13 no-cost ways to celebrate Earth Day in ten minutes or less

1. Turn your thermostat down two degrees and keep it there. And turn it off altogether tonight, heaping on the blankets (and snuggling!) if necessary.

2. Send Happy Earth Day e-cards to a half dozen friends.

3. E-mail your state or national representatives about a green initiative you are passionate about.

4. If you're in the supermarket, track down the manager and encourage him or her to source local products.

5. Make signs to put on the mirror over faucets as a reminder to turn off water when you're brushing your teeth. (You can save an average of nine gallons every time you do this.)

6. Cancel subscriptions to newspapers or magazines you don't really want.

7. Go online to CatalogChoice.org to free your mailbox from junk mail.

8. Call several people or log on to erideshare.com and arrange to carpool for an upcoming event, club meeting or party.

9. Go online and join a group like Sierra Club or World Wildlife Fund

10. Make a pledge to walk everywhere today.

11. Talk to your school or work about instituting a waste-free lunch policy.

12. Check to see that your tires are correctly inflated. This improves your average MPG by over 3%.

13. Play a role in bird and resource conservation by taking the "Healthy Yard Pledge" at Audubon.org.


Earth Day events and volunteer opportunities: 

http://www.epa.gov/earthday/events.htm
 
http://earthday.envirolink.org/ 

http://www.earthday.net/earthday2009


About the authors: Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are the mother-daughter team "changing the world, one celebration at a time. Their book, Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family is the go-to source for greening special occasions year round. For tips, crafts, recipes and more, check out www.CelebrateGreen.net.