Earth Day 2005

Time for me to show my Granola side. (Which I had for breakfast this morning, in my cereal.) I received this today from a friend:

10 Simple Ways YOU Can Save the World in a Day:

1. Take out the mail
Remove yourself from junk mail lists. Believe it or not, 100 million trees are felled each year to produce junk mail.

2. Crack a light bulb joke
No joke: If every household replaced one lightbulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, it would be the equivalent of eliminating the pollution from 1 million cars.

3. Watch the stars
Using appliances carrying the Energy Star can save the average family $400 per year in energy bills.

4. Locate organic produce
Use the LocalHarvest map of organic food producers to pinpoint farmers markets and producers of environmentally friendly, locally grown food.

5. Teach a child
Invest in our future by teaching kids the importance of Earth Day. Find fun ways to get children involved.

6. Park your car
Carpool or take public transportation to work once a week, and walk or ride a bike for short trips. Don't forget to celebrate Carfree Day.

7. Make yourself at home
Find an environmental group, volunteer in your community, and donate your unwanted but usable items.

8. Recycle that purchase
Spare the environment by recycling your old mobile phone or PC, after erasing your personal data.

9. Pull out the plastic
If every plastic bottle were recycled, landfills would be 2 billion tons lighter. Reusable bottles and water filtration systems make an even bigger difference.

10. Try something new
Take a closer look at what you're throwing away--it could have creative potential. View artwork made from discarded materials for inspiration. Then, make your own masterpiece.

The only ones on this list I don't do are 5 and 7. Probably that old misanthropy thing again. But great ideas all 'round.