Annual Earth Day Pledge

The month of April, and the approach of Earth Day always makes me think of what new challenge I should take on to minimize my eco-footprint, and help save some small piece of this wondrous planet we call home.

In years past I have taken on challenges such as; minimizing household trash to one kitchen bag per week (did it!), replace all household products with their eco-friendly and bio-degradable cousins (done! *insert Shaklee sales pitch*), and build a successful compost.

This year I am contemplating this topic from my front porch of our new home in Wake Forest. Our home is nestled in the woods on over an acre of beautiful wooded land. The natural treasures that surround us on a daily basis amaze me, and often leave me silently grinning ear to ear.

Just yesterday the kids came running in to let me know they found a box turtle in the yard. Later in the afternoon a lone doe wandered around our yard, munching on the long, un-mowed grass.
We have a nesting pair of wrens in the wreath on the front door. We have to go out the side door to not disturb them.

I adore these woods. I love living in such close proximity to complete wilderness. It makes my heart happy to see my children climb the trees, make leaf piles, identify the snakes with their new "Snakes of North Carolina" book, and play in nature until the sun goes down.
This year I have decided to, among other things, pledge to make my yard a Certified Wildlife Habitat® through the National Wildlife Federation.

With the addition of another water source (one bird bath is not enough), some native shrubs, and a couple of bird houses, I should be right where I ne
ed to be. If you want to try, just check out the National Wildlife Federation's website for more details!

Additionally, I aim to complete a chicken run and chicken coop to incorporate some partially free range chickens into our landscape. As much as I want to add a bountiful vegetable garden to the list, we do have an abundance of deer here, and I really don't want to fight them. They were here before we were. With a few planter boxes on the porch and some herbs in the kitchen window, I will stay calm and garden on.

Stay tuned for updates on all these projects, and other topics as random as my life! Be green and Be good!

Earth Day Party 2014

My two greatest passions in life are my children and protecting this planet that we all share. Earth Day has become the one great day each year where my two passions combine into a party of care and fun.
I love planning this party with the kids and I love that they are absorbing what I teach them about being responsible earth citizens.
Last years party was a huge hit with kids and adults. I do it mostly for the kids, but if the adults can have fun and get even a slight spark of enthusiasm to do good, I'm all the more pleased. This year the party will be at our new home in Wake Forest. We still don't know alot of people here, but I am inviting all the kids we know so far- and then some. I feel more challenged here then I ever did in Denver.
It seems that in Denver in particular, people are exceptionally green minded. I was so pleased to find that many families actually celebrated Earth Day. Almost everyone we met were strict recyclers, urban homesteaders, solar powered home owners, Prius driving, responsible citizens. It  was easy to be green in Denver.
New locations mean new challenges, and I dear venture this guess; North Carolina (rural in particular) is not the crunchy cousin of its Colorado relative. Judging by the state of the road sides around here, I can almost conclude that recycling programs are not just under utilized, so is the trash service. Challenge accepted.

I hope to throw a super fun and educational Earth Day party for our new friends, and I sincerely hope we can encourage at least one new green light bulb to go off.

Stay tuned for updates!

And yes, there will be Dirt Cake.