Happy Earth Day!

Happy Healthy Earth Day!

Hope you take a few moments today to get outside and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. Take note of the breeze through the trees, the chirping birds and the smell of newly budding flowers. We get so busy with our day-to-day lives that it can be difficult to just live in the moment and enjoy our surroundings. I know that even when I make a determined effort to sit on our deck and enjoy the sights and sounds, I am quickly reminded of all the yard work I need to do. But if I bring my focus back to the sound of the wind through the bamboo and the chirping bird on the branch nearby, I am able to recharge and feel refreshed, and it doesn't take very long.

Take a moment to think of one more thing you can do to conserve, reuse or recycle. You don't have to do everything and turn your life upside down to be green, just one more thing can make a big difference. In the last year, we stopped buying disposable paper napkins and started using cloth napkins. Not only do we have less trash, we are saving money in the long run and fewer trees need to be cut down to make more disposable products.

Here are some suggestions.

• Avoid idling your car for extended periods. Read more....
• Reduce trips in your car by organizing your To-do list by location.
  
• Recycle Styrofoam. Read more...
• Reduce junk mail. Read more...
• Plant a garden. Use seeds from the fruits and veggies you eat and watch them grow. Or place a bunch of herbs from the grocery store in water. I did this with mint a couple weeks ago. The cut mint grew roots and then I planted them outside. Quite a nice surprise.
  
• Use reusable shopping bags at the grocery, the mall, everywhere! I personally hate plastic shopping bags so this has become a personal mission. I sometimes get looks at the mall when I pull out my own bag, but I'd much rather get a strange look than have another plastic bag.

Most of all, enjoy the outdoors today. Even if you only have the moment between your car door and your house, make the most of it!