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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Earth Day Expressed...

...in sweet words and colorful images...

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.



Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.



And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.



For this is love and nothing else is love,

To which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends he will,

But which it only needs that we fulfill.

~Robert Frost


Hoping that your Spring is a sweet one...


...and that your Earth Day will give you a chance to


think about small ways we can all help save our precious gift from God. Our Earth. Our Planet. Our Home.
There are so many little ways to help...

 Unplug toasters, televisions and small appliances that draw electricity even when they're turned off, or use a smart power strip.




 Keep air conditioner and heating filters clean to improve energy efficiency. Change disposable filters at least every three months, and consider replacing with reusable, washable fiberglass filters.



 Clean with a reusable cloth, which takes the place of 17 rolls of paper towels.


 Switch from incandescent to compact fluorescent light bulbs in high-use areas and save more than $60 per year.


 Check the trash! According to Rumpke, about 60 percent of material thrown away locally could have been recycled. The company's revamped recycling facilities can now collect pizza boxes (without food residue) and all plastic bottles and jugs, numbered 1-7 (rather than just No. 1 and 2), in addition to cardboard (broken down to 3-by-3-feet) and cereal and other food boxes, paper, magazines, aluminum cans, soup cans, and glass bottles and jars!


 Cut junk mail. To opt out of pre-approved credit card offers for five years, call 888-567-8688 or visit www.optoutprescreen.com. To reduce unsolicited commercial mail for five years, remove your name from the Direct Marketing Association list (there's a $1 fee) at http://www.dmachoice.org/.

 Instead of buying bottled water, fill a reusable container with filtered tap water.



 Use low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators.


 Shower! A full bathtub can require up to 70 gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons, according to the EPA.


Wash clothes in cold water. About 90 percent of the energy used in a conventional top-load washer is for heating the water!


 Water your lawn or garden during the cool morning hours, as opposed to midday, to reduce evaporation.


 Raise your lawn mower blade to at least 3 inches. Taller grass promotes deeper roots and holds moisture better than a closely cropped lawn.

 Use a push mower or a mulching mower and leave the clippings. (And yes, we DO use a push mower! And yes, we DO understand that not everyone CAN! But if you have a smaller yard, PLEASE think about it!)


 Stop by the local farmers' market before the grocery to reap the benefits of fresher food and cut the costs and emissions of transportation.

Buy in bulk to cut down on wasteful packaging.
 Sprucing up the house? Purchase paints, stains, furniture and cabinetry, carpet and sealants that do not emit, or emit only low levels of, volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Products cleared by the Greenguard Environmental Institute, an independent nonprofit organization affiliated with the U.S. Green Building Council, are at www.greenguard.org.


 Scope out your local grocery to drop off recyclables that aren't collected curbside. Kroger, bigg's and Trader Joe's locations have bins for plastic grocery bags, Whole Foods accepts wine corks and No. 5 plastics - like yogurt cups, hummus and cottage cheese tubs - and Target stores now have recycling stations for plastic bags, aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers, empty ink cartridges, cell phones and MP3 players.


 Walk, ride, bike or take a bus to work or the store a couple of days a week. If 1 percent of car owners in the U.S. didn't drive one day a week, it would save an estimated 42 million gallons of gas and 840 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions every year, according to Green America.











Love to you all!

10 comments:

Lydia said...

beautiful Sue nice pictures and Robert Frost has a smooth way of writing

Bonnie said...

What absolutely gorgeous pictures! What a great post. I so love visiting with you.

Unknown said...

Happy Earth Day Sue, love your flower shots!

Sandies' Patch said...

Hi Sue from over the 'pond',
Thanks for the lovely spring photos, I could almost smell the blooms!

Best wishes,

Sandie xx

Debra from Bungalow said...

Thank you for the great earth day tips. We do unplug our appliances like the toaster, etc.

The tulips are beautiful. We all need to appreciate this planet earth.

Salmagundi said...

I so admire the way you embrace what is important in life - family, the environment, etc. We're pretty good about everything you mentioned, but there is always room for improvement. Thanks for the info. Have a great weekend. Sally

Janet said...

Those pictures are gorgeous...aren't tulips just the best? Thanks for all the helpful hints and reminders.

JEANNE said...

Hi Susie, Your flower photos are beautiful. The frost poem is lovely to read. We must do our part to protect Mother Earth. Thanks for the wonderful informative ideas to help us do the right thing. I listened. smile!
Hugs, Jeanne

Melanie said...

Hi, Sue
Lovely photos as always. I love spring with all it's flowering. I plan on going to Epcot in 3 weeks at the tail end of their Flower & Garden Festival and will take some photos there. Their rose garden walk os beautiful! ((Hugs))

Denise Marie said...

great post!! love tulips. the earth laughs in flowers and she's been doing other things than smile, lately. Did you get a look at that volcanic lightnin' in IceLand?