By Crystal Stevens
Eat local, organic and seasonal fruits and vegetables – know your farmer!
Join a CSA Farm.
Shop at your local farmers market regularly.
Grow a garden. Try growing and preserving at least 25% of your own food. Growing a garden can be super easy and highly rewarding. Container gardening is an option for those who lack space.
Shop at local mom and pop businesses in your area instead of big box stores.
Get thrifty: Shop at thrift stores. There are so many amazing treasures just waiting for a good home.
Use cloth bags! Keep a gazillion of them in your trunk so you never have an excuse.
Walk, bike or use public transportation: or sport a hybrid.
Ditch the chemicals. Use eco-friendly cleaning supplies. There are tons of recipes available at your fingertips for everything from DIY laundry detergent to DIY all-purpose cleaning spray. I use baking soda, vinegar and essential oils to clean. They are cheaper and safer for the environment.
Make your own body care products. You can make your own lotions, crèmes, soaps, lip balms, and even make up using simple and safe ingredients that are better for you and the environment.
Watch a few documentaries per month. Awakening The Dreamer, Food Inc., Hungry for Change, and The Queen of the Sun, are a few good ones to start with.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. These big three have been tried and true for many years.
Use Less Water. Instead of buying plastic water bottles, use a stainless steel reusable water bottle.
Buy tree free paper for your home and office. www.stepforwardpaper.com
Plant a pollinator garden to attract butterflies and honey bees. Landscape with native Flowers. Give edible landscaping a try or go with an environmentally responsible company such as www.simplysustainablelandscaping.com
Become a vegetarian or choose to buy meat raised on a bio-dynamic farm such as Live Springs Farm www.livespringsfarm.com
Plant a tree each year on your birthday and encourage your friends and family members to do the same. Plant fruit trees and perennial fruits in your backyard.
Volunteer on a farm, with Slow Foods STL, Sierra Club, with your local Stream Team, or any organization doing good for the community and the environment.
Spread the information with friends and family members. Start green teams at your office, school or church. Every little bit helps.
Crystal Stevens is a regular contributor to The Healthy Planet. She and her husband and family run the LaVista CSA Farm in Godfrey, Illinois. For more information about joining the LaVista Farm CSA, please visit online at www.lavistacsa.org.