Living The Difference--Everyday Earth Day

Earth Day is like Valentine's Day to me--a great time, but shouldn't we be celebrating it everyday? While one day a year is a great way to bring awareness to the issue, it's also quite obvious that we need to be living these values year-round. Saving the earth isn't that hard to do, if we each commit to doing the little things.

My grandpa always said, "don't sweat the small stuff." On the opposite side of that, it's the little things that matter when it comes to the environment. They add up in a big way--for better or for worse. So let's make some real changes this Earth Day. Let's each make a commitment--like a New Year's resolution. It will be a New Earth resolution. Are you with me?!?!

My New Earth resolution is to cut down my shower time to five minutes. It's absolutely amazing how much water we waste in the shower and I am one of the biggest culprits. I love a good long shower with lots and lots of steam, but think about this: In just two minutes an average of 10 gallons of water is used. That's as much as many people around the world use in an ENTIRE DAY!!! And they have walk miles to get it. I read this in "The Green Book" the other day and it really got to me. Yeah, I enjoy a long shower, but shaving off just a few minutes makes such a difference in the long term (the math: 5 less minutes = 25 less gallons per day = 9, 125 gallons in a year--whoa!).

This Earth Day, it's time to enact some more changes for this little girl. If you aren't quite ready to give up shower time, make a commitment to bring your own organic cotton bags to the grocery store instead of taking paper or plastic. Or maybe buy a Sigg bottle and give up bottled water. There are so many things you can do without real sacrifice that it seems silly NOT to manifest a positive change for the health of our world.

I wish you all a magnificent Earth Day--which basically translates to a magnificent everyday. Live the difference people! Live the difference!