Earth Day!

I love the concept of Earth Day. One year ago, I wrote about efforts to "go green." The good news is that we have made and continue to make progress.

It's been easy to:

Change to CFL bulbs throughout the house (and change light bulbs less, too!).
Use microfiber cloths for everything from cleaning furniture to computer keyboards.
Recycle like maniacs.
Pack zero-waste lunches with the fantastic lunchboxes from Obentec.
Use cold water to do laundry.

We're planning a great garden for this summer and trying to eat closer to the earth and lower on the food chain.

I just cleaned up my husband's and my bicycles so we can start using more of our own energy to get around. The kids will be ecstatic.

What are you doing to live more lightly on the Earth?

Earth Day 2007

Today is Earth Day. The Google logo appeared watery and blue to celebrate. Interestingly, kids seem to feel Earth Day in their little bones. My kids know more about the environment and caring for it than I certainly did at their age. The little people also motivate our family to act. We recycle more now than ever before. "You don't want to hurt the earth," says my son. My daughter currently keeps earthworms and has learned about composting. I'm now aware that I have a carbon footprint and am trying to reduce it. I've written about small steps toward greening our household. My mother in Decatur, Illinois (!) has taken to using microfiber cloths to dust furniture. She trumps my unbleached paper towel habit. This weekend, I unwrapped the microfiber cloths. This represents another steps toward my goal of "six green acts in 2007."

The bottom line is that every bit helps: a microfiber cloth, a flourescent bulb, recycling, composting. Do what you can and we all benefit. Push a little harder and we benefit all the more. I may be taking small steps but I am taking them steadily. What steps can you take to live lightly on our beautiful, watery blue sphere?