Superhero Tips from the "Green Girls" - Saving the Planet One Lightbulb at a Time

This is going to be an extension to last week's post on Shopping Tips. The Maryville Farmer's Market that I showed some brochures from last week had a Green Day on this past Saturday, so I have a lot of lovely pictures of the Keep Blount Beautiful Booth (Blount is the county we live in)

as well as some from the kids activity booth (with Maddie as always posing like a super model!). I'd like to show some pictures from this wonderful event, share some of the information that I learned from the wonderful lady at the Keep Blount Beautiful Booth as we had a wonderful conversation.

• Some of the things that I learned are more about litter and how it affects our lives all the way around. It never occurred to me how closely everything is tied together. Check out the information at www.stoplitter.org for more information!
• Water! You all know how much I love to blog about water and what we need to do for ourselves and our children when it comes to clean water. Here's just a few tips taken from a Marine Litter Prevention Brochure: 1) Pick up litter around storm drains. Storm drains can carry rainwater and litter from streets directly into waterways. 2) Take children on a picnic near the water. Tell them why it's important to handle waste and litter wisely. 3) Find out if you, your group, or business can adopt a section of stream or river and pick up litter several times a year. Remember every little bit helps!
• Reduce, Reuse & Recycle!!!!! Here are 5 tips taken from another Keep Blount Beautiful Brochure: 1) Reduce product purchases. Do you need this item? Can you repair or reuse something you already have instead? 2) Make product selection carefully. Are you buying more than you need? Does this product have more than a singe use or is it disposable? Is this product made from recycled materials? Is it safe for the environment? 3) Select product in most responsible packaging. Avoid plastic or Styrofoam. Is packaging excessive? Is packaging recyclable? Bring your own shopping bag! 4) Give unwanted items to a friend or charity. What better way to start your recycling efforts! 5) Know what, where and when to recycle. For example: #5 plastic is recyclable, but there are no recycling centers locally that accept it. Check with your local recycling program to be sure of what they accept and where!
• And last but not least DON'T FORGET TO "CLOSE THE LOOP" and buy Recycled items and products in recycled packaging. When you buy recycled, markets are created and a use is assured for recyclables being collected in your community and in thousands of others. Manufactures will respond by continuing to use recyclables in their products.

And one more way to help the environment... Grow your own!!!! Here are some pictures of the garden, the grape vines and fruit trees on my in laws property. Don't think you have enough space for that kind of production? They live on less than 1 acre of land!

Maddie and her Grand dad picking beans and all the family "helping" Grand dad.

These grapes are looking pretty good! And Check out the pear? Don't you wish you had these?

And though it has nothing to do with being green, but we were animal advocates in this case. There was a baby bunny in Grand dad's garden! Maddie saw it first and when it ran to the corner to get away from us it got its little head stuck in the "rabbit wire."
If it wasn't for this sad little face full of worry for the baby bunny,

Grand dad might have released this bunny from his garden in a whole different manner. As it were, we got some wire cutters and I held his little backside and those kicking feet still so we could cut the wire without cutting him! The bunny LIVES another day to get back into Grand dad's garden and if he's lucky Maddie will be there again to show her sad little face!

Grand dad's hand in the first picture to show some perspective! This little guy was tiny!
We have only one Earth, let’s treat it with respect so our children can learn from our example and have a great place to raise their children.