Healthy Choices We All Can Make

The first Earth Day in 1970 started what we know today as the modern environmental movement; the event mobilized people of all ages across the country and put our environment's health firmly on the national agenda. It led to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of pioneering legislation to help protect our planet’s precious natural resources.

Today’s pressing environmental issues, including global warming, pollution, deforestation, and vanishing species, demand serious attention on an international scale. Yet now — more than ever before — we as individuals have the power to make small changes that, added together, can have tremendous impact. From the products we buy to the transportation we use, and even the foods we eat, the choices we make can preserve the Earth’s health and, in turn, take care of our own.

Here are some healthy choices we all can make:

Eat organic
Organic farming keeps potentially harmful chemicals out of our air, water, soil, and food. It conserves natural resources and helps slow global warming. By eating delicious organic food, you support farming that produces safe, healthy food while protecting the environment. At Earthbound Farm, every day is Earth Day — caring for the environment is the foundation of our business.

Bag your own
More than 100 billion plastic shopping bags and 10 billion paper grocery bags are thrown away in the US each year — but if every household in the country used their own canvas tote for just one shopping trip a year, we could save about 60,000 trees. For more hints on green shopping, visit the World Wildlife Fund’s Center for a New American Dream at www.ibuydifferent.org.

Change a bulb
Compact fluorescent bulbs are as bright as incandescents, but they use only 1/3 the energy. Changing just 1 bulb in every household in the US would reduce air pollution as much as taking 1 million cars off the road for a year. You'll find lots more ways to be energy efficient at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star website at www.energystar.gov.

Turn it down
Turning down your heater thermostat by just one degree saves a lot of money — and over 800 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Taking a shower instead of a bath uses half the water (and costs a lot less to heat). Washing your laundry in cold water saves money and still gets it sparkling clean. People around the world are creating opportunities to “think cool” with energy-saving choices. Check out Global Cool’s site at www.globalcool.org.

Use green energy
Energy production from fossil fuels produces huge amounts of pollution. Renewable energy sources, like wind, water, and solar, can produce energy with far less environmental impact. Call your local utility about switching your power to certified renewable sources. To learn more about verifiable green energy, visit the Center for Resource Solutions’ Green-e program at www.green-e.org.

Offset your own footprint
Creating some carbon dioxide is unavoidable. The Personal Climate Change Calculator at the American Forests website, www.americanforests.org, lets you calculate your personal carbon dioxide emissions and offers a way to offset the CO2 you can’t eliminate by planting trees that will absorb it. Since 1999, Earthbound Farm has planted trees with American Forests every year to offset greenhouse gas emissions from our energy use. To date, we’ve planted more than 450,000 trees, which will absorb about 150,000 tons of CO2 during their lifetimes.

To learn more about Earth Day and ways in which people all over the world are taking action to protect the environment, visit the Earth Day Network.

Earthbound Farm’s unwavering commitment to organic farming reflects our concern for the health of people and the environment. With a few healthy choices — like eating organic — you can join us in making every day Earth Day!