RESPECT THE EARTH

Celebrate our Earth! Celebrate Life!

April 22nd is officially Earth Day but really EVERY day is Earth Day!

Earth Day 2006 theme was "climate change solutions campaign" and that could not be more timely or more important as we learn about global warming, the impact it is having and simple steps we can make today to affect a healthier tomorrow. 

Global warming is real.  The theme is a strong reminder of our importance in the world and how our choices today will affect our future and the future of our children.  We have an impact on the health of our planet, our future, and a strong, healthy world for our children.

Celebrate Earth, Protect our Planet and our Future.  Here are ten things we can do now to take control and slow down global warming.  Even just keeping it from dropping one degree will be safer for us.  Once we stop overburdening our world, we can work with Mother Nature to correct it.  There is no longer time for delay in this critical issue. 

1. Go Organic - Savor life!  Eat organic!
   • Organic foods are grown (or made from foods grown) without synthetic pesticides, chemicals, fungicides, herbicides, or petroleum-based products.  Certification is an arduous process that takes a minimum of three years.  Organic means that the food is not genetically modified, irradiated or bio-engineered.  Organic foods are grown in harmony with nature.  Organic Beef, Chicken, Dairy, and Eggs are grown without hormones or antibiotics, are fed grass or feed not treated with chemicals, and have a better life with more room to move.
   • Fossil fuels are used in the creation of pesticides and fertilizers.
   • Pesticides used in conventional farming kill pests, true, but they also kill off helpful microorganisms in the soil.  These microorganisms work to keep harmful carbon in the soil.  Conventional farming therefore causes even more greenhouse gasses to be released into our atmosphere! 
   • More fossil fuels are used to truck in pesticides to control pests in conventional farming.  Pesticides and chemicals deplete the natural health of the soil.  Therefore more chemicals are needed to fertilize the soil.  This is a vicious cycle.  Fertilizers must then be trucked in to enrich the soil.  Fertilizers are particularly heavy on fossil fuels.  Organic farming uses up to 60% less fossil fuel per unit of food.  Conventional farming uses far more fossil fuels and creates far more animal waste and therefore more carbon emissions than grass-fed and organic farming which work with nature. 
   • Conventional farming destroys forests.  They are plowed down to create room for conventional farms (which add more greenhouse gas to our atmosphere.)  Forests help balance the carbon emissions so this is a double-wammy.  Further, pesticides and chemicals seep into our water systems and destroy our delicate balance and harm our food chain causing even more destruction and harm to our planet.
   • Pesticides kill off the nutrients in the soil.  Broccoli today from the conventional farm is actually less nutritious than it was twenty years ago.  Organic food tastes better.  It just does.  It is more flavorful and with a richer color which means more antioxidants!  Organic food has more nutritional value!  After all, if you’re going to eat Brussels Sprouts because they’re good for you, shouldn’t you make them count and maximize the vitamins and minerals?!
   • Pesticides and chemicals have been linked to the growing cancer rates and disease. Why is it that when people get cancer and other disease the doctor recommends an organic diet? Logically, therefore, we can prevent these diseases with a healthful organic diet. Less pesticides and chemicals have been found in the bodies of those who eat primarily organic foods. This is particularly important for growing children.  When we feed our children, we feed our future. Teaching our children the importance of protecting their health and making good choices when we are not with them is an important concern for every parent. Be particularly cautious of the conventional fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticides.
   • Children of conventional farmers are exposed to unsafe levels of pesticides so by choosing organic we are supporting a healthier environment for children in farming communities everywhere in the world. Fair trade practices surround many organic farms as well so the farming communities are paid a fair wage for their work and don't employ slave labor (common in conventional chocolate production!) so they can therefore create a better future in the lives of their children.
   • Locally grown organic farming is closer to home using less gasoline in transportation so choose FLORIDA whenever possible.  Eat seasonally - it tastes better and is more cost effective too!
   • Organic farming is more difficult (and therefore the foods are sometimes more costly) but by choosing organic, we support balance in our world and a healthy future, we support a stronger immune system and a healthier body.  When you consider the money we spend (through taxes and personally) on fixing the problem (doctor visits, medicines, cleaning up the planet, the real ramifications of global warming) we can't afford to buy conventional.  We can't afford to sit by and support the big companies who care more about their bottom line than our health, the health of farm workers, and the health of our planet.  Organic food is better for our bodies, better for our families, and better for our earth.
   • Not necessarily organic, though grassfed organic is best, always choose pastured poultry and meats.  Pasture reduces topsoil erosion by as much as 93 percent.  Grasslands works like forests to help "eat" the carbon emissions in the environment and keep us in balance.  Since the animals are not eating grain, corn, and soy, less crops are necessary to be devoted to those (and those are the biggest crops!) which means less conventional crops.  And let's face it, cows make a lot of poop.  By working with nature, pastured animal poop is "recycled" unlike in feedlots so there is less waste accumulated.  See EatWild for more.
2. Use Less Gas
   • Getting a new car?  Try a hybrid!
   • Carpool.
   • Walk, bike or take public transportation when possible.
   • Drive less.  Plan errands so they can be run together or do them online (like grocery shopping!  and let us deliver to you; it's more efficient to deliver to many in one neighborhood too so help us spread the word!  Plus, your delivery fee is waived for each new person who places an order for delivery so you save too!) instead of running around.
   • Make sure your vehicle is at it's best - proper tire inflation can increase fuel efficiency and get a tune up!
   • Drive slower and lessen idle time to burn less gasoline.
   • By doing these things, we will also impact our lives today - less asthma, less smog, less air pollution - these things impact each of us, our loved ones, friends, people throughout the country, wildlife - therefore, making these changes will give us a better quality of life and better health today, and a stronger future!
3. Save Electricity
   • Turn off the lights when you leave the room. 
   • Use windows and natural sunlight or dim the lights.
   • Use energy efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.  They cost more at first, but last so much longer and use a fraction (1/4) of the energy of regular bulbs that they are efficient in every way! (If every family replaced just one bulb, it would have the same impact as taking one million cars off the road for a year!)  Mercola also offers full spectrum bulbs.
   • Make sure your air conditioner (and heater for those in cooler climates) is efficient and running well - clean your air filter, clean vents and close unused vents.  Make sure windows and doors are sealed. Program your thermostat to be efficient during the day in regulating cooling and heating in your home and office.  Adjust the temperature a degree or two.  Ceiling fans can help.
   • Keep your refrigerator and freezer running efficiently by cleaning the condenser coil, keeping it in a cool place, getting an energy efficient model, make sure seals are tight, and adjusting the temperature (if you have it too low) just one degree warmer.
   • Use the energy conservation setting on your hot water heater.  Insulate it and the pipes.  Turn it down one degree.
   • Unplug battery charges for cell phones, batteries, electric toothbrushes, etc.  Just taking off your phone will not work to reduce the electricity, best to unplug the base, the charger itself.
   • Turn off your computer and unplug it or best to just turn off the power strip that powers your computer, screen, printer, and other electronics.
   • Turn off your computer monitor when you walk away or set it to turn off automatically under the power settings in your computer.  Turning offer your screen when you leave will save considerably more energy than simply using a screen saver.
   • Don't pre-rinse dishes for the dishwasher and run a full load.
   • Unplug your toaster and other kitchen electronics.  When items are plugged in, they are still pulling energy so unplug it don't just turn it off!
   • Run a full load in the washer, use cold or warm (not hot) water.  Hang clothes outside to dry.  If using a dryer, turn it off when the clothes are dry instead of over-drying clothes.
   • Go Solar!  Using renewable energy can save the planet and your pocket book.  There are monetary incentives in Florida to go solar.
   • Purchase Carbon Offset Credits. HOWEVER, buyer bware. Where there is money to be made, people will look to profit and the carbon credits have spawned a new line of con artists that truly believe they are doing good but are taking most of the money you spend for themselves. They create a site and sit back while you give them money. They pray on our guilt for using too much energy and not having enough time or money to make the other changes to offset our energy guzzling lifestyle. In many ways, Carbon Credits are more of a guilt tax, we feel better about driving our SUV when we pay some money to an organization that is allegedly going to offset our evils. Like paying penance for our sins. But all we're doing with many of these organizations is simply lining someone else's pockets. Be careful which company you choose, some are legitimate and will put the money toward alternative power research like solar, water, and wind power, but some are just web site fronts where the money goes to the creator of the site and very little goes toward research. Instead, make the small changes you can make and work to lessen your footprint on the planet yourself.
   • Turn off the TV and share time outdoors.  Earth Day correctly coincides with TV Turn Off Week, April 24-April 30, 2006.  With all the latest studies of how television can affect our children and cause ADHD (ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and teachers are seeing it in epidemic proportions) this is a perfect week to turn it off.  This celebrates:
     • Earth Day,
     • TV Turn Off Week,
     • Our Children,
     • Saving Electricity and Protecting our Planet from Global Warming,
     • Time with Our Families,
     • Our Future!
4. Plant something - Plants purify the air. 
   • Plant a garden!  This is a perfect time to work together as a family and teach children about the earth! 
   • Plant a tree in a spot to lower cooling costs from the shade it provides. 
   • Use heartier plants in your landscaping; those that need less water. 
   • Plant flowers in a group and use mulch to keep moist.
   • Plant an herb garden, indoors or out. 
   • Create a safe lawn for our children to play and animals to live; mow and water conservatively.  Instead of chemical fertilizers or pesticides on your yard, find eco-friendly ways to make a beautifully lush lawn.
   • Choose Organic Flowers to show you care about the recipient and the environment!  Protect the earth, protect wildlife, protect flower farm workers and their family, protect your special someone and send a colorful smile their way for Earth Day!
5. Conserve Water- Don't let hot water and money run down the drain.  Fresh, clean water is a precious commodity.  Don't waste it.  Teach children to appreciate it.  Don't let the water run as you brush, and teach children to turn it off while they brush.  Use environmentally friendly cleaning products.  Keep hazardous cleaning products off our land and out of our waters. 
6. Compost or Disintegrate instead of adding to our landfills! 
7. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. 
   • Recycled items are created using less energy than creating the item from raw materials. 
   • Support companies that recycle and use recycled packaging. 
   • Buy things that use recycled packaging, buy recycled items, recycle them yourself too.  Delicious Organics offers plastic plates made of recycled plastic, that are reusable, and are recyclable.
   • Buy products with compostable packaging like those made of corn.
   • Be creative.  Make art projects out of materials you would normally discard. 
   • At Delicious Organics we recycle cardboard boxes, aluminum cans, glass, paper and plastic.  We reuse boxes and ice packs and coolers.  We reduce by reusing.  We do most things online to use less paper.  When we do use paper, we use recycled paper.  We even reuse our boxes that arrive full of organic goodies.  Every one of us makes a difference.
8. Avoid Processed Foods
   • Packaging creates more waste and uses more energy.
   • Preparing foods is a great way to spend time with family and friends.
   • Packaged foods are less nutritious too, so making meals yourself with real food is better for your health, your family and the environment.
9. Share information and activities about the earth and our environment with others.  Teach children by example and do projects to help them feel like they can and should have an impact in this issue.  There are lots of ideas and activities online.
10. Live More Simply but more Richly
    • Be less of a consumer, buy what you need and look at how an item is packaged and if the company cares for the environment in the way they do business. Packaging of products uses ridiculous amounts of resources. Once we open the package, all that packaging is then directly put into the trash. I can't be the only one amazed at how difficult it is to open a package of new toy for my child. And during the holidays the trash bags are full of all the excess packaging plastic and paper. Buy less stuff especially stuff that is packaged in all that stuff.
    • Buy products made in the US (less fuel used to transport product to you)
    • Minimize purchases of plastic products - choose recycled plastic products and compostable or recycled and recyclable packaging , wooden toys (preferably from sustainably harvested wood) that will last longer, glass containers that can be reused and recycled.
    • Enjoy time with friends and family - cook together!
    • Donate items you don't use. 
    • Recycle what you have. 
    • Buy less. 
    • Buy quality. 
    • Buy in bulk.
    • Join the March against Global Warming

Each and every one of us makes a difference.  Our choices impact our health, the lives of people living in farming communities, our children, our earth, our animals, our world, and our future.  Each of us is an important part of a healthy future. 

Additional Links for more tips and ideas:

• Kids Domain – Earth Day 
• Earth Day Network
• Take the Ecological Footprint Quiz to see how you impact the world's Global Warming 
• Earth Day Energy Fast
• Activity Book - What to do with kids without TV
• Go Organic for Earth Day
• Live Earth
• What You Can Do: Go Carbon Neutral
• Happy Earth Day!  Happy TV-Turn Off Week!  Happy Future!
• The Story of Stuff, Tides Foundation & Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption

Get the book:

An Inconvenient Truth

by Al Gore

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of  Delicious Organics, Inc., unless otherwise noted. Articles are synopsis of our opinions based upon research we've done on these issues and we retain copyright to all information and articles contained herein.  We've provided links for further research and encourage you to make your own opinions based upon the information we provide as well as any information you find contrary to our opinion.  We see this site as an easy summary of the many issues we research and a good starting point for you to use.  We encourage each of us to continue researching and learning more about how we can live a better and healthier life in a cleaner and stronger world.  We DO it for ourselves, our children, our environment and our future.