Happy Earth-Day!

• Reuse whatever you can, including aluminum pie tins, glassware, plastic cutlery and aluminum foil.
• Keep used paper in a stack and use the flip side for scrap work.
• Try to buy items that are less toxic to the environment when produced. For example, use vinegar and water as a replacement to glass cleaner.
• Shop for durable, long-lasting products. For example, use a metal razor instead of disposables, or a metal roasting pan instead of a disposable one.
• Buy in bulk--this saves not only on packaging that you would eventually have to dispose of, but reduces tremendously the amount of industrial waste generated to make the packaging.
• Turn Food Into Fuel
• Change Your Lightbulbs - compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL), a funny-looking swirl that fits into standard sockets. CFLs cost three to five times as much as conventional incandescent bulbs yet use one-quarter the electricity and last several years longer.
• Hang Up a Clothes Line - You could make your own clothes with needle and thread using 100% organic cotton sheared from sheep you raised on a Whole Foods diet, but the environmental quality of your wardrobe is ultimately determined by the way you wash it. A recent study by Cambridge University's Institute of Manufacturing found that 60% of the energy associated with a piece of clothing is spent in washing and drying it. Over its lifetime, a T shirt can send up to 9 lbs. of carbon dioxide into the air.
• Eat Healthy!

How Eating Healthy is good for you, and the Enviroment

It seems that in the last few years, there has been a major commercial movement towards "going organic" or "going green." While this may be a positive attempt at redirecting our future, many people still remain apprehensive about the claims made my retailers, producers, the government, and even the USDA. Fortunately, a large majority of it isn't merely hype to sell products; instead if is a movement in the right direction. Going green and organic can improve the health and lifestyle of your family as well as work towards a healthier and safer environment.
Working towards a greener lifestyle isn't always easy and may take some time. While there is a sense of immediacy you don't need to rush out and buy a hybrid, cultivate your own crops, and rebuild a greener home in the matter of a day. You can make small but significant steps to pave the way towards a greener life style. Once you get going you will be able to increase your rate of transformation until you've achieved your goals. A great way to start is by creating a healthy diet of organic foods. Organic foods will keep you and your family healthy, support local farmers who work to use natural farming techniques, and save the environment by eliminated pesticides and growth hormones from their farming methods.

Why Should You Go Organic?
Growing food organically educes the amount of pollution, in the form of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, that enters the ground and streams surrounding a farm
Eating organically grown foods reduces the amount of toxins in the form of pesticides, fertilizing chemicals, and growth hormones that enter the body.
Buying organic food supports non industrial farmers who work towards a safer and purer farming system.
Make it Your Self: It's not always easy to find all organic products but that doesn't mean you can't eat organically. Stock up on organic seasonings and can goods so you can make things like homemade sauces that will be organic. It may take a little extra work but the taste and health factor is well worth the time.

posted by Emily Dorchak at 12:24 PM