Contact: Pamela McCurdy, Pamela.mccurdy@state.mn.us, 651-757-2559
St. Paul, Minn. — The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. More than one billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
Before this year’s Earth Day on April 22, check out these ways to participate and live a healthier and less expensive lifestyle all year round.
- Review your garden supplies. Check supplies of herbicide and other pesticides, fertilizer and other items. Are they old? Almost gone? Never pour any of these down the storm sewer drain, toilet or sink. Nor should you ever dump them on the ground or throw them in the trash. To find a nearby household hazardous waste facility in Minnesota where you can dispose of them properly, go to /udgx572. Many counties take these items without charge.
- Thought about composting? Yard trimmings and food scraps make up a sixth of the average household’s garbage. By composting, you can convert organic wastes — yard trimmings, leaves and many kinds of kitchen scraps — into a dark, crumbly mixture that you can use to improve your garden soil and reduce your use of fertilizer and water. Learn how at /nwqh59b.
- Tired of junk mail? The average person spends 30 hours a year handling junk mail. Stop it at the source. Go to http://www.reduce.org to find phone numbers and Websites you can use to remove your name from junk mail lists.
- Sign up for a monthly Living Green newsletter with seasonal tips to guide you through the year: go to http://www.livinggreen.org.
- Recycling isn’t just for cans, bottles, paper and a few plastics anymore. How about mattresses? Holiday lights? Carpet? To learn how you can recycle unusual materials, keep them out of landfills, and benefit Minnesota's economy and environment at the same time, go to http://www.recyclemoreminnesota.org.
- Develop a reusable bag habit. Did you know that more energy is used to produce paper bags than their plastic counterparts? Making paper bags also requires a lot of water, not to mention trees. The production of plastic bags is also environmentally unsound — they’re made from oil (An estimated 12 million barrels of oil are needed yearly just to produce the plastic bags used in the United States.). Challenge yourself to carry a reusable bag on your next five shopping trips; for more information, see /yhiz55a.
- Reducing runoff from driveways and yards is critical to keeping pollutants out of lakes and streams. Using methods such as rain gardens, make sure that rainwater soaks into the ground rather than runs off. If you prefer, capture rainwater for watering your yard and garden. Either way, stormwater runoff is reduced and our lakes and rivers stay clean. See tips for capturing rainwater at /dm0r597.
- Buy products made of recycled materials. Some are less expensive and some are not. But all of them use recycled materials rather than new raw materials. A good source of information is the Minnesota Recycled Products Directory at /r0pg77b
