Monday, April 21, 2008

A Day for the Earth - plus a giveaway!!



Earth Day 2008 is a global celebration about awareness of what is healthy for the earth, and ultimately what is healthy for us who live on the earth. The start of Earth day dates back to President Kennedy's time, and if you ask me, unfortunately, it hasn't really had a large impact on how people treat the earth. Celebrations for Earth Day take place in some major cities, but mostly in schools around the country and world. But is this one day enough?

I don't know which scientist are correct and I'm not really fond of the recent "green" marketing that is so hot right now, but I do think that we need to respect our home, the earth, and take care of it.

Today there are many ways to do this that are not hardships, just a different way of thinking. Changing a shower head to save water, using low voltage florescent or LED light bulbs, and buying from fresh produce from the local farmer's market, are just a small sampling of the simple things you can do to make the world a healthier place to live.

Why should we bother? Because of your children and their children; because God gave us beauty and we should behold it; and because we should all learn to be less self absorbed and take the time to stop and smell the wild flowers. Honestly, I believe that the earth will take care of itself in the end, but that we many not be able to handle the environment on the earth that we create because of our excesses. I do think that small positive works by many will make an great impact on the world that we and our children and our children's children enjoy.

To celebrate Earth Day and the bit of awareness that it brings, I am giving away a 8x10 print to one lucky winner. All you have to do to win is leave a comment with what you do in your daily life to help the earth maintain a healthy environment for life.
Make sure I can contact you in case you win (you can convo your email address via my esty store, but make sure you post here too.) Entries will be taken though Monday, April 28th at midnight PST. The winner will be drawn the next day and posted on my blog.
I will ship internationally and you get to pick your image from any of my photographs.

15 comments:

Valerie said...

I couldn't agree more, lj. We really need to make smart choices and not abuse.

Great write up

Merka said...

Great reminder, Lorissa. Each year we plant an organic garden and without the use of chemicals, pesticides, etc., we harvest a tremendous amount of food that helps sustain our family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers :)

Carry Grace said...

We are switching from bottled water to a water filter.

Great giveaway!

Cindy Joy said...

Being environmentally aware and considerate of the environment is something that needs to happen every day. Absolutely. Full stop. It's why I traded in my car for something more fuel efficient and with a LEV (Low Emission Vehicle) sticker in the window. People here in Houston look at me cross-eyed when I tell them I traded my big Volvo S-80 for a Honda Fit. It is why I buy organic whenever possible. It is even why I take my own bags to the grocery store. There are so many, many ways we can help to slow the deterioration of the environment. If we do nothing, everyone loses. Two of my favorite charities: the Nature Conservancy and the Houston Arboretum. Both great causes. Check them out.

Leah said...

Great idea to have an Earth Day giveaway, and I'd love to win one of your photos. :) We recycle, use the funny looking energy efficient light bulbs, and have switched to natural, non-toxic cleaning products. I know we could do more though...

Lorissa J. Longfellow said...

Thanks everyone. Some great ways to make a difference.
Lets keep those idea's coming.

Anonymous said...

We started recycling everything we are able to recycle. Now the giant green trash can the city gives you is only half full when we put it at the curb each week, it used to overflow! We are planning on beginning to compost our food and yard scraps for our organic veggie garden. We have traded out many of our light bulbs for the compact fluorescent bulbs. I am teaching my girls about re-buying recycled products, and buying products with less non-recyclable packaging. Oh, and the farmer's market has become one of my favorite stops on Saturday morning! Great idea Lorissa!

New England Quilter said...

We recycle every paper product from junk mail to cereal boxes. Everytime I go to throw something out, I wonder if it can be reused or recycled before it hits the trash bucket. Have you signed up for your local freecycle.com? Check it out!

Unknown said...

What a Green Goddess you are, Lorissa!! Great post, even better picture! Your work never fails to amaze me!

I try to be as green as I can. I'm only just learning how. I have been using market totes instead of getting plastic bags for several months now. I also have introduced cloth diapers (and lady items) into our family's daily life. I also walk or take the bus EVERYWHERE! I wish people didn't look down on public transportation so much. It really is a wonderfully cheap and easy way to get around!

rhino said...

we are a family of 5 (2 adults and 8, 6 and 2 year old) we do NOT drive dont even own a car we walk everywhere the farthest we have walked is 14 miles. we use cloth bags for groceries and a wagon/double stroller to tote the groceries and our toddler around. we buy our groceries from the local co-op and farmers market. we use reusable bottles/containers for our walks and kids school lunches. we plant in a cooperative garden weed by hand chem free as our kids help tend the plants.

P. Lee said...

Great Idea - I have a list of things I do - starting with walking to work to recycling as much as possible. I blogged on this - ten easy tips for the every day! Feel free to check it out as well :-)

giggling goldfish said...

What a great post! Awareness is key. Our family has always recycled everything we possibly can. We buy organic when possible, use market totes, and buy from local farmers markets and vegetable stands. We always conserve by purchasing energy efficient appliances and bulbs. We reuse a lot of items, especially baby jars, containers, etc. We use a lot of enviromentally friendly cleaners and detergents. We used to plant a garden every year but unfortunately have not been able to recently. As a whole our family tries to be green as we can. :D

babyhoot. said...

my kids are 6 and 4 years old. lately we've been playing a game I made up called "Reduce, Reuse or Recycle?" where I'll give a situation (buy a small concentrated juice for the pitcher vs. a pack of ten juice boxes) and they have to figure out how that helps the earth- is it reducing waste, reusing an item, or recycling?
it's been fun. and helps them become aware of how much waste we create.

Morgan said...

I all I can say is cloth diapers!!!!

Mississippi Songbird said...

we recycle everything..Before I throw anything in the garbage, we have made it a challenge..Is it something we can re-use for another purpose? We have garage sales and instead of new stuff, I buy stuff at garage sales too.. We save money that way also..

more great quotes


Don't bother about being modern. Unfortunately it is the one thing that, whatever you do, you cannot avoid.
- Salvador Dali

Living is more a question of what one spends than what one makes.
-Marcel Duchamp