By Your Hand

Use a dishwasher. This might surprise you, but washing dishes by hand uses six times as much water and twice the amount of energy as built-in dishwashers.

Don’t Be Idle

Turn off your car if you’re going to be idle for more than 30 seconds (unless you are stuck at a red light). This will help save gas money, lessen air pollutants, and improve your car’s fuel economy.

Make Time for What Matters

Been meaning to spend more time with your family? Are you putting off errands? Is there not enough time to volunteer, go for a walk, or make dinner? Make time. Once you commit to something and begin to make a habit of it, you will be more likely to continue instead of saying, “ I would like to, but I don’t have enough time.” You have the time; you just need to find it.

Take care of the Planet

Each year, the National Environmental Education Foundation coordinates hundreds of events around the country on Public Lands Day. Volunteers are recruited to improve public parks and wildlife refuges by removing trash, planting trees, and doing other earth-friendly activities. Visit their website to find a service day near you: publiclandsday.org.

Friend a Family

Sponsor a low-income family via boxproject.org. The Box Project joins struggling families in depressed regions of rural America with individuals or groups who send about $50 worth of food, clothing, and medical supplies monthly. The idea is not just to provide financial support, but emotional support as well. Most participants develop long-term relationships over many years, cemented through letters. In addition, the organization encourages volunteers to learn about where the family they help lives, so they can impact public services and local policy. I know this is helping a lot of people in my home state of West Virginia where hard times remain.

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Overcoming wilderness obstacles-rushing rivers, steep hills, avoiding wild animals-builds confidence and helps under-resourced kids better handle inner-city obstacles. All of this is why Big City Mountaineers pairs adults with disadvantaged youths on weeklong backpacking and canoeing trips. If you don’t live in the regions where the organization primarily operates (Northwest, West and Midwest), check out Summit for Someone, a program that makes walk-a-thons look restful; participants fundraise for Big City Mountaineers by soliciting sponsorship for major climbing trips.

National Car Free day

Walk, bike, run, skip! Try not to drive so often. Put on your walking shoes and enjoy the area around you. Walk to the nearest convenience store if you need something or spontaneously visit a friend who lives close by. You may rediscover the beauty of your own neighborhood again in the process!

Offer Unconditional Positive Regard

Be accepting. No matter a person’s race, age, culture, or sexual orientation, accept everyone for who they are. Embrace the beauty of humanity and our myriad differences. By opening your eyes and mind to the possibility of love and friendship, new people will flow into your life and change your perspective in miraculous ways.

Power Your Life with the Positive

When life gets you down, remember to look on the bright side-and there is always a bright side. Be strong not just for yourself, but for those around you as well. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “ It is better to light a single candle than it is to curse the darkness.” Look into the meaning of this quote: focus on the light in your life-and if there is none, try to be that light.

“Attitudes are contagious. Make yours worth catching.”

-David Mezzapelle

Think Good Thoughts

Each morning, I state the intention of my day by thinking about all the good things that are going to happen. I also think good thoughts for my friends and loved ones, especially those going through difficulty. It certainly doesn’t cause any problems and I know it helps me, a lot.

Every Drop of Water Counts

We take water so for granted. We leave the faucet running when we brush our teeth, over-water our gardens, wash the car too often, take baths every evening rather than a quick shower, or don’t mend that dripping tap. Become water-wise. At this writing, my landlord has not responded to my messages about the kitchen faucet dripping. So I have a bucket capturing it all in the sink and I use that to water my backyard. I always have a bucket in the bathtub to capture shower water and haul it out to water my front and backyard. I used to get really strange looks from neighbors but they are used to me now. A couple down the block started doing the same after we met at an afternoon block party!

How You Can Spare the Air

Here are some things that you can do starting today:

• Support our scientists by letting our elected officials know we need fossil fuel alternatives-wind power, solar power, and wave power.
• Choose more Earth-friendly transport, which also reduces smog-causing emissions.
• Recycle, conserve energy, and support the work of Environmental Defense and other environmental organizations.
• Go to environmentaldefense.org and get involved.

Make a Social Call

Simply pick up the phone and call a good friend to talk about what is on your mind. Bare your soul; don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Talk about what is going on in the world and what you can do about it. In this age of texting and Twitter, I have discovered the old-fashioned phone call is very welcome.

Try Global Cooling, Instead

Scientists already know what is causing global warming and we are all contributing to it with our wasteful attitude and shortsightedness. We burn too much fossil fuel and massive deforestation of natural woodlands and forests continue unabated. Fossil fuels are pretty much pure carbon, laid down by the Earth over thousands and thousands of years. According to the folks at Environmental Defense, whenever you save energy-or use it more efficiently-you reduce the demand for gasoline, oil, coal, and natural gas. Less burning of these fossil fuels means lower emissions of carbon dioxide, the major contributor to global warming.. Right now the US releases about 50,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per person each year. If we can reduce energy use enough to lower greenhouse gas emissions by about two percent a year, in ten years we will lose about 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per person.

Animals Have Rights, Too

 

Even with progressive legislation, our wildlife still faces a variety of threats. If it weren’t for organizations like Defenders of Wildlife, I doubt almost any animals would be safe. Alaska’s Arctic Refuge, the manatee, lynx, wolves, otters, and now the Endangered Species Act all are in harm’s way.

On defenders.org, you can sign up for free wildlife updates, called Den Lines. Keep informed of any shenanigans going on and of how you can help, simply by using your mouse to make yourself heard. You can adopt an animal or two (adoption also makes a great gift!) or you can become a member and receive their excellent magazine. Defenders continue to need our support to carry on their fantastic work on our behalf… and on behalf of our wildlife and our wild places.