LETTER: Think environmentally every day in honor of Earth Day

From Sarah Young
Solid waste coordinator, McLeod County
Earth Day is April 22, a day to reevaluate how we live and make decisions, to consider how we can make a difference, and to act and live these considerations to make a difference in our lives for the betterment of the environment and our communities.
We do not live in an isolated community. The things we do and don’t do affect more than us and our immediate environment. For example, when one chooses to dispose of household garbage by burning in a burn barrel, toxic pollutants and carbon dioxide are emitted into our air. Those toxic pollutants travel on the wind settling onto soil and surface water and continue to travel up the food chain. Through crops and livestock these toxic pollutants affect a greater population. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which, once released, enters our atmosphere and contributes to global warming.
So use Sunday, April 22, to think about how you and your family can improve our greater community, Earth, and to consider one, a few, or all of the following environmental acts of kindness.
Be energy savvy. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps. CFLs use 60 percent less energy than a regular household bulb. Because CFLs are fluorescent bulbs, they contain mercury (a neurotoxin) and must be recycled to keep the mercury out of the environment. Programmable thermostats can better regulate your home (or business) temperature. You can program variable temperatures throughout the day to reflect when you are or are not home. Increasing your thermostat temperature in the summer and reducing it in the winter a few degrees can also save you money and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Recycle and compost. By recycling you can conserve up to 90 percent of the energy used to create new products as opposed to new products made from virgin material. Buy recycled products to support your recycling efforts. Products made from recycled material not only save energy, but also natural resources. Compost your household organics and properly dispose of items which cannot be recycled or composted.
Buy green. Call your local utility plant and ask about buying green power. Increasing the use of renewable energy sources decreases carbon dioxide and mercury emissions. Choose green cleaning products. Products containing less toxic chemicals emit less harmful fumes into your home, improving indoor air quality.
Be a smart shopper. Buy products with less packaging and made or grown locally. These choices reduce the amount of waste generated, resources used in production, and fuel used to transport. Supporting organic products reduces the use of toxic pesticides and the soils retain carbon dioxide better than non-organic soils.
Upgrade and unplug. When considering a new (or used) car purchase, buy a vehicle that gets more miles per gallon than your previous vehicle. Consider a flex-fuel or hybrid vehicle. Keep your tires properly inflated and keep up with regular maintenance to give your vehicle its best chance to stay fuel efficient. Buy appliances and electronics that are energy efficient and unplug or turn off household items when not in use. Items such as chargers continue to use energy while plugged to the wall or power strip, whether or not the item it is meant to charge is attached.
For more information or ideas on how you can make a positive difference toward the health of our environmental community, visit the following Web sites: www.earthday.net, www.nrdc.org, www.climatecrisis.net, www.livinggreen.org.
Or call McLeod County Solid Waste Management for local waste reduction, disposal and recycling information at (800) 335-0575.
Have a happy Earth Day!