Blog Action Day

Today is Blog Action Day. What is that, you may ask?

Well, the thought is that blogs all over the world will take today, October 15th, to post about the environment. This is a pretty broad topic. It's pretty scary, too, if you ask me. It's a daunting topic. So daunting that it could be easier to ignore than to address. I'm choosing not to ignore it. Not today. Not anymore.

There are so many small things that we can do everyday. Tiny little things that can make a huge impact. I'm challenging you to make a few changes and commit to being more diligent. (Trust me, it's a challenge for me sometimes, too!)

Grocery & other plastic or even paper shopping bags. So simple, and so unnecessary. Between 500 billion and one trillion plastic grocery bags are used each year. It's as simple as bringing your own bag to the grocery store with you. Just grab a tote bag, back pack or evern a beach bag next time you head to the grocery store and use that to pack your groceries. Keep the bags in your car and you'll always have your bag with you. If you have a small purchase, just ask for no bag. Do you really need a bag for the one book at the bookstore? The one shirt or pair of socks at the store? Toss it in your purse and you're good to go. San Francisco has banned plastic bags, and Phoenix is exploring the option, too.

Recycle your trash!!! Again, we should all be doing this, but I challenge you to go out of your way with this one. I travel an awful lot and I'm shocked by how infrequently there are recycle bins in public places. I keep a recycle bag in my car and toss it in a bin when I find one, instead of using the trash. I've even taken to picking a can out of the trash if it's right on top.

No more bottled water. This has been a hard one for me. I'm a water drinker, but did you know that this year, Americans will drink more than 30 billion single-serving bottles of water. Less than 20% of those bottles will not be recycled. Did you know that it takes three litres of water to make a one litre bottle of water? Silly isn't it? An estimated 40% of bottled water in the US is filtered tap water. Think about it...it's just not a good decision, on so many levels. I've taken to carrying my "water bottle" and filling it from taps and water fountains. Overwhelmingly, tap water tastes fine, great in some places. Don't be a snob, drink your local tap water. I figure I'm rescuing at least 365 water bottles.

Finally, please check out my post about TerraPass from last week, here.

Really, these are some pretty minor things that have major impact. Will you take the challenge?