For me, Earth Day is a time to reflect on what I am grateful to Mother Nature for. Here’s my “short list.”

* I’m grateful for the abundance of inspiring flowers and trees that add beauty to the world.

* I’m grateful for the planet’s soul-expanding wild places and the chance they provide to experience Nature in the raw.

* I’m grateful to the Sun and the vital solar energy it sends down to Earth each and every day (now, if only we would take advantage of it!).

* I’m grateful that a planet called “Earth” is actually covered with so much water. We could not survive without it.

* I’m grateful for the community of friends I have and with whom I share a passion for hiking, camping, and exploring the outdoors.

* I’m grateful for the network of environmental activists to which I belong, and who magnify my voice when we join together to protect the world we love.

* I’m grateful for the changing seasons and the way they remind me that, when all is said and done, Mother Nature is still in charge.

* I’m grateful for singing birds, chirping crickets, blowing wind, and all the other elements that create a natural soundtrack in my day-to-day world.

* I’m grateful for the power I have to make a difference. As insignificant as it sometimes seems, I know what I do can change my life, help change the lives of others, and contribute to a better legacy for my kids and yours, too.

What are you grateful for? Please share your thoughts and comments!

Happy Earth Day!

Related articles

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#EarthDay Insights: 13 Ways to Make Your Food More Eco

The post Why Are You Grateful for Earth Day? Please Share. appeared first on Big Green Purse.

• 1. Swap your print catalogs for digital catalogs via Catalog Spree
• 2. Stop unwanted paper mail via PaperKarma
• 3. Read your magazines on apps like Zinio
• 4. Read your newspapers on your iPad with apps like Flipboard
• 5. Subscribe to e-statements from your banking and financial institutions

The post Easy #EarthDay Action: Go Paperless appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Happy Earth Day!

To honor this day of environmental action and awareness, we’re highlighting some of our most popular Earth Day posts. We’d also love to hear how you’re celebrating this day devoted to Nature, the environment, and how we humans interact with both. Please share your suggestions and tips, and have a great day.

PETS

Earth Day Countdown: Make the Earth Friendly for Pets, Too! Research has shown that our beloved cats and dogs (I have two cats, and one wonderful dog) may be just as susceptible to pollution as we people are. Here’s what you can do to keep your pets happy and health.

Spoil Your Pup and Protect the Environment

PARTIES

Planning a party to celebrate Mother Nature? Here are our “green” suggestions. Please share yours.

Going on a picnic? Here’s how we do it.

BEAUTY

Earth Day Health & Beauty Countdown: Switch Your Liquid Shampoo to a Bar

Cosmetic How-Tos

Beauty…or the Beast? Depends on the Safe Chemicals Act

BUDGET

One of the biggest obstacles to “going green” can be the perception that it’s too expensive. You may change your mind after you read these money-saving suggestions for ways to lead a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle without breaking the bank.

This Earth Day, Save the Planet and Save $4,000 a Year, Too!

Ten Low-Cost, High Impact Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

More Money-Saving Eco Tips

And just for fun…

DON”T Do This on Earth Day!

and…

Earth Day Countdown Begins…With Sex!

The post Are You Ready for Earth Day? Best Tips for Pets, Parties, Beauty & Your Budget! appeared first on Big Green Purse.

“One of the sweetest things about children is that when you get their attention, it is 100 percent.  They aren’t thinking about politics, or what bills are due, or planning a million things in their head.  Nope, they are just in the here and now.

Likewise, if you explain to children why you want to conserve water, protect habitats, or keep bees healthy they’re also right with you.  They don’t calculate costs, or party affiliation, or what their friends might think.  Kids are natural conservationists.

Here are some fun ways you can explore conservation with your children for Earth Day or any day:

Make a Date: Check the online event calendars for your local science center, arboretum, zoo, aquarium, or nature center.  These calendars are full of fun days that make an average excursion unforgettable, and the focus is nearly all on hopeful conservation.  They also often list kid camps, classes, and volunteer opportunities for teens.  Look for ways to get your kids engaged by touching, feeling, learning, and helping.

Grow with a Purpose: Plant a garden this year with a lifecycle and habitat in mind.  For lifecycle growing, have your kids help you start and maintain a compost pile(which in itself is fascinating science at work!) that prepares and feeds your garden.  Also, encourage your children to help you plant and keep up native flowering plants for the bees and trees, with seeds and other fruits for birds and little tree critters, plus your vegetables – all organic, of course!

Bee Happy: Get into beekeeping.  It’s one of the fastest growing hobbies right now, and importnat giving the way bee populations are dying, a likely consequence of industrial pesticide and herbicide use.  Have your children learn with you about the necessity of bees, how to take care of them in a non-toxic way, and set up and take care of the bee hives together.  Enjoy delicious honey as a reward.  Check with your local municipality for any ordinances or permits.

Entertain for Good: There are a lot of television, film, and print resources that educate on conservation, the environment, and nature in a fun and entertaining way that kids embrace. Examples include the Ranger Rick Magazine from the National Wildlife Federation, Disneynature films like “Earth” and “African Cats,” and the captivating Discovery Channel series “Life” narrated by Oprah Winfrey which is now available on DVD or through a subscription service like Netflix.

Put on Your Flip-Flops: If you are going on vacation this summer, pick a beachside getaway that coincides with a local beach cleanup day.  Heal the Bay and Surfrider Foundation are great resources.  Your kids will spend two inspirational hours helping nature – and they’ll think twice about where trash goes after that!

Pump Up the Tires: Dust off your bikes and peddle to the local store or explore bike paths to make conserving energy fun.   You will be surprised how much kids enjoy biking and the diversity you will find outside your car window.  To find safer biking routes, if you go to Google Maps, type in your city and state, and then click on “Get Directions,” and you’ll see a bicycle path layer that clues you into designated safe bike paths in your area.  Many states also list nearby recreational bicycle paths for weekend adventures – do a browser search.”

Terra Wellington is the author of The Mom’s Guide to Growing Your Family Green: Saving the Earth Begins at Home (St. Martin’s Press).  Her family finds a lot of fun in cleaning up Southern California beaches, especially when it includes an ice cream treat!

RELATED POSTS:

Kids Start Food Fight to Bring Back Re-Usable Lunch Trays

Kids Launch “Green My Parents” to Save the World

The post What Do Kids “Calculate” When It Comes to Conservation? It’s Not $$$! appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Volunteer Spot, the nation’s premiere Web-based volunteer coordinator, has teamed up with Arbor Day to recognize you and your good deeds for the planet by planting trees in fire-damaged national forests. The Give and Grow program rewards activities ranging from organizing an Earth Day event to staging a beach clean up, to planning a community garden, as long as you register them with Volunteer Spot. The program is a natural extension of Volunteeer Spot’s own commitment to eco-friendly business. The company’s paperless online volunteer management system saves trees and conserves water while making it very easy for anyone to volunteer in her community. Even if you don’t get your act together in time to do something for Earth Day, check out Volunteer Spot whenever you need to organize an eco action in your community.

If you can’t be outside for Earth Day, commune with nature at the cineplex. This year, Disneynature is releasing OCEANS, the sequel to the stunning “Earth” it premiered this time last year. Nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by H2O, a fact OCEANS chronicles with footage of the sea’s deepest waters and most amazing creatures. Narrated by Pierce Brosnan, the feature-length film showcases spectacular never-before-seen imagery captured by the latest underwater technologies.

What do you get besides oohs and aahs and maybe some buttered popcorn? If you see OCEANS any time during opening week (April 22-28, 2010), Disneynature will make a contribution on your behalf to The Nature Conservancy to save coral reefs. That seems like it’s more than worth the price of admission.

The post On Earth Day, Plant Trees Without Getting Your Hands Dirty; Save the Oceans without Getting Wet appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Here’s how:

Go Green                                                             Save Money

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb ………………            $5 – $10/yr per bulb

Reusable Water Bottle ……………………………           $ 500/yr on bottled water

Take Lunch to Work …………………………………      $1560/yr on throwaway lunch stuff

Programmable Thermostat ………………………           $150/yr on home heating/cooling

Low Flow Shower Heads, H2O Saving Toilets …           $72/yr on water heating, wasting

Smart Power Strip ……………………………………..     $94/yr on energy for electronics

Window and Door Weather Stripping …………            $129/yr on home heating/cooling

Improve Car Fuel Economy –
upgrade from 20 mph to 35 mph …………..            $884/yr on gasoline
drive “smart” ……………………………….               $600/yr

Skip One Driving Trip Each Week …………                   $225/yr on gasoline

Energy Star Washing Machine ………………                $50/yr on water heating
(plus 7,000 gallons H2O)

Make-at-Home Cleansers …………………                    $300/yr on cleansers

Total ……………………………           $3,690/yr

PLUS: Swap, Trade Using Freecycle.org, EBay, Craig’s List – more $$$$$

For years, naysayers have claimed that “being eco is too expensive.” Not any more.

Want more ideas on how to shift spending to live greener and save money? Check out the One in a Million budget sheet.

The post This Earth Day, Save the Planet – and Save $4,000/yr, Too appeared first on Big Green Purse.

You’ve probably already received hundreds of tips on what you should do – and maybe they’re now a big mish-mash in your brain. Here are ten things you SHOULDN’T do. So don’t.

1) Don’t drive like a teenager, speeding up and slowing down and weaving in and out of traffic. Such aggressive driving can lower fuel efficiency by 33%. Accelerate gently and stay with the traffic to save gas and money.

2) Don’t use cleansers and personal care products that contain triclosan or other antibacterial agents. Public health officials worry that antibacterials (in cleansers, window cleaners, and soaps are causing us to become resistant to antibiotics. Use simple soap (like Dr. Bronner’s castile soap) and hot water for cleaning, and body soaps and lotions that do not say “antibacterial” or “fights germs” on the label.

3) Don’t go shopping without a list! According to the U,S. Department of Agriculture, people waste about 30% of their household food budgets buying groceries that eventually expire and have to be thrown out. Know what you want to buy before you hit the store aisles – you’ll buy less, buy more of what you’re likely to use, and reduce the impact your shopping has on the planet. Then put your list on your refrigerator so you don’t forget what’s inside.

4) Don’t leave the lights on when you leave the room. You could save as much as $100 a year in electricity costs by turning off a 100-watt lightbulb when you’re not using the light.

5) Don’t leave the computer on if you’re going to be gone longer than two hours. Don’t leave the monitor on if you’re going to be gone longer than 20 minutes. If you plug your electronics into an energy-saving power strip, you can reduce the energy they use by as much as 40%.

6) Don’t leave the water running when you brush your teeth. Turning off the tap when you brush your teeth can save up to 8 gallons of water a day, 240 gallons a month, saving hundreds of dollars on your water bill each year.

7) Don’t buy “snack packs” that come wrapped in cardboard and plastic. Small individual packages use more energy and resources to manufacture and transfer, and are often twice as expensive as the same product sold in a larger bag or box.

8) Don’t use so much shampoo, soap, lotion, make-up, gel and perfume. More than 25% of all women and one of every hundred men use at least fifteen products daily, according to a survey of 2300 men and women, exposing people to hundreds of chemicals during the course of a day. Can you reduce the number of products you use by at least three?

9) Don’t buy anything new. Remember the 3 R’s of eco-friendly living? They begin with “reduce” (the other two are “re-use” and “recycle”). If you need to shop, start with EBay.com, Freecycle.org, the  neighbor’s yard sale, or the community vintage or thrift store.

10) Don’t sit at your computer all day. Get outdoors for at least an hour to remember why Mother Nature is worth protecting. Besides, if you’ve done all the other don’ts on this list, you deserve to take a break!

The post Don’t Do This on Earth Day! appeared first on Big Green Purse.

With climate change on the upswing and even dogs needing to worry about exposure to toxic chemicals, I’ve come up with five things I’d ask Mother Nature for this Earth Day 2008 if I believed wishes really came true.

* President Bush signs a bill that will cut U.S. greenhouse gases 50% – starting tomorrow. Such bold action would help the U.S. meet recommendations issued by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and many world leaders that America, one of the globe’s largest carbon polluters, reduce its energy emissions significantly in order to avert drastic global warming. In reality, of course, last week, the President once again called only for voluntary actions that have virtually no chance of reducing the country’s carbon footprint even by 2025 – the President’s own date.

• Wal-Mart Urges Shoppers To Buy 20% Less. As the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart is the scene of more shopping – and consequently the engine behind  more resource consumption — than any other emporium on the planet. The company does a great job offering consumers organic produce, organic cotton clothes, and concentrated packages that reduce waste. But what if Wal-Mart actually encouraged customers to ask “Do I need it?” before saying “I’m going to buy it”?  The impact on the environment could be world changing; consumer pocketbooks would benefit; and Wal-Mart’s own image would improve. In reality, the company intends to open more stores, not fewer, and there are no plans to tell consumers to cut back.

• Coal-fired power planets convert to solar energy. Burning coal not only contributes to climate change; power plants fueled by coal also emit the mercury that is polluting lakes and oceans, rendering fish unsafe to eat and endangering the well-being of pregnant women who eat those fish . We could solve a whole host of environmental problems if we stopped burning coal and switched to solar, wind, biomass, and other renewable fuels. The reality, of course, is that utilities are trying to build new coal operations in many parts of the U.S. and a new coal plant is coming on line in China every week. Though solar technology is expanding, it’s not happening at nearly the pace needed to displace significant coal generation any time soon.

• Congress earmarks $1 billion to help farmers go organic. Talk to any farmer and the major obstacle to transitioning to pesticide-free agriculture is the cost of the certification required to meet Department of Agriculture organic standards. Representatives and Senators never seem to find any funds to help farmers take this important step – even though they fork over billions so conventional agribusiness can continue plying the fields with toxic pesticides and herbicides. How about a few bucks to help farmers really go green?

• Companies ban the use of all phthalates in everything. Phthalates are chemicals called “endocrine disruptors,” compounds that affect the hormones our endocrine glands release into our body to control reproduction, growth and fertility. Phthalates show up in all kinds of personal care products: perfume, air freshener, hair spray, and more. Most companies justify including these toxins by saying that the amount in their product alone doesn’t cause the problem. But because so many companies use phthalates, our cumulative exposure can actually be quite substantial. And when they wash into our water system, phthalates can affect animals, too – you’ve heard of male frogs and fish born with female sex organs? That’s the effect phthalates are having.

Actually, this wish may not be so far-fetched.  Thanks to consumer demand for alternatives, Orly, OPI, and Sally Hansen, the country’s largest nail polish manufacturers, have promised to remove phthalates from their polish. That’s a good start. Now what about the other personal care products we use?

What’s your Earth Day wish? Let us know.

The post Earth Day 2008 Wish List appeared first on Big Green Purse.

* Improve fuel economy – Gasoline is at an all-time high of $3.50 a gallon. Improved fuel efficiency means you travel farther on every gallon of gasoline. The cost savings? Consider this: Say you drive 15,000 miles per year. If your car gets an average of 20 miles per gallon, over the course of the year, at an average fuel price of $3.50/gallon, you will spend $2625 on gasoline. However, if your vehicle achieves 35 mpg, driving the same 15,000 miles will only cost you $1701 – a savings of $924. Say you drive that car for ten years. In all likelihood, gasoline will only get more expensive. In ten years, you could save more than $10,000. And if you invested that money over time, your savings increase considerably more.

* Bring your lunch to work – Lunchtime food packaging wastes enormous energy and other natural resources – think of all the plastic and paper you throw away after you’re finished with a take-out salad, sandwich or burger. David Bach, author of Go Green, Live Rich, calculates that, if you spend $9 a day on lunch from the local Subway or sandwich shop, you’re spending $45 a week, or $2, 250 a year to eat out. Much of what you’re paying for — the wrapping — you throw away. The greener, money-saving option: take food from home in reusable containers, including a durable lunch bag. If you save and invest the $2,250 every year, says Back, in 20 years it will amount to $111,000. (Need a lunchbox? Check out these.)

* Sell your stuff – Someone is willing to pay for what you might be throwing away. By some calculations, 75-90% of what people trash would willingly be used by someone else. Before you toss, try to sell. It’s easy to get started on Craig’s List or EBay, though holding a yard sale also works to generate income while unloading your “riches” on those who want them.

* Pay bills online – You’ll save money, time, paper and late fees — as much as $400 a year or more — by automating your accounts and paying with a click of your mouse rather than having to write a check, seal an envelope, and lick a stamp.

*  Buy less – Ah, abstinence! Like some of the other behaviors this action is associated with, keeping your money in your purse or pocketbook is among the most sure-fire ways to hold onto it – while not contributing to the excessive consumer demand that fuels climate change and pollution. Just do it.

Want more ideas? Check out the Top Ten Ways to Afford Going Green.

The post EARTH DAY COUNTDOWN: More Money-Saving Eco Tips appeared first on Big Green Purse.

The 20 dogs and  40 cats EWG studied were contaminated with 48 of 70 industrial chemicals tested. Average levels of many chemicals were substantially higher in pets than is typical for people, with 2.4 times higher levels of stain-and grease-proof coatings (perfluorochemicals) in dogs, 23 times more fire retardants (PBDEs) in cats, and more than 5 times the amounts of mercury, compared to average levels in people found in national studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and EWG.

“Like humans, pets are also exposed to toxic chemicals on a daily basis, and as this investigation found, are contaminated at higher levels,” said Jane Houlihan, VP for Research at EWG. “The presence of chemicals in dogs and cats sounds a cautionary warning for the present and future health of children as well. This study demonstrating the chemical body burden of dogs and cats is a wake-up call for stronger safety standards from industrial chemical exposures that will protect all members of our families, including our pets.”

  “This study shows that our pets are susceptible to the absorption of potentially harmful chemicals from our environment just as we are. Perhaps even more troubling is that these chemicals have been found in higher levels in pets than in humans, implying potential harmful consequences for their health and well being and the need for further study,” said Dr. John Billeter, DVM, the veterinarian who conducted the animal tests.

Just as children ingest pollutants in tap water, play on lawns with pesticide residues, or breathe in an array of indoor air contaminants, so do their pets. But with their compressed lifespans, developing and aging seven or more times faster than children, pets also develop health problems much more rapidly. Pets, like infants and toddlers, have limited diets and play close to the floor, often licking the ground as well as their paws, greatly increasing both their exposures to chemicals and the resulting health risks.

Under current federal law, chemical companies do not have to prove chemicals are safe before they are used in products, including pet toys and other products for our companion animals. For pets as for people, the result is a body burden of complex mixtures of industrial chemicals never tested for
safety. Health problems in pets span high rates of cancer in dogs and skyrocketing incidence of hyperthyroidism in cats. Genetic changes can’t explain the increases in certain health problems among pets, leaving scientists to believe that chemical exposures play a significant role.

View the complete research at EWG.

The post EARTH DAY COUNTDOWN – Make the Earth Friendly for Pets, Too appeared first on Big Green Purse.