Lighten Your Footprint:

Top Ten Tips to Celebrate Earth Day!

     The month of April is generally a very pleasant time of year and people around the world celebrate the rites of Spring! We clear our gardens of last year's growth and make the ground ready for flowers and beautiful blooms. Spring is traditionally a time of renewal, cleansing, and preparing for the long days of summer.  

     Many people feel an energy shift during this time of the year. Days are longer and, with that, comes limitless possibilities about how and where to spend your time. It's a good time for a little introspection, breathing new life into your 2012 goals to help ensure that you will meet them.  

     Events are held around the world in recognition of Earth Day which was begun in 1969 in San Francisco, the City of St. Francis, allegedly, the patron saint of Ecology. Earth Day reminds us that if our carbon footprint is tiny, we may have some luck ensuring that the planet may survive the intensity of our desire for more "stuff."  

Here are your Top Ten Tips to minimize your footprint and celebrate Mother Earth!  

1. Take stock of what you've got. If you feel over abundant, or that you just may have too many of one particular thing, now's the time to decide: how much is enough?
2. Consider a donation to The Story of Stuff Project, or at least view their amazing 20 minute documentary:     The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard. 
3. Let the sun shine in! Clean the windows inside AND out, then shake out the curtains and wash them.
4. Spring clean with a friend! Ask your favorite pal to help you with a major cleaning of your space - top to bottom. Reciprocate. Repeat as necessary.  
5. Participate in Earth Day events in your community.   
6. Improve your recycling habits. Think about this: Per year, an average family consumes 182 gallons of soda, 29 gallons of juice, 104 gallons of milk, 26 gallons of bottled. That's a lot of containers.  
7. Cut down on household paper; organize bills online with Manilla.com  
8. Make this your new mantra: Less is more. Less is more. Less is more. Less is more.
9. Buy yourself an awesome travel mug for your morning coffee. Be sure to take it into the coffee place when you stop in for a cup!
10. Don't forget to take your re-usable shopping bags into the market. If you forget, kindly ask the person in line ahead of you to hold your place while you run to the car. It won't be long until you always bring them with you!

Upcoming Workshops!    

• April 21: California State University- Emeritus and Retired Faculty Association (CSU-ERFA): "De-Clutter 101" (check A Clear Path for details).    

• May 4: Santa Monica Older Adult Task Force "Hoarding 101" 9AM, Santa Monica Public Library.   

• January 31, 2013 (teleseminar): The Mind Mechanics of Clutter: Sort the Mess with Six Mindful Steps.