by Linda Castillo
I have always been conscious of Mother Earth and my time spent working at the Monterey Bay Aquarium forever instilled the importance of being a guardian to our planet. Now that I am a mother, I am even more invested in protecting our planet. It breaks my heart to see how we are destroying our planet; animal extinction, oil spills, diminishing rain forests and all the toxins that we are exposed to in our daily lives. I want my children and future generations to be able to live long and have a planet that they can enjoy too.
On April 22, Earth Day raises environmental awareness around the world. And while there are many activities that you can do during Earth Week such as planting a garden or going to an Earth Day festival, I wanted to share some simple tips that you can do with your family every day of your life. After all, protecting our earth is not just a one-day activity but also a lifestyle change so that we can build a better future for our children.
- Shop Local and organic: Support the local organic farmers and in turn you are doing good for the planet and for your own body.
- Use reusable bags: You will reduce the amount of paper and plastic in the landfills by carrying reusable bags every time you shop.
- Recycle: The city makes it simple by providing the separate bins but you need to make the effort to sort the glass, plastic, and paper to be recycled.
- Compost: If you have space in your backyard, try building a compost pile for leaves, grass, and kitchen scraps like fruit and vegetable peelings. You will be helping the environment and in return you will have an excellent source of nutrients for your garden.
- Hang dry your clothes: It may take a little more time and effort to hang dry your clothes but it’s worth it to save our planet. Bonus your clothes will last longer too!
Let us know some tips that you are doing to help protect the environment?
For more information about Earth Day and what you can be doing to save the planet visit http://www.earthday.org/
Linda Castillo is the Founder and Executive Editor of www.ModernLatina.com. She writes on topics that empower and inspire Latinas including art, motherhood, green living, culture, travel, and issues transforming the Latino community. Linda has earned a B.S. in Business and a M.S. in Mass Communications from San Jose State University.