Celebrating Earth Day. April 22nd 09.

I use to think the idea of Earth Day was cheap... that it was not enough to dedicate only one day to care for the earth. Now I see Earth Day as a time to celebrate our appreciation for the earth- and that it's up to each of as to make everyday Earth Day... So I thought I'd share my TOP 3 ways to live green!

1) Eat a plant-based diet: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States reports that livestock production is one of the major causes of the world's most pressing environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, air and water pollution + biodiversity loss. They estimate that 18% of greenhouse gas emissions comes from meat production, a bigger share than that of transport. Try eating one vegan meal a day- free of animal products. This will benefit your health as well as the health of the planet!

2) Bike to work/school:  Cycling is a carbon-neutral method of transport. It's also mad fun, a quick and efficient way of getting around, it's cheap (no money on gas, parking, car repairs), AND it's great exercise!

3) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: This is the 'Earth Day mantra' because it sums up how we should live in order to be sustainable. The 1st priority is that we REDUCE the amount we consume and only take what we really need from the earth. Second, that we REUSE things like a water container instead of disposable plastic water bottles, a thermos for coffee/tea instead of wasting disposable cups, or reusable shopping bags instead of using/throwing out plastic bags. Lastly, we must dispose of whatever we buy responsibly by RECYCLing and composting.