- tip of the day
- Make Earth Day Every Day
- got a minute?
- Check the water safety at your favorite beach. An annual report released by NRDC, Testing the Waters, rates the 200 most popular U.S. beaches. The most recent installment concludes that beach water quality is not improving. Not only does every coastal state suffer from polluted and contaminated beaches, but those problems resulted in more than 20,000 closing and swimming advisory days in 2008 alone. Unlucky beachgoers can suffer infections, rashes, stomach flu, hepatitis and worse. Before heading off to the beach, check out the Testing the Waters interactive map to see how safe your favorite beach is.
- got a morning?
- Keep fish safe from nurdles. Recycle plastic bags. You can help to reduce the bioaccumulation of toxins in fish by keeping plastics out of the ocean. Make it a point to bring your own bags every time you shop. Recycle plastic bags responsibly. Check earth911.org for nearby drop-off spots. And urge your city council members to ban the local use of plastic grocery bags--as San Francisco, a top-ranking Smarter City, has done.
- got a month?
- Get involved in your town's environmental planning. Attending city council meetings is a good start. Your first step should be to determine if your city has a comprehensive environmental policy that is embedded throughout city departments, as it is in Madison, Wisconsin. You can see an example of such a policy here. Should you find that your city doesn't, contact officials with a draft text, and write to your local newspaper urging that one be implemented. If you have the time, identify stakeholders in your community who might be enlisted for support, particularly if they would feel impacts from such a policy. The more community members you can ally with, the more likely your ideas will be acted upon.
- more info
- For more tips on making Earth Day everyday, visit http://www.simplesteps.org/.
