Happy Earth Day Salt Lake City!
Even though we should be looking for ways to help our planet every day, today is when we recognize it as a nation. Every one of us can make small changes in our lives that can minimize our impact on Mother Nature.
I grew up in Hawaii, and we saw the trash that came in with the tide and littered the otherwise beautiful beaches and coastlines. To think my trash can be contributing to that kind of destruction whether on the ocean or on land, makes me sad.
I get so busy with day-to-day life that I don't always think about how much I waste. I'm sure anyone with a family gets me. We're just trying to make it to the end of the day alive, most times.
So here are some ideas for simple things we can do to make a difference today and every day, and to teach our children to care for the earth.
1. Watch these videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX55cKJvg-g & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQTUWK7CM-Y
2. Talk with your kids about ways you can reduce, reuse & recycle. Choose 1 commonly purchased household item, snack, etc. that creates a lot of trash and pledge not to buy item any longer. We chose liquid laundry detergent because of the huge plastic container it comes in.
3. Visit a local park or trail and pick up litter. We'll be heading to Liberty Park today. Maybe we'll see you there!
4. Plant a seed. We planted a sunflower seed. Now we just can't forget to water it!
5. Limit unnecessary trips in the car. Planning ahead is KEY, and also a huge weakness of mine. I find myself driving to the store almost every day because I've forgotten an ingredient. When I plan meals out a week in advance, I make my grocery list on Sundays and get groceries on Mondays. Once a week is much better.
Also, especially now that it's warmer, we try to get out of the house for more walks & bike rides! It's good for our health and for limiting that carbon footprint.
6. Be Kind. It's easy to look at others and point out what they could be doing to better care for the planet. It's harder to look at yourself and to make the small, seemingly inconsequential changes you can. EVERYONE can make improvements when it comes to caring for our beautiful world, simply because living in a modern world with modern conveniences, no matter how careful we are, will take its toll on the earth. Let's try to make it as minimal as possible!
Happy Earth Day, beautiful earthlings!
