Green Day Give Away!

In honor of the Green Day St. Patty's Day. I've decided to do a give-away! This is going to be FUN! We're all GOING GREEN! There are many things we can do to help clean up the one and only Earth we have and make it a better/cleaner place for generations to come! Here are some ideas that I thought seemed quite simple to adapt into anyone's life

*Avoid Fast Food: Most fast food is overpacked and most fast-food companies are responsible for producing mountains of trash. By avoiding fast-food you'll not only help to reduce this waste. You'll also be avoiding this unhealthy food!! BONUS!

*Change a light bulb: Replace your standard light bulbs with a compact flourescent one. This will not only save energy but it will also give you more light for less money! BONUS!

*Close the Refridgerator Door: Leaving this open for even a few extra seconds wastes a lot of energy. Decide what you want BEFORE opening the door.

*Don't buy Aerosols: These cans cannot be recycled...which means they'll end up in the dump somewhere. In addition to that, some of their ingredients contribute to air pollution.

*Eat Organic Produce: Organic produce contains far fewer chemicals than other produce. It's better for your health and definitely better for the environment! The chemicals get washed off of farmers' fields and end up in rivers and streams, where they pollute our water. Eat REAL food!

*Elect "Green" Candidates: During election campaigns, ask candidates about their position on the environment. Try to ask specific questions that relate to situations in your community--whether they support a mandatory recycling program, for example, or whether they plan to get tough on polluting companies.

*Feed the birds: Birds need water to drink and foot to eat. Feeding birds not only brings a bit of nature to your backyard, it also helps rid the yard of many kinds of bugs. you can hang a birdfeeder from a tree or place it outside your window, or build a birdbath in your yard from which the birds can drink water.

*Keep the car at home: You've learned by now that automobiles are one of the single biggest sources of pollution. Most driving trips are under five miles, and you'd be surprised how many are under one mile. Try walking, biking, skateboarding, roller-skating, or taking the bus.

*Reuse a bag: Some people believe that bags made of trees--paper bags--are less harmful to the earth than bags made of chemicals--plastic bags. The fact is, making both types of bags creates a lot of pollution, and both paper and plastic bags use a lot of resources. So neither is much better than the other. The best solution is not to use any bag at all, or to bring your own bag. Some people carry a canvas or mesh bag they can use over and over. If you must use a paper or plastic bag, don't throw it away. Try to use the bag over and over--as many times as you can. You'll save one mile's worth of petroleum for every 14 plastic bags you don't use. Not to mention cut down on pollution-we throw away over 30 billion one time use bags each year.

*Turn off the lights: This is such a simple thing to do, but sometimes it's so hard to remember! Consider starting a Lights-Off Fund, to which each person must donate a nickel or dime every time he or she forgets to turn off the lights. As those nickels or dimes add up, you might donate them to an environmental organization.

*Slow Down: Slow down to cut costs and cut carbon! Slowing down from 75 mph to 65 mph will drop your highway gasoline consumption 15 percent.

*Check your tires regularly: If everyone took 30 seconds to inflate their tires to the proper pressure we would save 200,000 barrels of oil a day!

*Slow the Flow: Take shorter showers, turn off the water while you brush your teeth and shave, and run washing machines and dishwashers only when they're full. If you wash dishes by hand, fill the sink or dishpan with water, rather than running the tap continuously as you scrub.

Here's what the give-away IS...

A free car candle AND room spray of your choice from Scentsy Here's how you win...

To win this fabulous 'good smellin' prize, just leave a comment on my blog between now and March 23rd at 10:30 p.m. (MST)

Of course you can increase your chances to win by taking the challenge. Post on YOUR blog a simple goal that you will do or change to go a little more GREEN. After you do this, come back and post on my blog a second time (of course, let me know what you committed to do) and this will DOUBLE your chances to win. I'll put all your names (twice if you take the challenge and comment a second time with your goal) in a hat and draw out a name. The winner will be announced on March 24th via 'the blog'

Here are the things that I will commit to do:

#1) I'm going to buy some canvas or mesh bags to take with me to the Grocery store. (If you know of some good ones that you love, please let me know. I'm on the hunt)

#2) I'm going to try to drive slower to save on fuel

#3) I'm going to try to walk to church! (This is a BIG one for me!)

#4) Turn off the water while I brush my teeth

#5) And quit taking showers...ok just kidding...I'm going to take SHORTER showers

I can't wait to hear all of your goals!!! Good Luck!