Happy Earth Day!

In the spirit of Earth Day, here are five simple ways to be a little more eco-friendly:

A brand new bag.  Start using reusable totes for your trips to the supermarket.  No more plastic bags – they can take up to 1000 years to disappear from landfills – so get yourself a few totes.  They come in many colors, shapes and sizes and some of them are even a fashion statement. 

Go paperless.  Paying bills the old fashioned way with paper bills and postage stamps is so dated.  Be a little greener and contact your bank, credit cards and utilities and pay them on-line – it will make you look years younger.

Turn offs.  While you brush your pearly whites, turn the faucet off.  You can save over 8 gallons of water a day just by turning off the tap.

BYOC – Bring your own cup.  Bringing your own travel mug to your favorite coffee shop can help reduce plastic waste significantly by not using the plastic cups and lids. 

Walk – leave the car at home.  For short trips, opt to walk or ride your bike instead of  hopping into your car.  Participate in local Walk/Ride Day (last Friday of the month).  On Walk/Ride days, the South Boston Running Emporium (343 W Broadway) offers 10% off purchases to people who wear green and mention that they are participating in Walk/Ride Day. Blue Tierra Chocolate Cafe (258 West Broadway) is giving away a free piece of handmade gourmet chocolate to walk/ride day participants. Register for more prizes at www.gogreenstreets.org.

Bonus: Be informed about local and global environment issues.  Join Planet Southie – an all volunteer organization that help with initiatives from trees to litter clean-ups and community gardens.  Go to www.planetsouthie.blogspot.com