Doing some random act of kindness to the earth doesn’t have to be time consuming, costly or wierd (talking to budding flowers is totally optional).  Hear are my 5 Easy Pieces for Earth Day (Jack Nicholson would be proud):

1)      Green Electrons – even if you can’t put a windmill or solar panel on your home, you can still put more of these renewables into the grid by signing up for green energy on your electric bill.  Look at your next bill and check the box for renewable energy – you will be paying a small surcharge (roughly $5 per month) to bring more wind, hydro, and other renewables onto the grid.  It creates the demand that increases supply and tilts the balance towards a renewable future. 

2)      Home energy Audit – invite CL&P over to audit and weatherize your home – it’s a $500 to $1000 house call from the energy doctor,  but its toally free if you have natural gas or electric heat.  Great for the pocketbook and the planet. 

3)      Recycle Your Sneakers – bring your worn out running shoes, basketball high tops, cross-trainers, tennis shoes or other kinds of athletic footwear (no cleats, spikes or walking shoes) to Wolcott School in West Hartford (Wolcott Road off New Britian Ave).  Any brand, any time of day up till about 11 PM for the next month.  Your worn out sneaks will be turned into running tracks and other kinds of athletic fields as part of Nike’s-reuse-a-shoe program. 

4)      Change your margins and save trees – the next time youre in word – or whatever word processor, notice that the default margin in 1.25 inches.  Studies have shown that millions of trees a year can  be saved if we all narrow our margins to 0.75 inches on either side – changethemargins.com – show you care about the environment through your narrow margins

5)      Make your own green clearner out of common household items like vinegar, water, borax detergent, dish soap, baking soda and essential oil.   

Extra bonus features – ride a bike, eat a veggie dinner,  hang out your laundry, take mass transit, do organic lawn care.   

I always thought my car was my biggest carbon footprint.  I’ve been surprised to learn that my house and even my diet can be a bigger source of greenhouse gases.   Animals give off hot air balloon-full quantities of methane, a highly heat trapping gas.  The more vegetarian, and in fact vegan, you are, the less is your dietary carbon footprint (see Tofu recipe book elsewhere in these blogs to take a great big leap into the world of low carbon diets).  AND, our houses - heating, cooling, lighting, laundering, drying, hot water, appliances - you name it and almost everything we rely on - yes, even the garbage disposal - has a significant carbon footprint.  But if you sign up for  a CL&P home energy audit, you can find out where you are wasting energy and money and make your home cozier at the same time.  Its such a no brainer, I’m even having it done at my house in June.  Go to the CL&P website and send in the form - within a day they called me back to arrange the audit at my West Hartford home.   They spend several hours intoducing you to those mischievious gaps and cracks that make your house an energy sieve.  And they weatherize while they are thre.    The best part - its totally a free service if you are a gas or electric customer.   So sign up for your pocketball and the planet.

Recycling your worn out sneakers is super easy - bring them to Wolcott School in West Hartford (on Wolcott Road, just off New Britian Ave).  The sneakers will be turned into running tracks and other play surfaces as part of the Nike-Reuse-a-Shoe Program.  Wolcott School will have a drop spot in front of the school for the next month.  Rubber is important to get out of the waste stream so recycle your sneaks.