Earth Day 2012

Happy Earth Day everyone! This Sunday, April 22nd is Earth day. It is a holiday very near and dear to my heart since I was in middle school and met a  biology teacher, Mr. Thompson, who taught me about conservation and the importance of taking care of our home planet.  On some fronts we've come a really long way since I was a kid: recycling is a standard curbside service at most cities across the country, eating local organic foods is getting increasingly popular and a lot of people are using less energy by switching their light bulbs and major appliances to more energy efficient models.

We still have a long way to go though and everyone's participation and attention to what is happening around our little green planet is so crucial. There are also a lot more of us around, using up the resources even faster. We need to work together to make a much smaller impact so our grandkids won't have to live  a life without the things like water and trees that so many of us take for granted. Want to plan a fun earth day with your loved ones but don't know where to start ? Here are a few suggestions and links to help you on your way.

1) Have a Picnic- whats a better way to appreciate the outdoors than to spend a day outside. A day outside is a great way to enjoy the natural surroundings mama nature has provided for us. It also is a great opportunity to get your family active and moving with a game of frisbee or catch. You can get your kids involved by letting them help plan your menu. This is also a great opportunity to talk to them about where their food comes from.
Another bonus of a picnic is that by enjoying the energy of the sun you will not be raising your electricity bill by staying home watching tv or playing video games.

The nature conservancy is sponsoring a worldwide event called Picnic for the planet. They are trying to break a record. Check out this website to see if there is an event already being hosted in your tow, or you can organize one to join the movement: http://www.nature.org/earthday/attend/index.htm

2) Catch a Flick
If the weather doesn't cooperate and you end up being stuck inside, why not watch a great movie with the family that has an environmental message. Here are a few of my favorites:
1) Ferngully, the Last Rainforest
2)The Lion King
3) Finding Nemo
4) Happy Feet
5) WALL-E

If the kids want to go out to the movies (or you're a big kid yourself) here are two great choices currently in the theatres
1)Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
2) Disney Nature- Chimpanzee

3) Have a special Earth Day Meal
This is a great time to introduce concepts like the importance of eating local and organic foods. Head to your local farm or farmers market to pick out the ingredients for your meal and talk to the people who grew them. You can also talk about going meat free at least once a week and why it is important. You also could find a local grass fed meat farm locally. It is so important for us as a society to start eating a more sustainable diet. 

4) Plant a Tree

Every day we cut down thousands of trees around the world and only a small fraction of them get replanted. This not only destroys the landscapes and creates more desserts, but also depletes our planet of oxygen. Trees also act as natural filters and help clean our air. There are a number of places to buy seedlings online.  Local businesses like hardware stores and nurseries will also have special deals on Earth day to help plant more trees.

5) Help Clean up
Tons of trash is left along our roadways and get into our water supply every day. Spend a few hours with some of your neighbors cleaning up a local park or stream area. Not only will it make the area more beautiful, but it also will be a much safer place for local animals to live.

6) Go on a Hike
get some exercise and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors while you're at it.


7) Where's My Water?
Water is a precious resource on our planet and most of us don't realize how much we waste everyday.Do some exercises around the house to measure how much water you use and then work together with your family to figure out how you can bring that amount down.  A good place to start is http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sq3.html.  There is also a great ipad app created by Disney called "Where's My Water?" to help explain the concepts to the younger members of your family

8) Head to the Zoo
Zoos are a great way to learn about how our actions every day affect lives of animals all over the world. The kids will be fascinated and who doesn't love pandas or polar bears?!

9) Start a Home Garden
You don't need a big  yard to have a great garden. You'd be surprised at what you can do with containers when space is a luxury.  Start small with a few easy to grow staples like tomatoes, lettuces or culinary herbs. Then you can branch out from there.

And the most important rule of all no matter how you celebrate is to have fun & enjoy your time together!
Remember: Every day is Earth Day. Anything to help our environment is a perfect thing to do on Earth Day and every day. Don't restrict yourself to just one day a year; learn about how you can make a difference to environmental protection all the time. And put it into practice - every day!

We're building a grocery store.... in the back yard

parsley, mint & rosemary

OK, so this post took me an entire month instead of a few days to get written.  About a month ago, I mentioned I was planning a garden. As life got busier and more stressful, getting the garden started has become my lifeline. Getting seedlings started, nurturing them to life and getting my hands deep in the earth really relaxes me. Plus, the warm weather showed up about a month early so I had some outdoor catching up to do.

My first task was planning out what we wanted to plant. I wanted to choose things we eat a lot of and really enjoy. The prospect of a much smaller grocery bill was really intriguing.  I also wanted to make sure everything I grew was an heirloom organic variety. This took a little research on my part to find companies that had seeds not only to meet those high standards, but also that would do well in our growing region.

I see blueberries starting to form! yay!

I settled on 4 different companies based on what each had to offer:
1) Seeds of Change- asparagus crowns, catnip, cucumbers, lettuces & marigolds
2) Annie's Heirloom Organics- 2 tomato varieties, celery, watermelon, carrots & golden beets
3) Shenandoah Farms- organic herb plants
4)True Vine Ranch - Organic blueberry bushes

Next once the seeds arrived I set up a little incubator area in my living room. I bought some organics seed starting mix, moistened it up and then put a small scoop in each of my biodegradable seedling containers. I placed each container on a tray covered them with plastic wrap and put a grow light above them. Then was the hardest part.....the waiting. I am definitely an instant results kind of gal so this has been really tough. I'd water my seedlings every day and finally after about a week and a half I started to see sproutlings.

A word to the wise, just because the sprouts are looking healthy does not mean they are necessarily ready to leave their warm cocoon yet. I made that mistake to early (like I said, I'm crazy impatient) and had to start the process all over again with my beets and cucumbers. 

one of the overgrown & neglected raised garden beds we inherited with the house

While I was waiting on my seeds to grow, I've had plenty of work to do to get the yard ready. First I had to clear out all the leaves, weeds & dead plants left behind by the previous owners.  I also cut back the existing raspberry bushes so they could get healthy again and have some breathing space (they were completely overgrown).  Next I had to empty out the raised beds of the old dirt and put in new, organic dirt, since I had no idea what had been in there before and I didn't want to contaminate my wonderful organic heirloom veggies. What I thought was a simple job turned into a very grueling week-long project. So yes, gardening is definitely hard work but it will be so worth it! (not to mention my arms are starting to look great form all the digging).

Our cat, Isis, seems to enjoy all the outside activity too. She's never been an outdoor cat before, but with the security of a nice fenced in yard, we can't seem to keep her inside. She loves being out in the garden, and munching on leaves of my raspberry bushes (when she thinks we're not looking).

Another related project we started is a compost pile. I bought a nice stainless mini bucket for my countertop, complete with charcoal filter so it doesn't stink up my kitchen.  I place all my vegetable scraps, egg shells and coffee grounds in the pot. When it gets full, I empty it into a a bin my husband rigged up out of an old storage tub. He just drilled some holes into it the mixture could breathe. We have plans to get a big double barrel composting bin, but this was an easy to do free way to get started.  Once the mixture breaks down, it becomes a natural and effective fertilizer for my garden crops. No chemicals needed.

After the the little shoots get some bigger leaves on them and the ground is warm enough you can plant them in a pot, raised bed or a traditional garden bed. Be sure to keep watering regularly and to cover your plants in the event of a chilly night since it is a bit early in the year to be planting in some parts of the country.

I'll follow up and let you know how the garden is progressing. I also will talk about natural pest control.  Hopefully you'll be inspired to start your own garden. The food really does taste so much better when you grow it yourself!