their newsletter with tips on how to improve the world around us.

The key here is Sustainability. How much longer can we afford to be ignorant of our effect on the world around us? No longer is the movement to make the planet a better place reserved for “tree huggers.” We’re all involved, and it’s mainstream.

If you don’t do your part, who is going to do it for you?

Start with the little things and you’ll be amazed at what you can do.

Other fun links: Photo Essay of magnificent trees around the world by Time.com.

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day (April 22, 2007)! Talk about an Easter Egg! This ostrich egg came by a nearby ostrich farm. The egg is the equivalent of about 2 dozen regular chicken eggs. It took a long time to get the yoke out of the egg! Our Earth Day “celebration” consisted of cleaning out the egg. Now the question is, what prominent place in our home can I display the egg?