Happy Earth Day! Today marks the 40th anniversary of the holiday and April is “Keep Georgia Beautiful” month.
It makes perfect sense to bring awareness to the Keep Georgia Beautiful campaign while also highlighting Earth Day as the two go hand in hand. To join the campaign and help clean up our state, there are only five principle factors to remember: Prevent, Reduce, Protect, Beautify and Improve.
Prevent Litter – When you see litter on the ground, pick it up. Also, don’t add to the litter problem by throwing all trash in trash cans. Become an advocate by getting your friends together and participating in a clean up day.
Reduce Waste and Recycle – Reduce, reuse and recycle. These three words can have a huge impact on the environment. Reduce your waste by buying only what you need, and invest in products that are made of recycled materials.
Protect Water Resources – Water is one of our most, if not the most, valuable natural resources and we are too careless with our consumption of it. Invest in water conserving products, build a rain barrel and keep storm drains clear of debris.
Beautify Your Surroundings – There is no such thing as too many trees or too much vegetation, so get planting! Another great way to beautify your surroundings is by adopting a stretch of highway or road and making it your responsibility to keep it clean.
Improve Your Community – This where we need you to become a “Keep Georgia Beautiful” advocate. Spread the word about the campaign and encourage others to take action.
Celebrate the day with us. We would love to know what Earth Day means to you!
Earth Day to me is a day to re-energize your mind, refine your actions, and learn how you can live a life that not only benefits yourself, but your community and the world we all live in.
Your thoughts and actions impact not only your life, but those around you and ultimately the earth. The kinds of food you eat, what you eat them out of, and how you dispose of the waste all impact the earth. You create demand for products when you purchase them which creates a need for more supply. Eating organic foods served in compostable containers is not only a healthy option, but it greatly benefits our planet in the short term and long term.
Just like food, buying homes that are built using sustainable building practices & products increases demand for the production of those homes, using green building products, like lumber from an FSC Certified forest. As we shift our habits, the market will follow our lead.
In Atlanta we are so lucky to have the Southface Energy Institute in our backyard. For more information on sustainable building products, and builders who are putting them into use, visit their website http://www.Southface.org.
You can consider these ideas in everything you do.
Happy Earth Day.
Carson Matthews