I remember the first time I ever heard of Earth Day. It was about 20 years ago, and a group of Jehovah's Witnesses asked what I thought about it as they nervously surveyed our less than eco friendly yard. I was about 13 and we lived on a farm in Oregon. Car parts and broke down farm equipment littered the area, garbage was piled on one corner waiting for the next dump run. My dad worked at a local lumber mill which was suffering due to the "Spotted Owl" fiasco. We did not take kindly to "tree huggers" and lumped all such eco friendly people in the same group. My response at the time was "so what"?

Much has changed since that day. Being green has become a way of life for more than just extremists. Global Warming is now recognized as a real issue. People everywhere are recognizing that being eco-friendly is in everyone's best interest and are making great progress to integrate that way of life without affecting the livelihoods of the communities. Yes, even I now believe that loggers & "tree-huggers" can co-exist if they so choose!

There are many quick, easy to do tips that you can use in your everyday tasks that will help you in your quest to be green. It may surprise you at just how easy it is!

Water

• Fix any leaky faucets, toilets or water pipes. Even a small drip can add up to a lot of water over time.
• Wash your car the natural way – wait until it rains.
• Install water saving faucets.

Energy

• Conserve fuel by turning down the heat at night and while you are away from your home - or install a programmable thermostat.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Insulate your home against heat loss and periodically check insulation.
• Fix air leakage with weather-stripping and caulking.
• In the winter, change your furnace air filters once a month. The heater uses more energy when it is full of dust.
• Insulate your electric hot water heater and pipes. Do not, however, insulate gas heaters and only start insulating gas heater pipes about six inches away from the heater.
• Avoid using cars - walk, cycle or use public transportation whenever possible.
• Avoid anything battery operated (or use rechargables or solar rechargables if batteries are unavoidable).
• Buy locally - not only is it good for the local economy, it will save energy because products haven't traveled across the globe to get to you.

Toxics

• Use non-toxic cleaning alternatives in your home, such as the ones listed here.
• Furnish your home with furniture made out of natural fibres, wood, metal and glass.
• Avoid the use of polyvinyl chloride (also known as PVC or vinyl) in your home. The entire life-cycle of products made from PVC pollutes the environment and your home. PVC items include shower curtains, flooring and even some children's toys.
• Avoid the use of aerosols.
• Use castor or mineral oils to lubricate switches and hinges instead of lubricants containing solvents.
• Choose water based latex paints over solvent based paints when painting your home. Never use lead-based paints.
• If you have a furnace, fireplace or gas heater, have them serviced regularly to prevent deadly fumes and install a carbon monoxide detector.
• Ensure you have good ventilation and balanced humidity in your home to prevent the growth of mold and mildew which can be harmful to your health.

Waste

• Do not throw out your toxic household wastes, such as paint, paint thinner and car fluids, in the garbage or down the drain. Check with your local facilities for proper disposal and avoid these products in the future.
• Take your own bags to the grocery store. If you take plastic bags, use them until they are worn out.
• Compost your food waste and use as nutrient rich soil for your lawn.
• Avoid excess packaging.
• Always use reusables: mugs, lunch containers, batteries, pens, razors, etc.
• Replace paper products with reusable ones (use recycled, non-chlorine bleached paper when you do have to use paper).

Remember that it's never too late to do our part, and that every little bit counts. Here are a few interesting facts about how those little steps can help:

• the average person in the United States produces about 6.5 pounds of trash every day?
• at the rate Americans are generating garbage, 500 new landfills would be needed every year?
• one third of the paper mills in the United States use recycled waste paper exclusively?
• every three months, Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild the nation 's commercial air fleet?
• if you throw away two aluminum cans, you would waste more energy than is used daily by each of a billion citizens in poorer countries?
• the energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a television for three hours?
• it takes 95% less energy to make aluminum from recycled scrap than from virgin materials?
• making new paper from recycled paper requires 30-50% less energy than making paper from trees and it reduces contributions to air pollution by 95%?
• every ton of recycled office paper saves approximately 380 gallons of oil?
• the energy saved from recycling one glass bottle will light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours?

And finally, for all the green help you could ask for, is a list of 80+ internet resources (see the original posting of this list here: http://mashable.com/2007/08/14/green-toolbox/):

Carbon Footprint Calculators, Other Calculators & Carbon Offsets

Environmental Defense PaperCalculator – Calculate the environmental impact of the paper products you use.

The Carbon Diet – Track your carbon footprint every day and compare your footprint with those of your friends.

NativeEnergy – Carbon offsets and a travel carbon calculator.

The Nature Conservancy Carbon Calculator – Another carbon footprint calculator.

BeGreen – A carbon calculator and information resource that also offers carbon offsets.

zerofootprint – Helping individuals, organizations, and cities reduce their environmental impact (their goal is to get 1,000,000 people pledging to reduce their environmental footprint by 10% in one year).

Yahoo! Green Carbon Footprint Calculator – Another carbon footprint calculator.

Ecological Footprint Quiz – Find out how much "nature" your lifestyle requires.

terrapass – A carbon offset company that has an emissions calculator.

Search Engines, Directories & Guides

sprig – A super-hip and fashionable resource for your green lifestyle, including food, fashion, beauty and home.

The Nature Conservancy Nature Preserve Map – A Google Maps () mashup featuring nature preserves across the U.S.

EcoSeek – A search engine for green stuff.

Greener – An environmental search engine.

GuideMeGreen.com – A resource of green companies and brands for environmentally conscious shoppers.

Green Maven – A search engine and green directory powered by Google () search.

Evolvist – A directory of eco-friendly & socially responsible business that will be released soon. They also have a blog and a Facebook () app.

Holistic Local – A resource to find local conscious businesses, local events and courses, and articles & e-books, as well as a marketplace to buy and sell conscious products.

Sustainable Travel International – A sustainable travel guide that also offers carbon offsets for your travel.

Green Building Blocks – A green building product & service directory that also features information on green building techniques and ways to promote your green business.

Lime – Lime is a complete green living guide with online TV, radio, mobile, podcasts, shopping and more.

GoodSearch – A search engine that donates 50% of it's proceeds to the charity of your choice (over 40,000 are currently participating).

Green Building Studio – Online tools for green builders, engineers, building products manufacturers and architects.

Yahoo! Green – Yahoo!'s green information site that includes a pledge to help reduce your environmental impact.

Games

ElectroCity – An online game that teaches about energy, sustainability and environmental management through the building virtual towns and cities.

KyotoPotato – An idle trading game for making energy efficiency more fun (all you have to do is remember to turn off your computer when you're not using it).

MyAbodo – An interactive toy that lets you build a house online and see the impact that your choices make on the world around you.

Web Earth Online – Multi player online ecology game.

Communities & User Generated

Open Architecture Network – A collaborative community for sustainable architecture.

AlternativeE – A website for sharing news related to renewable and alternative energy that allows users to vote for stories (like Digg () for alternative energy).

GreenOptions – An online blog, wiki, forum and news site for everything green.

The Nature Conservancy Groupspace – The Nature Conservancy's online community.

Appropedia – The sustainability wiki.

NetSquared – An online community that's helping non-profits and non-governmental organizations take advantage of the Internet to increase their reach.

GoodTree – An online community that's all about idealism and effecting positive change.

Hooze – A community-built site for publishing useful information about the sustainability of products & companies.

sustainlane – User reviews of natural, organic and green products & companies.

Gusse – A worldwide community for collaborating on the best ideas for sustainable cities.

EarthLab Foundation – A climate crisis community for people who are interested in being more environmentally friendly. They also have a calculator to determine your "Earth Conservation Profile".

GreenVoice – Offset your computer's carbon emissions for free, join a campaign to voice your opinions and show your support, and join groups to communicate and collaborate with others who share your passions.

gigoit – A swapping network for finding what you need or giving away what you don't.

Make Me Sustainable – A manager for reducing your carbon footprint incorporated into a social community of other like-minded individuals.

ecolocal – A source for green living and local news that allows users to submit tips, events and links.

PlayGreen – A green living wiki.

Youth Noise – A platform for young people to get involved and make a difference in the environment and other causes.

loanables – Brings together people who need to borrow things with people who have stuff to loan, and if your neighborhood is on their "Green Neighborhoods" page, the service is free.

Actics – An ethical community that helps you to live your values.

Change – A social network for activism, including environmental activism.

Hunuh – Community collaboration space where members can submit & discuss green technologies, services and processes.

Networking & Dating

idealist – Find people, ideas and resources worldwide and get involved.

Earth Wise Singles – A dating site for singles who are passionate about green living and sustainable lifestyles.

VeggieDate – An online vegetarian dating service.

dharmaMatch – A dating service that matches based on your beliefs, values and spirituality.

Green Drinks – Networking opportunities internationally for people who work in the environmental field.

GishiGo – A ride sharing network that connects riders and drivers.

pooln – A carpooling community with a social-networking approach.

GoLoco – Quickly arrange ride shares between friends, neighbors, and colleagues (it also helps you share trip costs online).

Environmental Projects

Tree-Nation – An online community that's aiming to plant 8 million trees in the shape of a heart in Africa. They also have a news section and other resources.

Step It Up – A movement being organized online that will be a call for action to political leaders to address key priorities to stop global warming.

18Seconds – See how many compact fluorescent lightbulbs have been installed in your area, and the equivalent amount of money saved, cars off the road, pounds of coal saved, and pounds of CO2 prevented.

Google Earth Outreach – A Google Earth () application that allows charities and non-profits to map what they're doing on Google Earth for the world to see.

Charitable Donations

InviteForGood – Manage invitations for all kinds of events, and add an optional charitable gift registry to those invitations.

alonovo – Shop online and your purchases will benefit the cause of your choice.

Kiva – Allows you to lend to a specific entrepreneur in a developing country to help them with their business and lift them out of poverty.

Contribution Manager – Keep track of all your donations online (and if you're in the UK, you can fill out all the necessary forms to make the claim).

GiveMeaning – An online fundraising site that emphasizing creative fundraising and unique charity donation.

Giveness – Online shopping widget that you can put on your site that will generate awareness and donations for the causes you support.

Blogs

World Changing – A group blog with tons of great articles on every topic (there's also a World Changing book available in print).

Treehugger – Easily the most popular environmental blog out there.

earth2tech – A technology-focused green blog from GigaOM.

Gombe Chimpanzee Blog – A blog from the Jane Goodall Institute that also includes a Google Earth mashup with information about the Institute.

Other Resources

GreenPrint – A patent-pending app that figures out what to print and removes unwanted pages, saving trees (and money).

green tv – An all-green TV station online.

LA Green Living – Connecting the different segments of green living in Los Angeles into one larger community.

Hotel Chatter Green Hotels Map – A Google maps mashup that shows the best green hotels in the U.S. on a map.

LocalCooling – A software program that puts a more efficient power save mode on your PC.

Hunger Site – A leader in online activism committed to eradicating world hunger.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance – Reports and evaluations on charitable organizations.

Wild Sanctuary – An interactive nature sounds map that works with either Google Maps or FreeEarth.

Greenpeace Esperanze Interactive Route Map – A Google Maps mashup that plots the course of the Greenpeace ship Esperanza with interactive features detailing different parts of the trip.

Scorecard – Get pollution reports by county.

URL: http://elitestv.com/pub/2009/04/earth-day-every-day-its-easy-being-green