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Show Your Love This Mother’s Day! Find creative and affordable gift ideas to show her just how much you care.
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"For Mother's Day I want... ?"
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Simple Ways to Go Green
This spring, you can “Go Green” and help preserve our Earth. Making a difference is easy—small contributions around the house and in your everyday life really add up. The kinds of food you eat and cook, the way you clean and remodel your home, and the Go Green tips you teach your kids can all make a big impact on our environment.
What You Eat
1. Pick better packaging. Before you buy something at the grocery store, pay attention to how much plastic, cardboard, paper, and other materials it uses and whether or not the packaging is recyclable.
2. Eat healthier fish. Not only do certain fish species contain high levels of mercury, but many of the world's fisheries are either farmed destructively, severely overfished, or under threat from invasive species. Look for “Marine Stewardship Council” on the label—it means the seafood was caught without endangering the species or harming the local ecosystem. Visit www.thegreenguide.com to find out more.
3. Buy locally. Most food makes its way to your local supermarket from thousands of miles away. Buying locally-produced foods means fewer miles logged and less gasoline emissions used to transport the food. Visit www.eatwellguide.org to find local markets and suppliers.
4. Buy certified brands. Look for coffee packages that say “Rainforest Alliance Certified,” which means it was grown in a better way to preserve the ecosystem. Find coffee, sugar, rice, chocolate, and other products that are “Fair Trade Certified” brands. For these brands, the farmers producing the products were given a fair price.
Around Your Home
1. Check your refrigerator temperature. Your fridge can devour most of the energy in your home—so be sure to keep your refrigerator temperature at 37°F and the freezer at 0°F.
2. Recycle wisely. Know which items belong in the recycling bins and which belong in the dumpster. Look on the bottom of your plastic items for a number and only put the articles with a one or two in your bin. Avoid putting in broken glass or light bulbs—they'll slow down the collection process.
3. Avoid the dumpster. When you’re ready to rid your home of old furniture, toys, clothes, electronics, and other household items, don’t just throw them away. Hold a yard sale or find local charities that will accept your donations and give them to people in need. Visit www.earth911.org to find community recycling and donation resources near you.
4. Use eco-friendly household products. Use cloth rags instead of paper towels for cleanup. If you must use paper towels, look for recycled, unbleached paper. For painting, refinishing furniture, and remodeling, use water- or vegetable-based paints, stains, and varnishes, which are nontoxic. Never pour toxic cleaning products down the drain—call your local recycling center, town, or city hall for hazardous waste pickup times.
5. Reduce your water use. Sweep floors instead of mopping them whenever possible. To cut down even more on mopping, put a tracking mat at the front door. This will collect more dust and mud so you mop much less.
With Your Kids
1. Encourage bike riding. Instead of dropping them off at the mall or at their friend’s house in your car, have your kids ride their bikes. If they’re traveling within a reasonable distance, they can easily help you save gas and prevent the release of more harmful emissions. Just make sure they wear helmets and never ride after dark.
2. Teach them the three R’s. Make sure your kids learn the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Show them the recycling symbol and explain what it means. Help them understand which items go in the recycling bin and which ones belong in the trash. Each child can even have his or her own recycling bin—whoever fills it up first, wins!
3. Grow a garden together. Help them plant a vegetable garden in your backyard. Explain to them that they are saving on the packaging used to buy vegetables at the store and on the gas needed to transport them.
4. Teach them about our animal neighbors. Show your kids that people aren’t the only ones who need a clean and healthy environment to thrive. Take them outside to look at insects, birds, and fish in the pond, and explain that the things we do impact their lives.
5. Set a good example. Your kids follow your lead as a role model in their lives. Practice what you preach and show them that you care about the environment.
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