Earth Day 2014

Celebrate Earth Day! We only have one Earth.  Tread wisely and be kind.

Every year on my blog, I post new Earth Day resolutions to do my part in conserving resources, reusing, recycling, reducing, buying organic and buying local.

With our new life in Santa Fe, I am happy to report that Mr. SBQ and I have significantly reduced our fossil fuel use by walking to work.  After living in car-dependent Atlanta for so long, it is wonderful that Mr. SBQ walks to work everyday and I walk when I do not have to work until the store closes (I still don't feel safe walking alone late at night even though Santa Fe is much much safer than metro-Atlanta.)

We also walk to downtown, the post office, the pharmacy, the library, out to dinner, to the farmer's market, and many other errands.  It's wonderful and good exercise and a money saver too.  Hooray for walkable cities!

Another one of my favorite things about living here is the Santa Fe Farmer's Market.  A highlight of my week is walking to the market on Saturday morning and buying the freshest seasonal produce directly from local farmers.  Trying new foods, supporting family farms, buying local, buying organic, eating seasonal foods--all of this makes me happy happy happy.

This year, like many cities and communities around the country, the city of Santa Fe enacted a plastic-bag ban.  We already use our own reusable bags for shopping, and I think I'll start make some more fold-up fabric bags for out-of-town guests to use out of my fabric stash.  Cloud 9 Fabrics has a wonderful tutorial for fabric bags with matching small zippered pouch (and a giveaway) on their blog today.  

My new goal is to learn more and do more with water conservation.  Water is a precious and scarce resource in New Mexico and I want to do my part with water conservation.  I'll report back next year and let you know what I learned and how I incorporated it into our daily life.

Happy Earth Day from Michigan!

Hi everyone!  Happy Earth Day from the Great Lakes State!  I'm here visiting family, especially my little niece Mackenzie! She liked her quilt and knew exactly what to do with it--hug it lol.  I'll have photos next week or I may try to post via iVan the iPhone. 

For now, reduce, reuse, recycle and bring your favorite mug to Starbucks today for a free coffee.  Yum!  I have a travel mug I keep here in Michigan so you know I'll be stopping by the local SBux for some coffee. 

Earth Day 2010!

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day!
Earth day started on April 22, 1970, when 20 million Americans participated in a grassroots environmental movement led by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. This outpouring of concern and involvement was the catalyst for important environmental legislation in the U.S. For more on the history of Earth Day check out Wikipedia here. Every year I resolve to do something more "green" to help the planet. What are your resolutions this year?

If you need some ideas, check out this guide to energy efficiency and this guide to 12 things you can do for a healthier planet both from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Looking back to last year's post, I am happy to report that I am doing everything I said I would do! Bird feeders, a bluebird house, and compost bin are in the yard. I'm planning my "Recession Garden: Year Two" garden now and also planning new ways to conserve energy, money, and resources as I transition into working one job.

I am also looking forward to cooking more at home since I'll have more time. Fresh foods, more veggies, and buy (and grow) local and organic is my mantra for this year. Can you tell I've been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution! Love that man!

I have also tried to influence my coworkers at Starbucks to be more green and I am sure they will be happy not to hear me say "stop wasting cups!" all the time. But really, it has worked :)

Love the planet--it's the only one we have!

Earth Day 2009!

It's Earth Day! How cool is this Moda Earth Day logo? It reminds me of Catherine's fabulous quilting at Quilt Obsession.

As I posted about earlier this month, my Earth Day pledge this year is to help out my local songbirds by setting up bird feeders. I may look for a nice birdbath too; something other that a large concrete one that is easier to clean. I am trying to talk S. and E. into building some birdhouses too.

Other "earthy" things: a new compost bin for spring and I am seriously considering building some raised beds for a vegetable garden. I just need a few more hours in my day to fit in some gardening. Anyone know where I can find them????

Last year, my pledge was to use "bring your own totes" or go without bags altogether every time I shop. It makes me crazy when I buy one thing and the clerk wants to put it in a plastic bag. I also started using natural wax paper bags for sandwiches and stuff. I buy mine at Whole Foods and they are great! Of course for quilt shops, I have my "Bad Melisa Bag".

What are you doing for Earth Day?

Someone please call Alfred Hitchcock

I am getting an early start on my Earth Day pledge this year. After reading an alarming article about the loss of songbirds in the US, I decided to get some bird feeders and help my neighborhood birds (what's your pledge?). It took a couple of days, but word has gotten out among the local birds and the birds are happily feasting at the bird feeder. I don't know a lot of bird species but so far I have seen: chickadees, brown thrashers, mourning doves, cardinals, blue jays, tufted titmice, Baltimore orioles, squirrels (not birds but happy to eat fallen seed), and a bird I have never seen in person (bird?) before.... a goldfinch (excuse the poor photo through window that has yet to receive spring cleaning). Well it started out with one goldfinch..

and then I saw two.... cool, I have never seen goldfinches before and now there are two...

well a week later.....

there were FIVE at the feeder today and I swear they were munching for over an hour. Where did all these goldfinch come from? I've never seen them around before. Now that just kinda reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock.