happy green day!

It's Earth Day! This year, more than any that I can remember in the past, there has been a lot of attention and focus on Earth Day in the mainstream - retail, media, internet chatter. I can personally say that I understand many non-Americans when they wonder why every day isn't Earth Day here in the United States. I often wonder that too. Just looking at Japanese and European lifestyles, I'm still surprised where we are today. We're slow to the party. But I feel like we're warming up quickly.

For me personally, I have always been a recycler. My mom has always had a productive garden. But moving into my loft three and a half years ago, I started taking other greenie causes more seriously. I don't know what it was about living here - perhaps the smaller foot print, the attention paid to green building, the lack of storage space leading to creative lifestyle changes, me and my social circle simply paying more attention to our surroundings, I'm not sure. But I know that I have taken many new (to me) principles to heart. And I know I have a long way to go.

This year, I'm making several Earth Day commitments to myself, my community and our planet. Are they revelatory? Perhaps not. But if this blog ever has a message it is that you can start anywhere, anytime and feel good about it. There's no measurement for your success as an individual, eco-freak, or what have you, other than the satisfaction you take from taking baby steps and moving forward at your own pace. No one's looking for a radical lifestyle change off the bat. But, as I've learned, once you start paying attention and learning the basics, it's awfully tough to turn away.

So Earth Day, for me, is about celebrating my own steps forward, assessing where I am in my journey, and putting some actionable goals out there in front of me for the coming year. This isn't just a day; it's a commitment. Mine happen to be:

1. continuing my education about food - I've been shifting focus to sustainable, local, organic and intend to keep moving in that direction
2. figuring out how to bring composting to my neighborhood (all condo and apartment dwellers...so this is a challenge)
3. making my own non-toxic cleaning products wherever possible
4. getting smart (and then reducing)my own carbon footprint - figure out all of these PCs, appliances, and the car...and use them in a cost- and energy-efficient manner
5. paying attention to the ingredients list on my skin care products and cosmetics
6. supporting local farmers, retailers, service providers through things like the farmers' market and the 3/50 project (a fun blog - new to me - that is written my a local fella and former colleague: http://www.simplegoodandtasty.com/)

Happy Earth Day everyone. Won't you give some thought to what you might do?