Do you celebrate Earth Day?

[Erin C]

I tend to buy a tree every Earth Day, but this year money is extremely tight. So, I need to brainstorm. Do you have any ideas?

- Erin C.

[Judy]

Hmmm...do you have any spare lumber around the home? Perhaps instead of buying a tree you could build an outdoor composter? Maybe spend the day moving some plants around (dividing and replanting)? I plan to go around the house a collect all toys that cannot be recycled, which my boys no longer play with, and donate them to a local shelter for other kids to enjoy.

Maybe do a big spring clean throughout the house using green cleaning products. Vinegar and baking soda is a staple in our home.

Judy

[Emily HW]

You don't need spare lumber; you just need to go to a bookstore! I know that at Borders we are constantly getting pallets in with our books and most of the time wait for someone to take them away. I would suggest asking for four pallets, as they are PERFECT for a compost!

[elsie]

Ooooh thanks for the pallet tip ... that is the perfect hot-burning fuel for the annual backyard syrup-making that we are about to embark on. Pallets are becoming harder to find all the time here in the northeast as more people try to supplement oil/elec heat w/wood. We used to pick them up free everywhere and most businesses don't leave them lying around anymore ... so hope you don't mind if I steal this idea!

Oh and as for trees ... I know you usually have to buy em in bulk ... but you might try looking online for those little spruce plugs. We usually get one at the state fair every year for $1 ... for our someday Christmas trees.
Edit: OK, just did a bit of rsch. ... checked out Musser Forests and did a search for "spruce plugs" and check out the wedding tree ideas. This is a common wedding favor thing. They're a bit more than $1/plug ... you can get 6 for $18.

[Emily HW]

Also, if you donate money to the Arbor Day Foundation, they send you free trees! My dad did this on a whim this summer, and was surprised to find 10 free trees in his mailbox. :-)

[Amy J.]

Usually the kids and I go for a hike at our local park, though last year it was rainy and cold so we stayed home :( I haven't thought much about what we will do this year, but this post has got the ball rolling for me. We really do need to do something about our recycling bin. It is an old laundry basket that sits on the back porch and we throw all paper, glass, etc in together. Then when we take it to drop off, we have to sort everything out. I would like to have some kind of managable system, small bins or something that we can decorate, one for each type of recycling. It sits on our back porch so I want it to look pretty!