Green Daily

You may feel a little burned-out on earth-friendly holidays this week, but that's no excuse not to commemorate the original plant a tree day -- Arbor Day was established in Nebraska City in 1872. You can put off the actual digging in the dirt until this weekend, we won't tell. The only thing you have to do today is decide what kind of tree would work in your designated area. That's easy enough, right?

The Arbor Day Foundation has a whole site to help you identify a good tree for your space. Do you need a round tree or a columnar one? What grows well in your climate? What's the best tree for a DIY tree attack? You can even get 10 free trees if you join the Foundation. Personally, I hate joining stuff, so I'll just head to the local plant nursery. Still, a 6-month membership is only $10 -- that's $1 per tree -- not a bad deal.

It's been a busy day here at Green Daily. Just in case you didn't catch everything we were covering today, here's a quick review:

We're asking...

• How well do you know your planet?
• What shade of green are you?

We're giving away...

• American Earth, edited by Bill McKibben
• Louisiana Market Sac
  
• Planet Earth DVD

We announced...

• Disneynature's new film, Earth
• Top 10 excuses for not going green
• Boston Red Sox celebrate Earth Day in style
• 10 endangered and at-risk species

And we made the following suggestions...

• We can't save the planet without big business
• Earth Day tips for students on a budget
• Easy tips for greener laundry
• Visit these destinations before they disappear
• 5 ways to start going green if you haven't already
• Celebrate Earth Day digging in the dirt!
• Earth Day crafts for kids

I'm not one to tout consumerism as part of green living. But I'll go a little crazy since it's Earth Day and what's Earth Day without shameless promotion for the sake of our planet?

My favorite mainstream green retailer, alongside my local health food stores -- yes, plural -- and farmer's market is The Body Shop. Of course they are touting themselves today. The company has been around for for 32 years, dare I say much longer than most who have jumped on the green bandwagon? They use recycled packaging (although they lose points for abandoning refill service several years ago.) They claim to promote energy efficiency throughout the company's corporate offices and incorporate a green philosophy into the design of new stores. Plus, the company has made a commitment to being a Carbon Neutral retailer by 2010. They also support community trade and Farm Aid.

Basically, shopping there is about as conscientious as you're going to get in the mall.

With all of today's talk about going green and saving the planet, it might be a good time to check in and find out -- just how much do you actually know about this planet you're supposed to be saving? For instance, is it 400 million years old, or 4.5 billion? What percentage of the Earth is covered by water? (Hint: it's more than you think.)

If you think you're savvy about the planet, take our quiz to test your skills. Or, even if you don't know the first thing about Earth and its inhabitants, you'll still take away a host of fun facts that you can use to impress your friends. Check it out!

Yesterday Disney announced a new green initiative -- just in time for Earth Day. But while some organizations are "going green" by recycling paper or planting trees, the entertainment mega-giant is taking being eco-friendly one step further -- by creating an entirely new, green-focused company. Called Disneynature, the new production banner promises to "go to the ends of the earth to produce major big screen nature documentaries."

As Earth Day transmogrifies from funky hippie-fest into mass-marketed secular holiday, there's been a lot of hand-wringing about business jumping on the eco-bandwagon. After all, isn't it the greedy corporations who mucked everything up in the first place with all their smokestacks and oil spills and whatnot? There's an idea that saving the planet requires shunning the ugly corrupt world of money and power, and focusing on composting our poo and planting herb gardens in old hub caps.

Unfortunately, that idea isn't just wrong, but dangerously so. As individuals, we lack the resources, (and generally the willpower) to do what it's going to take to slow down the oncoming freight train of environmental disaster. That's why this is the time to form partnerships, not draw battle lines; time to embrace the occasionally fumbling but often well-intentioned efforts of the corporate world.

If that sticks in your craw, consider the fact that unless you're living Unabomber style, you and yours have been sucking at the teat of big business for decades anyway, sticking your head in the sand as the planet got ripped apart in the quest for consumables. That's why you've got an iPhone and a freezer full of Lean Cuisine, while about a billion people around the planet are casting a hungry eye on the family goat.

I think the Earth might have been speaking it's mind about its Day over the last couple of them in the Washington, D.C. region. Boy, did it ever rain on whatever parade may have been planned. And I just feel the need to pile on a bit. Turns out, the Earth very well might have been testing us. And we very well might have failed.

First, it's great to think that some might be inspired to make changes beginning today that impact our planet in less harmful or even beneficial ways. It's great that some might learn a whole lot about doing that via this web site and blog posts from me and my various colleagues who contribute to Green Daily 364 days a year plus today. But there's tomorrow too. And the next day. And every day after that.

The efforts we write about aren't about celebrating a day. They are part of a way of life that will preserve our planet for our children.

Now that going green has entered the mainstream, designers around the world are working hard to create "eco-chic" clothing -- looks that are fashion forward, but don't add to the current strain on our planet's resources. Here's a few ways you can get in on the trend.


Timeless, vintage clothing is not only stylish, but is also a great way to reduce the amount you consume. But "reusing" clothing from previous generations, you look good, and do your part for the planet. [Read more]

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This sounds like some uncomfortable, itchy (and probably ugly) concoction fashioned from hemp (or tree bark, or something) -- but it's totally comfortable, totally sexy, and totally guilt free! [Read more]

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Almost all the products Moo Shoes offer are made with animal free, sustainable materials like hemp. And even their shoes that are synthetic are at least 80% biodegradable. [Read more]

I, Ring Madam for the Earth Day Activity Portal, present to you activities around the United States that put you in actual contact with--wait for it-- the EARTH!

Ta Da! Thank you, thank you.

In Utah at the Diamond Fork Youth Forest you and yours can plant willows and shrubs as well as reseed trails. The event takes place on Saturday, April 19th from 9 am until noon.

Check out Green Mom Finds for eco-fabulous living, read up on green products for you and your kids, and fall in love with these super-cute green kids' tees!

Earth Day is not just for grown-ups! Kids can not only participate in many of the great community activities with you, but it's a great opportunity to sit down and spend some time with your children, both learning about what Earth Day is all about, and having fun celebrating the day.

Here are some fun crafts that you can do, together with your kids!

Now that there's a greener option for practically every facet of your existence, the hardest part of making a difference can be simply finding the right place to start. And even then, those little, everyday changes (like turning off the AC at night) -- while theoretically eco-friendly -- don't feel very satisfying while you sit in your uncomfortably warm house watching polar bears die on CNN.

So maybe it's time to get focused, and take a challenge. For the past eight years, the EPA's Energy Star program has been running its Change a Light, Change the World campaign, and to date more than 1.6 million Americans have pledged their support, switching out their traditional light bulbs with more energy efficient compact fluorescents. Now, in honor of Earth Day, the organization is building on that success, launching a new challenge called "Change the World, Start with Energy Star."

We had so much fun with our last Planet Earth DVD giveaway that we're doing it all over again! In honor of Earth Day, we're giving away one more copy of the the Discovery Channel's fantastic Planet Earth series of nature documentaries, narrated by the legendary David Attenborough.

To enter, just leave a comment before 7pm Eastern Time today, Tuesday, April 22nd, letting us know how you're celebrating Earth Day this year. We'll select the winner at random and notify them via email. Here's a quick recap of the details:

Check out Green Mom Finds for eco-fabulous living, read up on green products for you and your kids, and fall in love with these super-cute green kids' tees!

What better way to learn about the environment, and Earth Day, than with a book?

Below, you'll find a gallery of books picked just in time for your kids, for Earth Day. You'll find everything from books about "Eco Babies" to books for preschoolers and books for teenagers. They all look neat, and I think the winner of the coolest eco-title, might be Michael Recycle!

Enjoy!

More for parents

In the United States it seems we vote with our pocketbook, even if that means we vote on borrowed money. While the supermarket checkout doesn't tally how often we vote for organic milk or refills of soap, companies would like to know whether their green logos are resonating with consumers.

That explains the Buzzback Market Research survey of UK and US consumers on their environmentally friendly habits. Pre-Earth Day they asked about what people buy, what they recycle and what they turn down. It appears that both the lovers of the Queen and the lovers of the Dollar also love energy efficient light bulbs and recycling paper , glass and plastic.

NASA is a bit of an environmental paradox. On the one hand, they're in the business of blasting holes in the stratosphere with massive rockets, not to mention littering the final frontier with busted spy satellites and dropped astronaut screwdrivers. They even left a car on the moon.

On the other hand, without data from all those satellites, we'd be missing a huge amount of invaluable info on deforestation, global temperature changes, and other issues of enormous environmental significance. On balance then, I'd say that NASA are basically eco-good-guys, a judgment which will no doubt cause the space honchos in DC to breathe a sigh of relief that they've escaped my righteous green wrath.

Anyway, NASA is stepping up to the plate for Earth Day this year with events at centres all around the country, where media and the public can meet scientists and researchers, ask questions, watch presentations, and listen to panel discussions. If you want to know the whens and wheres, check out details here.

For folks who don't live near one of the locations, the space agency is adding Earth Day related features to their website, including pics of the ten most outstanding Earth views taken by astronauts on the International Space Station. If still photos don't do it for you, NASA TV also will also be running an hour-long High-Definition TV broadcast of Earth views taken from the space shuttle and the ISS. The program can be seen Monday April 21 from 6 am to 8 am EDT, and will also run in Standard Definition at the same time. For more info, go to the NASA TV website.