Denver Sustainable City Examiner: 5 Ways to Embrace Earth Day for Less than a Dime!
Filed under: Earth911 - April 21, 2009
By Susanna Speier
With Earth Day rolling in with tomorrow’s morning sun, I figured I’d post the five most recession-friendly, sustainable lifestyle adjustments that I could come up with. I did this because, if you are an individual or family suffering from sudden job loss and/or other forms of economic hardship then you must —first and foremost— sustain yourself. If sustaining yourself means temporarily foregoing the “organic” and “fair trade” supermarket options, then by all means, do so.
If you find that you’re craving connection, however and your gut tells you that Earth Day might, in fact, lift your spirits then check out this list of suggestions and try one out. Over the next week, your can start to phase in more. When circumstances reverse themselves and you find that you’re ready to take sustainability to a more aggressive and pro-active level, then by all means, go for it!
- Start recycling something that you usually don’t recycle. Batteries, CDs and old cell phones, for example. Get the specifics on nearby drop off locations on Earth911 which offers a comprehensive database that customizes info according to what you are recycling and your specific region. You can also call 311 on what recycling resources are offered in your area from your local Dept. of Sanitation and use the resource to suggest improvements.
- Register to opt out of Credit Card company junk mail solicitations.
- Watch PBS Nature’s Frogs: The Thing Green Line. You can watch the show online, in its entirety, and at no cost.
- Use online sources like Freecycle, Free Napkin and Craigslist to get rid of stuff you are no longer using and to acquire things secondhand, rather than sending things to landfills or buying new things to eventually send to landfills.
- Take a walk in a park at some point during the day. Doing this on a regular basis ensure you are getting enough sunlight. For anyone feeling blue, Vitamin D is gonna help. According to personal trainer, Jason Pahl, getting Vitamin D from sunlight trumps getting Vitamin D from a vitamin pill, any day. If you’re female, Vitamin D is necessary for maintaining calcium levels needed to maintain strong bones and protect you from osteoporosis as you age.
If you enjoyed this story and would like additional Earth Day ideas, please check out the Sustainable City’s Earth Day and Dragonfly by the same writer. For other cost effective ways of going green suggestions, please check out the author’s articles on barriers to going green and share(ing) your way through the economic downturn.