Earth Hour occurred last night from 8:30-9:30pm local time. And it seemed that more international cities participated than domestic ones but nevertheless it happened and hopefully it will become a greater movement every year.
I spent mine turning off all the power, lighting a few candles and read by candlelight. It was quite wonderful to get away from all the electrical/digital distractions that we normally have.
And in the spirit of Earth Hour and coming up next month, Earth Day, I've compiled a list of things we all can do to make a small difference. They aren't drastic changes, just things you can do every day or when the time comes.
1. Bring your own bags (or reuse the plastic or paper ones you get when you forget)
2. Drink tap water not bottled water (but remember to filter your water either under the sink or via Pur filter)
3. Use glass containers not plastic when storing leftovers. If you do have/want to buy plastic make sure it's BPA free.
4. Use cloths or rags to clean not paper towels. Even spills in the kitchen.
5. When buying new cleaners, buy green cleaners or make your own. Vinegar works for a lot of things. When disposing of chemicals/cleaners follow the instructions or call the toll free number
6. Give up your garbage disposal. If you aren't composting (which is hard to do in apartments) it's better to throw your food scraps in the trash than to grind them in the disposal. Food sent down the drain often winds up in the landfill after the sewage treatment plant, so save the electricity and water.
7. When it's time to buy a new shower curtain or liner, buy one without PVC or vinyl.
8. Don't throw out your cell phones or empty printer cartridge. Instead mail them to charity. Petsmart takes your old phones and cartridges and donates money to homeless pets.
9. Speaking of pets, don't forget about them. If you eat organically, shouldn't your pets? If you sleep on organic bedding, shouldn't your pets? If you drink filtered water, shouldn't your pets?
10. Don't replace things for the sake of sustainability. Keep what you have and replace when you need to. Then replace for the sake of the Earth.
11. Kill your vampires. At least your energy vampires. Buy Monster's GreenPower Surge Protector, it will save you money in the long run.
12. Cut out paper. Use the calendar on your computer which can by synced to your phone. And print things sparingly.
13. If you do print things, buy recycled paper. Print double sided. Then recycle papers, newspapers and magazines.
14. When it's time to do renovations (kitchens and baths at least every 10 year) spend the money and do it sustainably. It will save you money in the long run.
15. Pack a waste-free lunch.
16. Air dry what you can from the washer.
17. For those with lawns, use a push-mower. You don't use gasoline and more importantly it counts as your workout for the day.
18. Buy local! It's more important to save the travel of produce not to mention you're supporting local farmers! So check out those farmer's markets in the summer.
19. Also check out your local CSAs. Ask your friends if they want to go in together for the CSA. It not only prevents waste of produce but it spreads the green love.
20. Finally your actions speak louder than any magazine, activist or politician. Bring your friends together for a "black out night" or make it a Saturday tradition to spend the morning at a farmer's market.
I hope that one day "green" will end it's trend and just become common. No more "green" cleaners, no more organic options, no more energy efficient options, simply no more options. It should be the only option.
Have a great Sunday!
