Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours.  One glass bottle.  Think of the possibilities of that.  That’s amazing.  Think about what you can do…and do it!  Recycling requires virtually zero effort, but has such a huge impact.  You can recycle, starting today.   You can make a difference.  Starting right now, you can make a difference.  I always say, responsibility builds character.  Not to mention, being eco-cognizant is totally hot! 

It’s Earth Day.  It’s an attempt to bring cognizance to taking care of the planet. 

It’s a day to recycle.  It’s a day to change your light bulbs out for more efficient ones.  It’s a day to change the filter in your air conditioner.  It’s a day to plant a tree.  It’s a day to conserve water. 

Whatever you do today, make sure you do something for the planet.  Then continue that habit tomorrow.  And then the next day.  And so on.

Been wanting to compost to reduce your garbage output, create soil for your garden, and save the planet’s eco system at the same time?  Composting can be daunting and, admittedly, make a huge mess of your backyard. 

Luckily, The Earth Machine does this for you in one contained unit.  And, what makes it even better is the deal they have worked out with Hamilton County Environmental Services.  They are offering a one day only sale on The Earth Machine for $35, (regularly $100.) 

They will have two sale locations, one at Cincinnati State Technical College and one at Princeton High School.  The sale will be on Saturday, May 8, 2010 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

If you aren’t lucky enough to live in Cincinnati, contact your county’s local environmental services and ask them about The Earth Machine.  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwhU-KT_Iqo

The average American consumes five times more energy than the average global citizen or 10 times more than the typical Chinese.

If the typical Chinese consumer used as much oil as the average American uses, China would require 90 million barrels per day—11 million more than the entire world produced each day in 2001. 

Source:  Worldwatch Institute

Way to impress the pants right off of us, Los Angeles!  

Los Angeles is going to start a new pilot program with RecycleBank that will compensate households for recycling!  The hope is that the city’s recycling rate will go up from 65% to over 70%.

15,000 homes will be eligible for the program and the contents of their tagged bins will be weighed and recorded each week. Depending on the weight, residents earn points that they can redeem at businesses like CVS, Bed Bath & Beyond, and El Pollo Loco.  The total tally can reach the equivalent of $400 a year per household!

Super-impressive initiative, LA!  Cincinnati…take notes!

Daryl Hanna:  www.DHLoveLife.com

Alicia Silverstone:  www.TheKindLife.com

Adrian Grenier:  www.Shft.com

Gwyneth Paltrow:  www.Goop.com

Leonardo DiCaprio:  http://www.leonardodicaprio.org/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKhNcKT_mTo

Consider this: Every day this month, get rid of one thing each day. Not having a lot of “things” is crutial to preserving resources, and removing the extraneous just makes life better.

• Recycling
• Wind Power
• Solar Power
• Composting
• Alternative Transportation
• Pollution Laws
• Organic Gardening

Did you know that plasma-screen high-definition TVs can use nearly twice as much energy as their LCD screen counterparts, and more than three times as much as the standard models?  TVs account for 4 percent of our energy use nationally.  With plasma screens, that could reach 8 percent or more before the decade is out.