When people think of earth day, they automatically go into the one day of the year that everyone should do something good for the planet, but this is not the case. Earth day is something you should celebrate everyday, and everywhere. Something that bothers me is when people say that because you live in a city that there are no trees, or flowers. On top of that I really don't like when people who have never been to Wilmington (my city) say that it is so dirty and that there is no beauty here. There most certainly is. This picture was taken 3 days ago as I was driving to the highway. I love these arches, simply beautiful!!! Take some time everyday to appreciate the planet you live on and take care of it
each and everyday. It provides you light, energy, food, water, oxygen,
and life in general. We should all be thankful! BUT HOW???
1. Going green does not have to be as radical as you think. As a personal trainer,I have realized that changes that last are made slowly over time and actually mean something to you, so find something that interests you and slowly start to make a change. For me nutrition is a big thing, so I like to think of growing food. I have always had a garden, but since moving to the city, I have no back yard, so I am super excited to move back to the suburbs so that I can replant one. Since not have a garden I have also taken to learning about foraging as well, and learning about wild foods. This has been my change within the past year, but the most important thing is to find something that is important to you and doing something that is meaningful.2. Use Less Water! My best suggestion for this one is partner showers. these are not always the most convenient, because trying to shave your legs while someone else is walking around the shower with their eyes closed is a sure way to slice open your leg. But especially in the summer time when you just need a quick wash and rinse, this is the greatest way to help save some water plus it can help set the mood for the night or get you an early morning cardio session.
3. Buy Local! Not only will local businesses be more likely to have natural and organic products, but it can help boost the local economy and help your community while helping the earth. The food is more expensive at times, but farm eggs, don't need to be refrigerated, and small farms don't use as many pesticides as industrial farms. Plus if you have any questions normally the person running the cart, stand or market can tell you about each individual products birth, life, and now sale to you, from the methods to help it grow, to the food it was planted next to, and even how you can use it, and preserve it best. This is also a great way to aquatint yourself to a new area and make some new friends.4. RECYCLE! I do not mean just plastic water bottles and old news papers, although these are super important to recycle, weather you are reusing them or sending them out for a company to reuse. here are some tips for you to reuse recyclables:
~newspaper: wrap children's gifts; use as a table cover for painting, tie-dyeing, egg coloring, and a number of other messy activities
~paper: scrap paper (writing lists or silly art from your kids)
~water bottles: I store my salad dressing in here, refill with water, cut in half (top 1/2 is a funnel, bottom 1/2 is a great place to plant and keep early seedlings)
5. Get outdoors. the more time you spend outside, the more you will find a connection with the outdoors and our earth. If you spend time outside you will pick up outdoor activities, such as foraging, gardening, birdwatching, kayaking, etc... When you spend time outside then you want the outdoors too look nice just as you would want your home (and maybe you will see that the earth itself is your home, not just your house) to look nice, and you may even find yourself picking up trash. I started with just gardening, then kayaking and hiking, and then outdoor yoga, then foraging, and now you literally cannot keep me inside. I want to be out in the sun all the time, bare feet in the dirt.
