Happy Earth Day 2014

What will you do for Mother Earth this Earth Day? The first Earth Day was in 1970 and from what I’ve read I understand we’ve come a long way since then but we still have a very long way to go.

Even in our town of Grand Marais where we cherish our water we can still do more. Within the last year something changed so we can only recycle #1 and #2 plastics. While many plastics are these numbers many aren’t and I find myself saving yogurt containers and plastic lids for who knows what or why. I just can’t bear to throw them into the garbage when I know they could be recycled elsewhere.

At the Cook County School my daughter was exasperated when trying to get a recycling container into the cafeteria. The kids aren’t allowed to leave the cafeteria to throw their aluminum or plastic items into the recycling bin so they go directly into the garbage. The school was doing a pretty good job at composting a while back but last fall when I was subbing I helped a girl retrieve her retainer from the cafeteria bags of garbage and found plenty of items that could have been recycled or composted.

We can all do more and need to do more. Do something good for our earth this Earth Day and every day.