Happy Earth Day! Here are 10 things you can do to help our planet without sacrificing your current lifestyle! By Dr. Nicole Rothman www.DrNicole.com
1. For any product you use, make it a non-toxic one and choose brands that use recycled materials for their packaging. Everything we spray, wash or clean with gets into our air, water and soil. You're going to buy laundry detergent, body wash and cleaning supplies, might as well choose greener ones.
2. Bring your own bags when you go shopping - especially food shopping. Most of these reusable bags cost about $1. Most of mine I have gotten free from various companies promoting themselves. Put them right back in your trunk so you always have them for the next time you go shopping.If you forget and get plastic bags in the store, make sure to recycle them. Next time you go shopping bring them with you and drop them off to be recycled, most stores have a drop-off right near their entrance.
3. Recycle and reuse anything you possibly can! Most communities make it easy for us and even provide free recycling bins. Make it a rule in your home and kids love helping with this. Reuse glass bottles and jars for food storage instead of plasticware. No need to throw these away! They can even be used as a flower vase! Don't throw things away that can be donated to a local charity. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Get creative.
4. Water your plants with leftover water from cooking or unfinished cups of water. Find small ways to conserve water in your home. The water you save can really add up! Many studies show it is actually healthier to shower every other day rather than every day. This conserves tons of water a year. Make sure to wash the body parts that release toxins daily - you know which ones they are - underarms, groin...
5. Don't litter. We would think everyone knew this by now but people constantly throw garbage out of their car windows, including gum. There is a fast food restaurant near our office and I am shocked to see people actually leaving their garbage right in our parking lot. Try your best to leave things in their natural state (not just the beach - even parking lots should be unlittered!)
6. Make your own water instead of buying bottles of water. Get reusable glass or BPA free plastic water bottles and fill them daily with your own water system. www.water-revolution.com/drnicolewater for great ways to make your own water in you home - making your own water save tons of money too and is healthier than any water you can buy in a bottle. Water bottles are a major problem for our landfills. Please recycle them if you do use them.
7. Purchase from companies that care about sustainable practices. If you were to choose between 2 types of chips for example, pick the one who grows all of their food sustainably and that truly cares about human health. Sustainable farming matters and so does buying food in it's most natural state- not man-made. So GMOs are a bigtime NO. Organic is best for you and our planet too! Pick local if you can familiarize yourself with the local farm that you are getting your produce from. Sustainable farming practice are gentler to the earth. Supporting those companies is a great way to help our planet.
8. Stop wearing perfume! Perfume contains synthetic chemicals and is toxic to you and everyone you come into contact with. It is a pollutant to our planet. Switch to essential oils. There are great businesses that will even mix your own custom scent just for you! This may be a bit of a lifestyle change if you are used to dousing yourself everyday but worth the switch. Perfumes are known to disrupt your hormones, have been connected to headaches and even cancer. Just like second hand smoke from a cigarette, you impact our air quality and also affect the people around you.
9. Choose a non-toxic mulch for your yard. Buy ones made without chemicals and dyes. Earth friendly eucalyptus mulch even wards off bugs naturally.
10. Pick plants for your home that do well in your region's environment and therefore require less water and care. Here in florida, orchid and bromeliads and great for beautifying and never need to be watered because they live off the humidity in the air. Most of them come in a lovely planter so you don't even need to plant them! I like to tie them to my palm trees. Once they attach themselves to the tree you can remove the twine. Plants create oxygen for us and help replenish our ozone layer. Plant as many as you can!
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
Dr Nicole Rothman
Rothman Family Chiropractic
399 B Winchester Park Blvd
Boynton Beach, FL 33436
