Happy Earth Day - Mother Nature's Birthday

by Texas Homesteader ~
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Happy Earth Day, y’all! By now most of you know earth day is April 22nd each year. It’s a special day to highlight being kind to our environment.

Many people celebrate by doing something good for Mother Earth. Some pick up trash on the beach, some plant trees, others figure out ways to live more gently on this big, blue planet we call earth.

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Really, every day is earth day for me. I love to tiptoe lightly on our earth. But it’s still fun to celebrate the day. I look at it as Mother Nature’s birthday!

Are you looking for simple gifts for Mother Nature? Here are some of my faves.

Reduce Plastic

There are so many ways to reduce plastic in your kitchen. I prefer to use Glass in the refrigerator instead of plastic food storage systems where the lids ALWAYS get lost. LOL! I typically save back nice glass jars that come with my food, or reuse canning jars.

And I’ve shunned single-use plastic water bottles in favor of a water filter and my favorite reusable *Glass Water Bottle. I just think water tastes better in glass anyway.

Watering Spike Using Repurposed Bottles

I have *Watering Spikes that are made of terra cotta. Water goes into the spike and deep into the soil. There the soil can draw the moisture as it dries out. And it uses a repurposed bottle for the water reservoir – oh how I love it.

Some styles use repurposed plastic water bottles but I found a glass bottle that fit mine and used it. And my *Larger Watering Spike takes a repurposed wine bottle. I picked a pretty blue wine bottle for mine.

Low-Cost or Free Mulch

This could be a gift for you and Mother Nature too! Adding mulch to your plantings conserves moisture. Less watering for you while your plants enjoy all the moisture they need. And there’s no need to buy the mulch in big plastic bags.

Often you can get Mulch for FREE through your county! The county saves by not having to haul that material to the landfill, you save by being able to take all you need for free. Win/win. All the good stuff, none of the bad stuff.

No-Spill Fuel Can

It used to make me wince when RancherMan would try to hoist that fuel can to the hood of my tractor & pour the fuel. There would always be a splash that would spill out as he was tipping the can into the fuel tank.

But since we found these *No-Spill Fuel Cans, nary a drop has been spilled.

Reduce Waste Brought Into Your Home

Sometimes the most wonderful gift for Mother Nature is what you DON’T BUY. Did you ever think about that? It’s easy to pick just a few things to do differently to replace something you used to buy.

What about that plastic razor you buy over & over again? (just to replace over & over again) Why not give a Safety Razor a try?

RancherMan & I each have a *safety razor that we’ve had for years and we love them. No more plastic disposable razors for us!

Reduce Chemicals

Homemade Cleaners are beyond easy to make yourself and require no new plastic spray bottles or containers and no chemicals brought into your home. I often have family members save back an empty spray bottle that would have just gone into the recycling bin.

What about outside? You say you have grass and weeds growing where you don’t want them? Don’t run to the store to buy toxic chemicals to deal with them. It’s super easy to whip up a less toxic weed killer with standard ingredients in your kitchen. Quick to make, zero chemicals.

Plant a Garden

You don’t have to go all out & plant a huge garden. Start small and expand as your confidence grows. Plant a tomato plant in a large pot on your patio and enjoy fresh tomatoes all season long.

Don’t forget to add a few herbs too. They’re pretty and you can harvest fresh herbs as you need them. Heck plant a whole edible landscape – many plants are beautiful enough to show off with the added benefit of feeding your family!

Learn To Make Foods You Used To Buy

This one is easy. And like the garden tip above, it’s not necessary to go all out at once. Start small and expand your recipe base as your confidence grows. Here are a few of the easier things I learned to make on my own.

Fuel-Free Cooking

When you’re ready to take that next step, have you considered a *solar oven? Oh man, I love mine! Here in the heat & humidity of a typical Texas summer I often cook our meals outside in my solar oven. No purchased fuel is necessary and no cooking heat in our home!

And of course Hanging Your Laundry on the line outside is a super-simple way to slash your energy usage too. And c’mon, is there really any better scent for your clean clothes than that fresh outdoor scent?

But there are lots of ways to use that free solar energy in your favor and you don’t have to buy a thing to use it.

You can use Passive Solar Principles in your home, or you can Make Sun Tea using only the power of the sun.

So as you can see, there are lots of eco-friendly things you can to to celebrate Mother Nature’s birthday. What are some of your favorite things to do for this special day?

~TxH~

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~Texas Homesteader~

Working To Provide For Ourselves On Our Homestead

How To Easily Celebrate Earth Day