Earth Day, Every Day: How to Be Environmentally Friendly in Your Neighborhood

The first official Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. More than 40 years later, we continue to try and educate ourselves about the value of conserving the Earth’s natural resources.

Back in the day, environmentalists were often ostracized as “tree huggers,” but today we all should embrace that designation. Liberal or conservative, the goal should be to protect our natural resources if we even want to think about a bright outcome for future generations.

A simple act of picking up trash, using reusable water bottles or bicycling to work all add up. Pretty soon we won’t need to label anyone an environmentalist since we all will have become one. Here are some tips to honor the Earth:

CLEAN UP THE EARTH—The Creek to Bay Cleanup is Saturday, April 30, from 9 a.m. to noon at over 75 sites in San Diego County. This year, the event's ninth, volunteers are asked to reduce their carbon footprint by bringing a reusable water bottle and their own bucket or burlap bag to use in order to minimize plastic bag waste. Volunteers will receive commemorative reusable work gloves. The event draws attention to the fact that 80 percent of marine debris is sourced by inland creeks, rivers and storm drains; therefore, inland cleanup sites are scheduled as well. Projects include graffiti removal, planting and invasive plant removal. Among the cleanup locations are: Carlsbad Tamarack State Beach, Leucadia’s Beacon Beach, San Elijo State Beach, Encinitas Moonlight Beach, Del Mar’s Powerhouse Park, Torrey Pines State Beach and La Jolla Shores. The past eight years have brought 27,000 volunteers together to collect one million pounds of trash. For information, visit creektobay.org

RUN FOR THE EARTH—The Earth Day 10k is Saturday, April 23, starting at 7 a.m. The race begins and ends at Cannon Park in Carlsbad. Fees are $20. Participants receive a custom Plant-A-Tree kit and eco-friendly, biodegradable ribbons. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers in the competitive division. Participants are asked to wear green and to carpool. For more information, visit EarthDay10K.com

EARTH ART—The Encinitas Library is hosting the exhibit Sacred Altars: An Environmental Art Show About the Things That Make Our Lives Worth Living. Thirty-one local artists will showcase their art, made with recycled materials. Altars include Dave Buchanan’s Suenos de los Pangueros (Dreams of the Fishermen), Nena Anderson’s Photographic Memories, and Janell Cannon’s After the Election. Opening reception is Saturday, April 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., with refreshments and live music. All are invited. The show runs from April 26 through June 6 at the Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Dr., Encinitas, 760-753-7376. For more information visit sacredaltars.blogspot.com/

EAT FOR THE EARTH—A healthy way to be friendly to Mother Earth is to practice a farm-to-table lifestyle.

• Shop at farmer’s markets: Locally produced produce leaves a smaller carbon footprint than food shipped from other states or countries. Local farmers markets include: Tuesday at UCSD, Town Square at Gilman Drive and Meyers, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. during the school year only; Wednesday and Saturday in Carlsbad at Roosevelt Street between Grand Avenue and Carlsbad Village Drive from 1-5 p.m.; Thursday at the UTC Shopping Center on Genesee Avenue from 3-7 p.m.; Saturday in Del Mar at 1050 Camino Del Mar from 1-4 p.m.; Sunday in La Jolla at La Jolla Elementary from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; Sunday in Leucadia at Paul Ecke Elementary on Union Street from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; and Sunday in Solana Beach on South Cedros Avenue at Rosa Street from 1-5 p.m. 
• Dine at farm-to-table restaurants: Many restaurants are embracing the fresh, seasonal menus inspired by the sustainable dining movement. We all enjoy dining out and some local farm-to-table choices include: A.R. Valentien at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, 11480 North Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, 858-453-4420, arvalentien.com; Nine-Ten at the Grande Colonial Hotel, 910 Prospect St., La Jolla, 858-964-5400, nine-ten.com; Market, 3702 Via de la Valle, Del Mar, 858-523-0007, marketdelmar.com; Blanca Restaurant, 437 S. Highway 101, Solana Beach, 858-792-0072, dineblanca.com; and Bistro West, 4960 Avenida Encinas, Carlsbad, 760-930-8008, bistrowest.com.
• Buy direct: Go directly to the source and get your food. Try Carlsbad Aqua Farms, 4600 Carlsbad Blvd. (Batiquitos Lagoon), Carlsbad, 760-438-2444, carlsbadaquafarm.com; Chino Farms, 6123 Calzada del Bosque, Rancho Santa Fe, 858-756-3184; Carlsbad Strawberry Company, Cannon Road and Paseo del Norte, and Aviara Farms, 1205 Aviara Parkway, 760-603-9608, carlsbadstrawberrycompany.com. Another option is to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) where local farmers deliver fresh produce to a designated pick-up location. 

PLANT THE EARTH—Rather than taking the Earth’s natural resources, plant conservation gives back to the planet. Using plants that are native to your area also helps cut back on water usage. And the lifestyle trend for backyard kitchen gardens is another way to really eat farm-to-table and reduce that carbon footprint. Planting not only helps provide oxygen and regulate the global climate, but isn’t it just nicer to see color in your garden rather than gray concrete? Many local nurseries can help you start your gardens, give tips on what plants are native to our environment, and have topical classes. A few include: Armstrong Garden Center armstronggardencenter.com; Sunshine Gardens sunshinegardensinc.com; Home Depot homedepot.com; and Weidners’, weidners.com. Another place to visit is the San Diego Botanical Gardens in Encinitas. Besides providing a wonderful green space for the entire family, the SDBG has demonstration gardens to show visitors how to plan their gardens—plus they have a lovely Children’s Garden. sdbgarden.org.

SAVING THE EARTH’S RESOURCES—Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Make these three R’s part of your everyday life.

• Reduce: Cut back on what you use. Simple enough. With the price of gas these days, it should be a no-brainer in planning to carpool, walk, bike, skateboard, take public transportation, or use energy efficient vehicles. Shop from home. Reduce paper usage by not printing so much. There’s no need to print out emails or every draft; save them on your computer or on flash drives. Get billing statements online. This should be easy with today’s technology. Don’t use so much energy at home. Remember to turn off the lights or other appliances when not in use. Keep your home at a moderate temperature. SDG&E has a number of ways to help cut back on energy consumption. sdge.com.
• Reuse: Bring your own shopping bags, not only to grocery stores but to clothing and department stores as well. Get a reusable water bottle. Print on the backside of used paper. Reuse plastic baggies (yes, you can wash them) and paper bags. (Better yet, reduce and use containers.) Save food scraps for the compost bin and use in your garden. Shop at secondhand stores. Not only are you cutting back on materials, it’s a budget saver. Part of reusing is to repair what you have. If you can fix it by hammering in some nails or taking down a hem, do it. Reuse water. Yes, save that water you waste while waiting for it to turn hot in the shower or sink and use to water plants or fill up your toilet when flushing. And when it rains, collect rainwater.
• Recycle: Recycling has become an everyday part of life. Remember to recycle plastic bottles, aluminum cans, paper, etc. Most public places have recycle trash cans—use them. And if you don’t see one, bring the item home where you know it will be recycled. Also, many schools and youth groups recycle to raise school funds, so help them out too. Terracycle runs one program, which turns drink pouches, candy wrappers and plastic cups into useable products like bags, coolers, bins and even fences. Your group receives funds based on the number of recyclable items sent in. To get started, go to terracycle.net.

Happy Earth Day, Every Day!