Taking care of our environment

“The environment is where we all meet; where all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.”

-Lady Bird Johnson

While Earth Day is celebrated in April, I thought what better time than now to bring continued awareness to improving our environment, not just on one day of the year but every day! Here are some suggestions on how we can all contribute to taking care of mother earth and improving our planet for future generations:

1. Avoid plastic whenever possible. It is toxic for you and the planet. Avoiding plastic water bottles and swapping your plastic tupperware for glass is a great place to start.

2. Eat local, organic food that has not been subjected to pesticides and chemicals. By eating local, you are helping cut down on transportation costs that are not good for the environment. By buying organic, you are voting with your dollar. This will encourage less use of these extremely harmful and toxic products that end up in our food and also our drinking water.

3. Clean your air at home with house plants. Here are some of the best plants for removing air pollutants: spider plant, ficus/weeping fig, peace lily, boston fern, snake plant, bamboo palm, and aloe vera. Dracaena is also a nice option, but is toxic to cats and dogs when eaten, so avoid if you are a pet owner. Also eliminate artificial, toxic odors. Many candles emit toxins into the air - avoid paraffin wax (carcinogenic when burned). Best healthy alternatives are beeswax and soy candles. If buying scented, look for candles made with essential oils, or use an essential oil diffuser instead. Peppermint, citrus and lavender are great oils to diffuse. My absolute favorite brand for healthy and beautiful candles is Apothenne.

4. Love that super green lawn? Use organic fertilizers and soils. The chemical infused additives may be effective but they are also extremely harmful. Also consider planting a small vegetable or herb garden. Talk about getting hyper local with your food!

5. Take a look at what you throw away and try to cut it by half. Recycle and compost whenever possible.

6. Use LED light bulbs. There are many now that have similar light quality to an incandescent bulb and even dim well. Look for 2700K temperature light bulbs. Turn off lights when not needed and use natural light whenever possible.

7. Replacing appliances? Buy energy efficient and use them with energy efficiency in mind.

8. Conserve water. Maybe that means not running water non-stop while brushing your teeth. Fix leaky faucets and toilets. Conserve rain water when possible.

9. Insulate! A lot of homes are energy inefficient because of poor sealing and inadequate insulation. Use programmable thermostats to increase efficiency.

10. Encourage green energy sources. Look into geothermal, solar and other non-carbon energy for your home.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” -Jane Goodall