Posts Tagged ‘Earth Day’

Earth Day is April 22, and the Take It Up For Earth Day and Act for the Planet campaigns are in full swing! Sometimes, showing you care isn’t just about your actions, it’s about what you know.

Commit to Care: detox your personal care routine.

Do you know about the carcinogens in your shampoo? The lead in your lipstick? Care about your exposure to toxic chemicals and take a closer look at the ingredients in your personal care products. You may not like what you find, but you can certainly do something about it. Each morning, an average person uses around 15 personal care items that contain roughly 100 toxic ingredients!

Try out alternatives to toxic products.

In Canada, companies are not required to provide a complete list of ingredients in cosmetic products, and many harmful substances can be found within them, in our bodies and in the environment. Choose products that are healthier and make better environmentally sound purchasing decisions.

While kids don’t have control over a lot of purchases, they can still show they care by helping out birds. The kid-friendly Act for the Planet campaign has lots of activities for kids to help prevent bird crashes at their houses or classrooms; and they can make great art projects as well.

Check out the step-by-step guides to identifying trouble spots for birds and how to fix them by making whirligigs and fake stained glass windows.

Don't forget to recognize Earth Day on April 22.

Visit earthday.ca to learn more about the environmental hazards around our homes, and show how much you care by committing to make a change.

In the weeks leading up to Earth Day on April 22, we will be sharing a four-part series of blog posts, courtesy of our friends at Earth Day Canada. Each post will highlight simple things that we can do to better appreciate our beautiful and giving planet.

So without further ado, here's the first post: Eat and Plant

Earth Day is April 22, and there are all sorts of actions you can take that help ease the burden on mother nature while keeping you healthy and saving you some cash.

Need a little inspiration? No problem! Earth Day Canada is kicking off two action-based campaigns for the month of April; kid-friendly Act for the Planet and for adults, groups, businesses—Take It Up For Earth Day.

Both campaigns have ideas for you, your colleagues (and kids) to practise new healthy actions or habits for both people and the environment.

This year, take up one of the actions or think about your own action and share it with Earth Day Canada!

Celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2012

One of the actions Earth Day Canada suggests is to eat and prepare plant-based foods at home. Why? Livestock production is responsible for 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions even more than the transport sector. But not only that, a meat-based diet requires seven times more land than a plant-based diet and it takes about 1500 litres of water to produce one kilogram of wheat, but it takes 10 times more to produce one kilogram of beef.

So eating plant-based meals more often is an easy way to make a big difference. Plus cooking at home and bringing your own meals to work will help you cut back on take-out packaging.

Kids (as well as classrooms) can help out, too. There’s a step-by-step guide to creating a living wall (a plant installation) which are great for the environment and us because plants:

• Clean the air
• Make people feel more relaxed
• Can produce food.

And if you’ve got your own ideas about what you’d like to take up for Earth Day, write it down and share your action with your friends and family. Making your commitment public can make it a lot easier to keep.

Beginning March 12, visit earthday.ca, register your commitment(s), get tips and tools to be successful and join in this spring to make change a habit!

Canadian Living makes going green easy!

Of late, the weather has been warmer, the days are getting longer, the sun has been shining and I'm starting to look out for signs of budding crocuses and tulips – spring must be just around the corner. Spring is always such a refreshing time for me – a time when I come out of hibernation and make some small changes to my life. I eat healthier, get more exercise, clean out my house and explore the outdoors. For all those who tend to do the same, now's the perfect time to find motivation to go green. I guarantee you'll get a fresher and lighter start to this exciting season.

Canadian Living's April 2009 issue hit newsstands just this past Monday, and for those of you who avidly read CL know that April is our annual green issue. Though I love all the issues, I obviously really love the green issue. The April issue is the perfect companion for you new, greener lifestyle. Among many great pieces, there's great advice on green decor and outdoor design, green beauty companies the style editors love, easy tips on how to green your home, a how-to on navigating the liquor store when you're in search of organic wine and a humorous account of a family who tries to give up shopping for 30 days.

On another note, I have a little secret for my regular readers. In honour of spring, and of course Earth Day (which is April 22), I'll be encouraging you to go green even more. Over the next five weeks (up until Earth Day) I'll be having lots of exciting green-themed giveaways and contests, so be on the lookout. You'll have to be a subscriber to the blog to participate, so get a head start and sign up to receive my blog to your e-mail inbox. I'll announce the first giveaway on Friday!