Earth Day

"Perhaps he knew, as I did not, that the Earth was made round so that we would not see too far down the road"*

But we can see far enough ahead to know that if we do not change the way we treat this Earth that is our home there will not be much, if anything, for future generations. We are not alone on this planet. Millions of species of plants, insects, birds, fish and mammals are counting on us to get our act together.

There are many small things that we can all do to help stop the decline. 

1.Plant a tree:  Creates a natural shelter for birds and animals. Cleans the air. Creates shade keeping our homes cooler in the summer.

2.Plant flowers and shrubs: Preferably those that are native species in your geographical area. Provides food for birds and insects.

3. Grow your own vegetables:  This is easy and fun, rewarding and delicious.  Get outdoors - experiment.  Use pots or cans if you don't have a yard - grow on a balcony, window sill or rooftop. My daughter recently told me about Toronto's green roof by-law.  Excellent.  I read a blog regularly called 66 Square Feet.  Read what marvellous things are grown on a Brooklyn balcony.

4. Buy locally grown produce: As much as you can afford, organic if possible.  This supports local farmers, uses less fuel for transportation and tastes much better than produce that has travelled thousands of kilometres in a refrigerated truck.

5. Recycle and re-use:  Your junk is someone else's treasure and vice-versa.  There are plenty of ways we can stop being such big consumers of everything.   A wonderful source of inspiration and information is another favourite blog : Empress of Dirt.

6. Environmentally friendly products:  Read labels, find out where it came from, what it is made of.  Use products for cleaning that are safer for the earth

7. Save fuel: Drive a fuel efficient car. Drive less - walk more. Ride a bike. Take transit if possible.  Program your thermostat. 

8. Don't litter:  No explanation necessary.

Happy Earth Day fellow earthlings.

*This is a line from my favourite movie, Out of Africa.