The List: 5 Steps to a More Earth Friendly Household

Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day on Sunday, I thought I'd make a list of simple, yet effective ways for families to be good to our Earth. Change begins with just 1 person {or 1 family}. People follow good examples; especially when the good deeds are simply done, not forced down one's throat.

Be a leader in your family; in your community; in your world. Do it for yourself; your kids; their kids; and all inhabitants everywhere. It may sound corny, but it's true; plus you'll feel better knowing you did your part to be a good resident of our magnificent planet.

The List    

1. Plant a garden and Eat what you grow;
   1. Kids love to get out in the dirt; give them a reason to; and
   2. Kids will love to try the veggies/berries/herbs they grow in their yard; mine do;
   3. Here are some good tips for making your very own backyard garden plot from eartheasy.
2. Create a compost pile for organic waste, recycle what you can and try to create less trash;
   1. Composting is easy to do, but just takes some forethought and preparation; this is something we need to start doing;
   2. Check out these tips at Composting 101;
   3. We have been creating less waste since we started using Norwex cleaning and personal care products in January; I've got lots of tips for how to reduce your waste in this way, including the next 2 points.
3. Start using cloth napkins and stop using paper napkins and/or paper towels;
   1. We use Norwex microfiber kitchen cloths for our napkins; each family member has one; we wash it out after each meal and let it dry for the next;
   2. We send a travel size Enviro Cloth in Darling 1's lunch box;
   3. Norwex cloths don't have to be washed often due to the self-purification qualities of the cloths.
4. Stop using harmful chemicals to clean your home and start using Norwex*;
   1. It is possible to REALLY clean your house with just water and a Norwex microfiber cloth...REALLY.
   2. Your house will be cleaner and you will feel better about it, plus it will take you {or whoever cleans your home} less time to clean, leaving more time for what you'd rather be doing.
5. Pick up trash and place in trash/recycling bin wherever you and your family happen to see it; litter is everyone's problem;
   1. Again, you'll feel good about doing this too;
   2. Wherever you go, look for litter {in parking lots, at the park, in your yard, in your neighbor's yard, etc} and place it in an appropriate receptacle.

The Scoop

I told you these were simple. Use this list or come up with your own list of easy changes to make on this 42^nd Earth Day. Or perhaps you already do these things and more; in that case, give yourself a pat on the back!

*Yes, it's true. I am also a Norwex Independent Sales Consultant, but I fully believe these products will make our family live better lives by helping us to clean better, smarter, safer and faster. And I think once you give it try, you'll love it too! For more information, go to my site annaberend.norwex.biz or contact me with questions.

For more information and history on Earth Day, see my post from April 2010. Have a lovely weekend! Over and out...

Anna