Mother’s Day is nearly upon us, and many of us will spend the day showing our love for our Moms and Grandmothers. On this day we might also want to honor and show our love for the mother we all share — Mother Earth.
Since we can’t take Mother Earth out to brunch or send her flowers, how can we show our appreciatio
n? Remembering Mother Earth and showing gratitude can take a number of different forms. Here are a few simple steps you can take to show your love for Mother Earth:
Plant a Tree
Trees are probably the most effective way to remove carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air, and they do this for the many decades (and sometimes centuries) that they live. When you plant a tree near your home, you might also benefit from the cooling power of the tree’s shade during the summer months so you won’t need the A/C as much which will help save energy.
Walk More (or at Least Drive Less)
Try to conserve fuel by doing some of your errands on foot, rather than driving all the time. If that’s not practical, then at least make plans to do as many of your errands as possible in a single trip, to reduce the total number of miles you have to drive.
Check Your Tire Pressure
Take a few minutes to check the inflation levels of your car’s tires. Even running your tires a pound or two under the recommended pressure can significantly reduce your auto’s fuel efficiency. As an added benefit, properly inflated tires will last longer than underinflated tires, so you’ll save money and won’t have to get rid of your old tires (and buy new ones) as often.
Replace Your Old Light Bulbs
If you haven’t done so already, go around your house and see how many light bulbs you could replace with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs. Today’s CFL bulbs are virtually indistinguishable from incandescent bulbs in terms of brightness and warmth of light. Although compact fluorescent bulbs are initially a few dollars more expensive than traditional bulbs, they will end up saving you many times that amount over because of the reduced energy usage and their longer lifespan.
Turn Down Your Air Conditioner
Springtime warmth and summer heat are rapidly approaching, so many of us will start to use our air conditioners more frequently – perhaps every day. Raising your thermostat by even a single degree can make a huge difference in your household energy consumption, and in your carbon footprint.
Perhaps the thing to keep in mind is that we don’t need to wait until the second Sunday in May to let our moms know how much we care, nor do we need to wait for a specific day to show our love for Mother Earth. We would all be better off demonstrating our affection for both of these moms every day of the year.