5 Simple Ways To Continue Earth Day

Earth Day was on Monday and it got me thinking about the impact us humans have on the earth. We’ve modernized the world and made things a lot more comfortable and more efficient for us, so that got me thinking about the effect that we’ve had on the planet. It’s no secret that we pollute the world every day, but to offset that balance, I wanted to share with you 5 simple ways we can help conserve the planet.

1.     Use less plastic

Think of how many bottles you go through in a day, whether it’s soda bottles, milk bottles, water bottles, etc. They all add up. Rather than grabbing a plastic bottle while you’re at work or running errands, try to carry your own water bottle or glass.

2.     Conserve water

Water’s something we need every day, yet we take it for granted. We’re blessed enough to not have to walk to a watering hole to get our water every day. Here’s a few ways to help conserve water.

•       Pee in the shower…try to hit the drain and don’t think about it
•       Guys-stop up the sink while you’re shaving and rinse your blade in the sink, not under running water
•       Only use water to rinse your toothbrush and mouth after you’re done brushing

If you really want to take it to the next step, take showers like me granddad said they back in the day when he was in the Navy. You’ll definitely save water and time with this method.

•      Hop in without the water running
•       Wet yourself down (don’t until the water gets hot)
•       Turn off the water
•       Lather up
•       Rinse off

3.     Organize a car pool/use public transportation

This method may be a little more time consuming, but think of all the time you saved in number 2. Not to mention, you’re cutting down on the amount of exhaust entering the air every day, saving yourself some money on gas, and cutting down the need for oil.

4.     Cut down on energy consumption

Our lives are constantly in fast-forward that it seems like we always forget the littlest things. It’s as simple as turning off the light when you’re leaving the room. If you like to fall asleep with the TV on, put a sleep timer on it. You can also unplug electronics and cables that aren’t being used at the time. If you do these things, you may even see your electric bill get cheaper.

5.     Get involved

If you feel led to help preserve our planet, do something about it. I’m not talking about going vegan and joining Green Peace. It can be as simple as writing your Senator, State Representative, City Mayor, etc. about changes you’d like to see and give some solutions. Join a volunteer group that’s centered on environmentalism. You can even donate to environmental groups that you support.

An Easy Way to Get Out of Your ENO

We’ve all seen the cartoons where someone’s lying in a hammock and all of a sudden they get spun around really fast and shot out. Folks, it's possible and here's a "safer" way to do it.

Step 1

Lie on your back in your ENO and wrap the excess material of your ENO around your arms and legs. It helps to also spread your arms and legs outwards to create tension.

Step 2

Start leaning to one side. It might be tough at first, but keep going and remember to keep pushing outward with your arms and legs.

Step 3

This is where it can get a little nerve racking. Roll over. Everything in your body at first is going to tell you to stop and lay on your back. As long as you have the excess material of your ENO wrapped around your arms and legs and you’re still pushing outward with your arms and legs, you should be fine.

Step 4

Breathe. You’ve probably never been in this position before, so calm your nerves; you’re almost there.

Step 5

Carefully remove one leg from your hammock and let it dangle or set it on the ground, depending on the height of your setup. This helps you get an idea of what you have to do with your other leg. When you feel comfortable, tighten your arms and shoulders and remove your second leg and place it on the ground.

Step 6

Celebrate! You did it! Now you can go show off to all your friends and show them a new trick you learned in your ENO.

You can get in your ENO this way as well. All you have to do is follow these steps in reverse order.

A couple of things to note when you do this.

•      Start close to the ground when you do this
•      ENO says that you shouldn’t rig your hammock more than 18 inches off the ground
•    If you don't feel comfortable…Don't do it!

Here's a quick video of it all in one motion

Inspiration in Crazy Weather

It seems like most of the country is getting smacked with some sort of natural storm lately. We got nailed with a ton of wind, rain, and lightning on Sunday. As I was driving back from Jacksonville in a torrential downpour on parts of I-95, I thought back to when I was a little kid and how I loved playing in the rain.

Crazy I found this picture and saying online later that day. Anyways, I think it's very fitting considering the recent events and odd weather patterns.

Cars, Bikes, and Transportation

Have you ever come home from work, started prepping food for dinner or for the next day and found you’re missing that one ingredient? Yea, that happens to me every so often too. So what do you do?

You probably:

Get in the car

Drive to the grocery store

Park your car

Shop

Pay

Load the groceries in your car

Drive home

Unload

Then, you get to cook/prep again

That’s a long list to get a couple quick things. Not to mention, you’re putting unnecessary miles on your car, causing unnecessary harm to the environment, and wasting gas.

When something like this happens to me, I like to take my bike to the store. It’s a great way to get outside, get a cardio workout in, and do a small part in helping preserve the environment.

I do realize that this only works if you have to grab a couple things. If you’re going full-blown grocery shopping, by all means, drive your car. If you only need to grab a couple of those last minute things or if you have to go somewhere that’s a short distance, why not take a bike?

What do you think about using a bike to get to the grocery store or go a short distance?