Happy Earth Day!

Oh Earth Day. A fun day in school when you get to plant some seeds, plant a tree, learn about recycling. But what IS Earth Day really? I didn't know. I knew the general idea but I really hadn't ever researched it before. Isn't that crazy? I then started thinking about how many other people don't really know where this day originated. I thought I should do some information and this is what I found.

Much is being written these days about the first Earth Day and the need to replicate the power of April 22, 1970, when 20 million people in the U.S. took to the streets to protest the ravages of the industrial revolution, followed quickly by landmark environmental laws and regulations, and accompanied by a shift in political fortunes of those who stood in the way of the environmental movement. The wonder of that first Earth Day, held in an era of social change and action, was that it wasn't a campus movement. Not one bit. Everybody was enlisted - from mayors to garden clubs to churches to labor groups to women's organizations. As a result, it became everybody's movement.- Kathleen Rogers (earthday.org)

20 million people? That is an extremely impressive number. If you have been reading my blog you know that I am on a journey to create a greener lifestyle for my family. I think that being green is kind of "in" right now. I don't want to just follow a fad. I want this to be the lifestyle that I pass along to my children and they can in turn pass it on to their children. It's great that it's trendy to be green, but wouldn't it be even greater if 20 million people hit the streets with the common goal of taking care of the earth? I love how the article states that this is "everybody's movement". We all have a job to do. We only have one earth and I feel like we can all do a little more to keep it a clean, safe place to live.

What are you going to be doing to honor Earth Day today? Need some ideas? Take action here! They have some great opportunities for you and your family to get involved. And hey...maybe shopping is your strong suit (ha! It's totally mine...). Check out Zulily, ecobuybaby, and The Honest Company for some awesome earth friendly products!

I thought it might be nice to take a look at the changes my own family has made this year on our journey to be mean and green.

• We have switched to Green cleaning products! We definitely have room for improvement but we are about 70% there! 
• Cloth Diapers! Best decision EVER! 
• We bought an HE frontload washer and use a clothesline
• We buy free range eggs, poultry, and meat. 
• We make an effort to have a few meat free meals throughout the week
• We paid a little extra for a few "green" additions to our home. Added insulation, double paned windows etc to reduce our energy usage. 
• We are recycling more! Now that we own our own home it's so much easier to recycle

What are some ways that you have become more green this year? I know that there are many areas that I can improve but hey...it's a start right?