Happy Earth Day!

To help create awareness for today's special celebration for our beloved earth, I've listed 5 things below on what we can do starting today (if you're already not doing it) to help protect and save our earth :)

1. Walk, carpool, ride your bike or take the bus to school and work. Now if you live in Jacksonville, FL like I do.. walking and riding your bike probably won't cut it for you since everything around here is so spread out, but carpool if you can :) Save $$ on gas while you're also saving the world with less carbon emissions and less smog!

2. Turn off the water faucet while brushing your teeth. I have a bad habit on forgetting to do this, but I'm really trying to remember it! Ladies, here's another good thing you can do while brushing your teeth and if you want awesome calves--while brushing, flex your calves by standing on your tippy toes. While saving the earth, you're also toning your muscle calves :)

3. Turn off lights and appliances/electronics when not in use. Besides, this will also save you tons of $$$ with your electric bills. Open the windows if it's nice outside--save your AC from constantly blasting cool air and eating up your dollar bills at the same time. I've learned this one trick while living in my home country, The Philippines. Put a bowl of cool water by the window, and this will help bring cool air flow inside your house :) Now, I can't explain to you any scientific reasonings behind it, but trust me--it works!

4. Cut up the clear plastic rings attached to your six-pack drinks! You never know, those may end up in our rivers, lakes, oceans, and so on. Birds, turtles, fish and other wildlife can get stuck on those and die or get deformed. It takes five seconds or less to do.

5. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Just remember that Jack Johnson's song, "Three it's a magic number...Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" next time you're going to the grocery store. Bring your own eco-friendly bags when grocery-shopping. Sometimes, I do use the plastic bags because I like to use them for my wastebasket at home, which is reusing! Another thing I do to reuse is when printing something, I save the paper that I don't need anymore and use the blank side for future use when printing again (unless of course, it's the important documents for my clients). Recycle your inkjet cartridges--most office supply stores will reimburse you $3 for each recycled cartridges.

Definitely have a recycling bin! It saddens my heart when I'm at somebody's house, and I see aluminum cans and glass bottles being tossed in the trash can and not getting recycled. Contact your city hall and request for for a blue recycle bin if you don't already have one and find out when the Recycling truck comes by your neighborhood for pick-up.

Jacksonville, Florida residents, apparently the city no longer provides blue plastic bins. We have been advised to place recyclables in brown paper bags (no plastic bags, please) if you do not have blue plastic bins. Or go to your nearby recycling center.

Confused on what to recycle?? Check out this PDF Recycling Guide provided by the City of Jacksonville :)

Since I never post without any pictures, here are a few from our Alaskan Cruise trip back in Summer 2008. I think I'm adding another "R" to the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mantra...and that woud be "RESPECT!"

Respect our earth and help preserve the beauty that God had given us :)

Thank you and Happy Earth Day!

XOXO