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Next Friday, April 22 is the 41st celebration of Earth Day.
More than ever, we all need to take measures to reduce the incredible amount of waste we produce and the energy we use. The trouble is that for a lot of people, it’s more a matter of convenience than principle, especially when it comes to recycling. People are just too lazy. Often, they don’t have a true understanding of the impact their little actions make, especially when multiplied by the amount of people on the planet.
You don’t have to wait until next week to make a difference. There are simple behaviors everyone can adopt that don’t stress out your day. One of the simplest things you can do are turning off water when you aren’t using it, like when brushing your teeth, or not letting the shower run for a long time before you get in. My personal favorite is unplugging. If you charge your phone and disconnect the plug from the device… but not from the wall… there is still electricity feeding through the cord. For an extra split second, you can take the plug out of the wall and conserve. I make a habit to unplug just about everything in the house, even lamps, until they’re ready to be used.
Every step you make towards a more eco-responsible lifestyle really does add up. Here are some sites to check out that can give you the tips, resources, and information you need to make these choices.
Earth911 – Probably my favorite go-to site, Earth911 will show you how and where in your neighborhood you can recycle your waste, and shares insightful articles and information about the state of recycling efforts today.
Earth Day Network - This site has a large amount of resources for implementing and participating in earth-friendly events near you. Check out the Billion Acts of Green page to declare your support.
Treehugger – Treehugger will show you how to green up all aspects of your life, from cars to architecture, food to fashion.
Pure Green Magazine – A free digital magazine out of Canada that guides you towards stylish living with a conscience.
Precycle by Tonic – Junk mail is a huge culprit in adding to daily waste. Sign up for their program to help reduce the amount of wasted paper in your mailbox.
Tapped – I have been sucking up documentaries like crazy lately, and this is one of the most eye-opening. If you are addicted to the plastic water bottle, or even if you’ve broken the habit, this is a movie you must see to really understand how this little product wreaks havoc in more ways than one.
Tina Jett is an artist, writer, photographer, and world-explorer. Her husband describes her with the phrase, “It’s like she lives in a coloring book.” See how that vision influences the work on her 
I have started using power strips as a nifty way of turning things off at night. Anything that has a light on it, stereo for instance is always on. If you get up in the middle of the night and there is a small glow it is eating up electricity.
Also, going and buying items at resale shops and thrift stores is a great way to recycle. I make jewelry and many of my displays are repurposed items from Goodwill.
The power strip is a great idea. And two thumbs up for second-hand items for displays! I just snagged an old wooden ironing board that I’m going to use in my next craft show. There’s someone in town who even uses one of those large, old, wooden TV console cabinets that she painted pink to match her retro stuff. It’s amazing.
I haven’t seen Tapped yet, but I want to and I know about it. Bottled water is something I try really hard to avoid if at all possible. I also try to be really good about using reusable bags on a regular basis instead of getting plastic bags at stores. I’m not perfect of course, but I do use them more often than not.
It’s such an eye-opening movie. I already knew about the physical impact of the bottles in our waste system, but when they get into the repercussions of the plastic vs. our bodies and methods for obtaining the water? Ooof.
Love the post! As an environmental artist this is very imortant to me. We watched Wasteland last night and WOW! Talk about environmental art!!!
http://www.wastelandmovie.com/
Next up will be Tapped.
Just watched the trailer for Wasteland… Looks like a pretty powerful movie!
Hi!
Great post!
I have a link to share…it’s The Story of Stuff.
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
There’s a special video for plastic bottled water too!
http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/
cheers,
Rosalind
I’ve caught both of those videos before and they are great. Thanks for posting the links!
Thanks for the info! I am always looking for now eco-conscious resources! Wasteland was suggested to me by a friend recently and this is a reminder that I need to check it out!
Lauren
I watched a documentary on the plastic wastelands in the middle of our oceans and it broke my heart. The hubbs and I are pretty committed to doing our part—we recycle, we eat as local as we can, we have more glass than plastic, we use cloth diapers—but we’re not perfect.
I’m going to have to check out those other films. Probably with tissues in hand.
I don’t think anyone is perfect in this regard. The best we can do is have our intentions in the right place and take steps towards those goals. I’ve seen images of that trash island mess; heartbreaking for certain.