earth day.

Earth is nice place to live and due to my legitimate my fear of outer space and the concept of infinity, I have no intention of leaving. (trust me watching George Clooney float away in Gravity really solidified that preference). HE IS STILL DRIFTING. Seriously upsetting.  

Here is the thing, I really like earth the way it is and I want my great great great great great great grandchildren to really like it here too. With most aspects of life, it is easy to get caught up in a routine. We buy, we consume, we throw away. We drive and we demand avocados. (probably always will...they are delicious). 

However, Earth Day is the perfect time to check in and reset our routine. This isn't about going vegan and buying a pair of Birkenstocks (not judging if you do). Making little changes every year adds up to a big difference. So this Earth Day, I thought I would share a few of my favorite ways to do that: 

Get Informed. If nothing else at least make yourself aware. I use Recyclebank to learn about all kinds of ways to be a better person to the planet and you earn points for cool stuff like Dicks Sporting Goods and Target. 

Go Local. Learn what you can about local businesses and how they are working to support the environment. Great Lakes Brewing Company is an amazing example of this. They have a huge push for sustainability and established the Burning River Foundation to protect our greatest resource, Lake Erie. Support businesses that care. Let them know you care that they care. Got that? Plus you get to drink beer. Everyone wins. 

The Three R's. Are you instantly transported to 7th grade science class when you hear Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? Me too. The cool thing is, that's still true and such a good mantra to keep in your mind as you go through your daily routine. Reduce how much meat you eat. Buy previously used items by taking a trip to the Flea. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Recycle everything you can. Cleveland has plenty of drop-offs for recycling and some cities even give you curb-side pickup. Compost like the Rust Belt Riders.

Enjoy it. Need some extra motivation? Go for a walk or bike through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Cleveland Metroparks. Appreciating what we have might make you think twice about how you take care of our little, tiny planet it is just a speck in that big, scary, infinite outer space. It's a good place to live and personally, I would prefer to keep it that way. Happy Earth Day, Cleveland!