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31 million acts of GREEN

Posted by Jennifer Campoli on April 22nd, 2010
Filed under Health News, Motivation | 2 Comments »

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Morning friends!

Hope you are doing well on this fine day. It's Earth Day so how can it not be a fine day, right?

I actually love love love Earth Day!

And I know exactly why…it involves a story of course.

In my elementary school (way back in the day), recycling was not available. No blue bins for paper, no green trash cans for plastic. Nothin. All paper was thrown away, trash and plastic baggies filled the cafeteria after lunch. An Earth Day lovers nightmare really. Well, my mom and her friend simply wouldn't accept this reality. So they embarked on a huge recycling effort in our school. After meetings and calling to action, little changes began taking place everywhere!

The greatest result of this recycling effort was our special "lunchtime guests."

My dear dear mom and her friend decided to create more energy and excitement around lunchtime and recycling. Let me set up the scene: Every day during our lunch hour, these two ladies (mom + friend) would show up in school with giant hats on covered in trash (to demonstrate what NOT to do). Students that brought in reusable plastic containers and recycled would get a reward! Fabulous and fun, right? Yeah, not in my little 5th grade eyes. Though I can now admit that I secretly loved having my mom there, I was also embarrassed beyond all recognition! What would everyone think of my crazy mom, walking around with this hat that is larger than half of my body? And it's covered in trash!

Well, regardless of my embarrassment our recycling efforts were a huge success and we were recognized by the state. I became very involved with the project and we started an environmental group. It was an awesome experience and I was taught at a very young age how we can each uniquely impact the health of our planet in both positive and negative ways.

So, in honor of Earth Day I am committing to new acts of green. I was looking at the Earth Day website and there is a counter of green acts from across the world. So far there are over 31 million acts recorded on that single site. Awesome when you think about it!

So, what will you do today to celebrate Earth Day? Will you commit to particular acts, get involved in a local environmental effort, apply for that recycling bin that you've been putting off? What will you do?

Here are my commitments:

1. I will use ONLY reusable plastic containers with my on the go food. I always have something in my bag to eat. Whether it is almonds, fruit or a bar. Rather than using the convenient plastic baggies that I often grab I will exclusively use plastic containers.

2. The fiance and I will put together our 32 gallon recycling bin that the city accepts AND I will apply for the label. Boston doesn't make it easy to recycle unfortunately when you live in the city.

3. I will start unplugging all of our phone chargers and electronics when they are not in use. It is a waste of energy when you leave them plugged in!

4. I will investigate small compost containers to place on our roof. I feel so wasteful when scraps and food are throw in the trash or down the sink. This has to stop! Composting is a beautiful solution!

5. I will buy small, reusable bags to keep in my purse for when I am out and buy groceries. If I am home and heading out to shop, I always grab our larger reusable bags but if I'm out for the day and unexpectedly stop- I want these Envirosax bags use! The options are everywhere but I love how these roll up and fit easily in a side pocket in any bag.

Remember to slow down today friends, breathe in that beautiful fresh air and think about how you can keep your planet healthy! Now matter how small you think your simple actions are…there are already 31 million commitments out there. Everything starts with small steps.

Have a fantastic day!

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