Earth Day Celebration Coming Up!

Earth Day is coming soon, on April 22nd, and it is once again a reminder that all of us have options of what we can do to be a part of helping our planet. It is a worthwhile contemplation, then commitment to decide to be a part of the solution instead of mindlessly generating more waste and making matters worse. I like to think that I can have some small part in making the world a better place for my future grandchildren and my friend’s grandchildren.

The photos I am posting here are mostly from my hiking in Boulder, Colorado in past trips to visit where I once lived for fourteen years. I raised my daughter there. I love creeks so there is a picture of the Boulder Creek. The mountains and hiking in them are gorgeous. I love being with nature! There are also a couple of pictures of the garden at St. Luke’s in Greenwich Village, NYC which is a beautiful, quiet space. Also one of the Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon.

If you haven’t already seen the Story of Stuff video that is a worthwhile watch. It takes about twenty minutes but it can make a difference in your shopping habits. I first found the video on the Boulder Recycling Center site a couple of years ago but now it is available on YouTube. They now have The Story of Solutions: https://www.youtube.com/user/storyofstuffproject as well. Ever since I saw the video I have been slowly using up what I have and consuming less.

These are a few things you could for Earth Day:

Have a garage sale.

Donate some of your old clothing to a thrift shop.

Upcycle some clothes or decide to start upcycling this year.

Plant a garden. Plant a tree.

Hold a clothing swap in your apartment or house.

Stop buying plastic tooth brushes and switch to bamboo tooth brushes which are biodegradable, as well as easier to recycle. Website: http://www.brushwithbamboo.com/shop-brushes/

Sing or perform songs about nature. If you don’t sing or perform maybe listen to some.

Enjoy a walk in nature or if you live in a city head to your local park. If you live in a place with lots of open space enjoy it!!

If you aren’t already interested in Slow Fashion consider it as an option to being caught up in nonstop trends and the consumer mass production cycle. This is a picture of my daughter Emily wearing her favorite Oliver Twist look. There is nothing trendy about it!

Lovely Boulder, Colorado creek

In the US we are bombarded by ads to buy things nonstop. Television has constant ads. I haven’t watched television in years since my daughter grew up. Even when she was growing up there was a few years where we went without a television. We played together or read books. Now I watch movies on Netflix or Amazon and they also offer some of the most popular television shows without all the ads. I choose to limit my exposure to nonstop consumerism ploys out there to get me to shop, shop, until I drop. I choose to go to websites like Vogue.com where I can enjoy the fashion videos and choose which designer lines I want to view. I prefer that to buying lots of magazines every month now. I might buy a fashion magazine on occasion but generally I focus on my own style and how I prefer to dress as opposed to what is in. When I choose to buy a magazine it usually has something to do with gardening, birds or literature. If I want to read the Economist for instance, I ask my friend who has a subscription to pass his on to me before he discards them.

Boulder, Colorado mountains

Years ago, after moving back to New York I realized I had quite a lot of books despite getting rid of so many before I moved back East. I decided it might be time to consider a Kindle. I have always treasured my relationship with my favorite books; they are like a friend you want to revisit time and time again. I knew that I could still have that option, to buy a book and keep it on my shelves. I also liked the idea of a Kindle and not adding more physical books too often to the stuff I already choose to keep. A friend bought me a Kindle for a birthday present and now I cherish my Kindle. It really has made my life a bit simpler. For a rare book on crafts, art or herbs for instance, than I might prefer to have a physical copy of the book. Yet otherwise the Kindle books are fine.

In the past year I have been making more of my own granola’s and snacks. I make my own deodorant as well as bake some of my own bread. Recently I learned to make my own shampoo. Now I can reuse one shampoo bottle multiple times. I used this recipe: http://wellnessmama.com/3701/natural-shampoo/ It worked well for me with a mixture of lavender and rosemary oils. If you don’t want to make your own you might opt for another shampoo I tried, which comes in a bar from J.R. Liggett’s and is perfect for carrying when traveling. I found it at Vitacost. I buy things from them regularly since the health food stores here are rather expensive. I find my hair responds better to me mixing up the various kinds of shampoos every now and then. I like the bar one for a different variety to use on occasions when I am alternating shampoos.

In the past two years I have been crocheting and upcycling clothing. It is a liberating process to know that you can contribute more to your own wardrobe by knowing how to alter or repair it, plus to know how to make a dress for instance out of men’s shirts.

You could choose to buy either vintage or thrifted items of clothing since they are all further down the chain of mass production. Buying furniture that you can imagine yourself keeping for years helps also, as opposed to cheaply produced and assembled furniture that one will toss out soon.

Boulder, Colorado Flatirons in the distance

If you really feel like going shopping soon this is a good event to attend:

Buffalo Exchange has a yearly sale in which they raise money to help fund stopping animal testing for cosmetics. Their dollar items on sale for Earth Day raise funds for the animals: http://buffaloexchangefashion.com/2015/03/16/earth-day-1-sale/

This is from their website:

“On Saturday, April 18, we will host our annual Earth Day $1 Sale.

A large selection of clothing, jewelry, and accessories will be offered for one dollar at most Buffalo Exchange locations. All proceeds from the purchase of $1 items will be donated to The Fund for Animals, an affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The Earth Day Dollar Sale is cash or check only for $1 items.”

If you go enjoy the sale! It is great that your shopping, at least on those items, can help animals. If you don’t know about Buffalo Exchange it is a good chance to find out about their buying, selling, and trading of previously used clothing. It is a great place to find clothing and accessories.

So however you choose to acknowledge Earth Day or celebrate it I hope you enjoy it. This is all something we all have in common, our Planet Earth and Mother Nature. It is a wonderful thing to be thankful for and not to take for granted. Happy Earth Day to you!

Boulder, Colorado mountain scene.