The views stated here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors of this newspaper. We welcome supporting or opposing views on any published item. Received March 30, 2023.
How can you be kind to Mother Earth? Let me count the ways…
1) You can stop buying poisons. Instead, use natural products for cleaning (essential oils such as lemon, eucalyptus, clove, rosemary mixed with water in spray bottle), eradicating ants (borax and sugar mixture, 1 to 1 plus 2 parts water), eliminating mice (use traps, peppermint on cotton balls, cedar chips, chalk around house, sheds, etc.)
2) Compost all leftover food items and white napkins.
3) Use textile collections. This earns us $100 a ton. And keeps it reusables out of our trash stream.
4) Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose.
5) Buy used items…consignment, flea markets, etc.
6) Carry a “to-go” container in your car to bring leftovers home in.
7) Use your own mug for coffee to go.
8) Stop buying bottled water. Use a water bottle daily and refill it from home. It will save money, too.
9) Reuse old candle wax…pour over a pine cones and use as a fire-starter.
10) Grow your own vegetables.
11) Plant pollinators.
12) Raise bees.
13) Don’t litter our State Parks or Highways
14) Use public transportation when possible or buy an energy-efficient vehicle or hybrid.
15) Buy Energy Star appliances.
16) Conserve Energy…turn lights off when not needed. Turn heat down at night. Use air conditioning only when fans aren’t enough. Install a ceiling fan.
17) Conserve water. Turn it off while shaving or brushing your teeth until needed.
18) Do not burn toxic substances.
19) Keep toxic substances out of our environment that pollute our air and water.
20) Stop the use of fertilizers that pollute our streams and groundwater. Instead, raise the blades on your mower, leave about two or three inches of grass and cut more frequently, a quarter-inch. Let the grass shavings mulch your grass or use a mulching mower. Don’t rake those nutrients away.
Teresa Resnick, Haddam
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