Celebrate Mother Earth

April is the Month to Celebrate our planet Earth. Hello, Earth to readers did you hear that? April is Earth month and Sunday April 22nd is Earth Day. There is so much talk lately about global warming, reuse, and recycling...that sometimes I worry that all the coverage is so intense that people just glaze over it now.
Without getting political on you, I just think this is a good time to remind everyone that yes, indeed our home here on earth is in trouble. With it's amazing collection of people, places, plants and animals, we have not done our due diligence to make sure that we preserve what we have.
So here are a few tips on how you can celebrate April, in honor of our precious Mother Earth:
1. Take the family or friends on a good ol' fashioned hike and picnic. Seriously, when was the last time you packed a lunch, took a hike and found a place to sit and enjoy the scenery while you ate your food? If you plan this activity with children, have them all collect a few different types of grass or plant leaves. When you get home, you can research their finds and learn more about the plant life which is local to their area.

2. Grab a friend, grab a bag and hit the local park or beach to clean up some of the mess. Too bad we have people in this world who don't know that a trash receptacle is for trash. Too bad when you drive down the highway you see loads of junk littering our pretty streets... Maybe this month you can spend some time picking up trash and recycling the things that you find. It's actually another nice way to get outdoors.

3. Plant a tree. Visit your area's local website to find out which trees are indigenous to your climate and see if you can't plant a new one.

4. Check out Project Switch. Join thousands of others in switching out millions of inefficient incandescent light bulbs so we can save money, energy and the environment.

5. Check out the official Earth Share website for tips on how to be green. Spring is always a time for cleaning. Here are a few home made cleaning solutions I took directly from the Earth Share website.
Some of the greenest cleaners are the ones you make yourself. Here are some sample recipes for simple, effective cleaners:
Drain Cleaner: Pour a half-cup of baking soda down the sink and add at least a cup of vinegar. Cover the drain and wait a few minutes, then rinse with a mixture of boiling water and salt.
Window Cleaner: Mix two ounces of vinegar with a quart of water in a spray bottle.
Silver Polish: Put a sheet of aluminum foil into a plastic or glass bowl. Sprinkle the foil with salt and baking soda and fill the bowl with warm water. Soak your silver in the bowl and tarnish migrates to the foil. Dry and buff.
Brass Cleaner: Cut a lemon in half, sprinkle it with salt and rub the lemon on the metal. Buff with a cloth.
Rust Remover: Use vinegar to remove rust on nuts and bolts and other mineral deposits such as calcium deposits.

Enjoy the outdoors on Earth Day. Use mass transit or better yet, your bikes and legs. Try to give back every month not just April! It's time for everyone to share the work if we are going to share the Earth!