Earth Day

My guys planted a Maple Tree in honor of Earth Day this year.  My dad used to plant a tree, shrub, flowers - something on Arbor Day (back in the day before Earth Day!).  When Steve came home with this little sapling, it made me think of what a great steward of the earth my dad was.

My dad used to light kerosene lamps and use them in the house during one of his "save electricity" phases (note: huge safety issue).  We had a rooster and a garden that he tended after working long 12-hour days in Los Angeles.  It seemed to relax him.  He was concerned about the environment before it became trendy.  He walked-the-walk you could say.  Never wasteful and very resourceful.  Always recycled cans, glass and motor oil.  Went out of his way to conserve energy in the most comical of ways (as mentioned above).  He, rather my mother, hung his clothes to dry on our back porch for years and years.

I rebelled against all of that when I left home.  Silly me.  Now that I have a child and live in a place where beauty is everywhere, I fully understand my responsibility on this planet and my responsibility to teach my son the same and be an example for him.  What will he remember?  Here are a few things I hope make the list:

• never accepting plastic bags for any reason, from any store
• our weekly pilgrimage to Taylor Maid Coffee Outlet to refill our coffee cans with fair-trade coffee
• thrifting for the things we want - even if it takes awhile to get what we need
• plastic water bottles, capri suns & juice boxes have disappeared from our home and have not been missed
• knowing the farmer who grows our vegetables - thank you Farmer George & Anna
• our bi-weekly trips to the library to check out books and movies, rather than buy new
• saving our yogurt containers and glass food jars to reuse and regift with
• composting
• saying goodbye to disposable plates, cups & napkins
• our flock of laying hens and all the shenanigans that go along with them!
• frequenting our local, small businesses and avoiding large chain stores whenever possible
• no new toys from China (this has become a funny game with us)
• the nightly ritual of setting the table with cloth napkins 
• vintage bed sheets will always = tablecloths & beach blankets
• line-drying our clothes in the warm months on our front deck

We're not perfect and surely we make exceptions, but our rules have changed.  Being mindful about how we spend our money, time and resources is at the top of our priority list.  

How did you celebrate Earth Day?