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5 Top Tips for Earth Day

4/22/09

It's Earth Day! And I'm sure you've been reading all of the blogs and articles about how to “go green.” So have I. And honestly I've got to say that some of the suggestions I've been reading are pretty lame.

One article I read suggests that you wrap presents in old newspapers. What? Oh yeah, because nothing says love like wrapping someone's present in articles about murder, bankruptcy and Bernie Madoff. I'm all about saving money and resources and recycling, but that's ridiculous. (Unless the particular article has specific or symbolic meaning to the recipient of the present in which case this idea is cool.) Another articles suggests that when getting ice cream, a cone beats a cup because you eat your utensil. I fail to see how eating a toxic, refined, gluten and sugar laden utensil is somehow better for us or the environment. Come on. Another article suggests that we should always strive to take the quickest shower possible to conserve water. Excuse me? I don't know about you, but after a long, hard day an extra five minutes in the shower can be the difference between me feeling like a sane person or a lunatic. Give me a break. . .

This Earth Day I'm not going to tell you that you're going to hell for driving an SUV. That's your choice. What I am going to do is give you some small tips that actually make a huge impact on both our health AND the environment. I'm asking that we all get real about the actions we are taking to protect the environment and humanity. This does not have to be painful, embarrassing, time consuming, annoying or expensive. If you want to be Shower Idol, go for it!

The following are what I believe to be the 5 most powerful ways that you can positively impact the environment on a daily basis:

  • Buy organic food. Pesticides and synthetic fertilizers ruin our soil, food, drinking water and ecosystem. Our food is significantly less nutrient-dense than it was 100 years ago because much of our soil is ruined due to the use of chemical agents. Raising produce organically not only protects the soil, but in many cases enhances the nutrient value of our food. On the flip side, conventional pesticides ruin the ecosystem in ways that are too many to count so I'll just give you one example that really sticks out for me. Waste from conventional farms that use pesticides and synthetic hormones in the Southeast portion of the U.S. drain into the Florida wetlands. Biologists have been finding that the male alligators in the wetlands are being born with too much estrogen and extemely small penises due to this pollution. They cannot impregnate the female alligators. I'm not joking, this is really happening! So in addition to having some really frustrated female alligators (those poor girls!), their species may face extinction which has incalculable repercussions for the whole ecosystem of the wetlands. Eat organic and support satisfying and procreative alligator sex!
  • Buy local food. The less gas used to get your food to you, the less environmental impact, which makes locally raised food the better choice. Now there are so many farmer's markets and farmstands across the country which makes this possible. If you live in big cities like New York, there really is no good excuse not to do this when you can just log onto: link for a listing of local farmer's markets. So unless you live next door to Napoleon Dynamite, chances are you can get local, organic food fairly easily.
  • Get a cloth bag(s) to carry your groceries. Thankfully, I see more and more people doing this and lots of cute organic cloth bags on the market. (Honestly, I'm pretty bootleg about this one and use a cloth bag that I got when I purchased boots from Steve Madden). Plastic shopping bags contribute a lot of needless waste to our landfills. This is a no-brainer folks. If you know you're going to go food shopping, fold a cloth bag with the rest of your stuff for the day.
  • Get a coffee travel mug. Another no-brainer. Kicking the liquid crack habit is for another blog. But if you frequent Starbucks or another coffee shop, please get a reusable coffee mug. This takes all of 2 seconds to purchase and cuts down on paper and plastic waste big time. Just think if all the people you see every day at your local coffee shop did this and multiply that by a zillion and you get the picture on how much waste this little step would eliminate.
  • Use eco-friendly cleaning products. Available at supermarkets and online, eco-friendly cleaning products and detergents by brands like Seventh Generation, Biokleen, and Earth Friendly Products, are better for both you and the environment. Remember this: if you don't want to eat it, neither does Mother Nature. Would you drink a bottle of Fantastik? That sounds pretty deadly doesn't it. It's just as deadly for the environment. Did you know that toxic cleaning products are also implicated in diseases like asthma and cancer? Or that conventional detergent can aggravate allergies and ezcema? Using eco-friendly products ensures that you (or your cleaning lady) are not unknowingly getting a dose of dangerous chemical poisons while doing chores.

These are my top 5 ways to positively impact the environment today. One more word about waste. If you currently have toxic cleaning products, I would advise that you just use up what is left and then buy new stuff instead of just throwing them away which creates more waste. The only exception to this is if you or your child are suffering from respiratory ailments in which case you should stop using them immediately and donate them to someone who will use them.

See you at the farmer's market with my Steve Madden bag, carrying my travel tea tumbler in my non-toxically cleaned clothes to buy local organic food!