Happy Fourth of July!

You’ve heard me say it before and I’ll say it again.  Going green is the only way to help our oceans, and perhaps help ourselves.  So I thought I’d list some tips for a greener 4th of July.

1) Having a party? Don’t use single use party wear: use dishes, and wash them.  Recycling is great, but it’s even better to use things for years instead of the environmental cost of recycling.

2)  Going to the beach? Pick up all your trash, and then some.  Trash in the oceans has been found at great depths, and once something sinks that deep it can take years longer to decompose.  Also, you don’t want to add to the North Pacific Garbage Gyre.  (or any of the gyres, for that matter).

3) Keep pets in doors, they tend to be very scared of firework shows (this one is more about responsible pet ownership than saving the environment, but hey…)

4) Stay local.  Not only is July 4th one of the WORST travel days of the year and getting on a freeway means sacrificing your patience and your time, but cars obviously run on fossil fuel, which isn’t great for the environment.  If you must drive, carpool.  Obviously this will cut down on traffic and pollution.

5) Fireworks really aren’t green.  It’s pretty hard to make them green.  So instead of lighting off your own, try to mooch off a much larger show.  Remember, fireworks can be seen from great distances, so find a big parking lot and just chill.

All the little things can add up to something big.

*merbabe