Stewardship of the earth begins with each of us. We make important choices when we buy food and when we take care of our families, our households, and even our yards and gardens. Today is a great time to think about incorporating some of the following planet-friendly actions in your daily life.

1. Pack Organic Food in Your—or Your Child’s—Lunch

The list of organic foods you can use when planning lunch for yourself or your child is growing rapidly. More and more companies are offering single-serving packaged items such as string cheese that can be included in lunch bags.

The Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC), which is dedicated to educating parents and caregivers about environmental toxins that affect children’s health, actively promotes the benefits of eating organic foods. Evidence is mounting that organic foods may minimize children’s exposure to toxic and persistent pesticides. Researchers at the University of Washington, who studied the levels of pesticide metabolites (breakdown products) in the urine of two groups of children, found that those eating organic fruits and vegetables and drinking organic milk and juices had concentrations of pesticide metabolites that were six to nine times lower than children eating a conventional diet.

2. Choose Organic Foods for Your Pets

“What we feed our pets is as important as what we put into our own bodies,” says Kim Ridgeway of Meyer Country Farms. “Many of the benefits that result from people eating organic foods will hold true for pets as well. Clearly, the pesticides, insecticides, and other poisons that humans avoid should also be removed from the diets of our special pets.

To find wholesome organic pet food and treats, shop at the store that gives you TasteForLife magazine. Many retailers will be happy to order for you any pet products they don’t normally carry.

3. Celebrate Special Occasions with Organic Treats

Celebrate Earth Day—and every special day—by buying organic chocolate or other food treats for a special friend or family member. Organic chocolate is available in most natural products stores.

4. Think Organic When You Shop for Clothes and Household Items

An increasing number of companies offer apparel incorporating organic fibers. In addition to T-shirts, you can find clothing for all age groups, as well as workout wear, bedding, and towels that include organic fibers, primarily organic cotton. Ask your favorite natural products store to order organic clothing and household items for you.

5. Buy Organic Seeds, Plants, and Supplies for Your Gardens

Planning a vegetable garden this year? Want to grow strawberries or other fruits? Do you raise flowers? Look for organic seeds at this store, and consider organic practices if you don’t use them already. Gardening organically will be healthier for you and your family, beneficial for insects and wildlife, and for the ground-water around your home.

Building healthy soil is key to organic gardening. Strive to provide the resources plants need by using natural materials and methods that work in harmony with nature. This will mean adding organic matter to the soil. Consider using grass clippings, fall leaves, and vegetable scraps from your kitchen to make compost to enrich your soil. In this way, you are recycling wastes while rebuilding your soil. For tips on how to make compost, go to The O’Mama Report (www.theorganicreport.com), the consumer Web site of the Organic Trade Association (OTA). Click on “Home & Garden.” Also choose plants suited to your garden site. Plants adapted to your climate and growing conditions will grow better (without a lot of attention) than those that belong somewhere else.

6. Treat Your Lawn Organically

Taking care of your lawn organically is also important, particularly if you have children or pets. If persistent and toxic pesticides are used on your lawn, they can be easily tracked into your home, exposing children or pets to these substances. A recent study in Environmental Health Perspectives found that the commonly used herbicide 2,4-D tracked into homes could expose children at levels up to ten times higher than pre-application levels.

Increasingly, studies show that exposure to synthetic weed killers and pesticides can cause ill effects in children. Preliminary findings by researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, for instance, show that children exposed to pesticides or herbicides in their first year of life were more than twice as likely to develop
asthma as those who weren’t exposed. And as reported in Pesticides and You, several widely used herbicides pose health risks: “2,4-D is associated with cancer, birth defects, reproductive effects, neurotoxicity, and kidney and liver damage. Glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup, has been linked to reproductive effects and is also a sensitizer and irritant.”

7. Encourage Your Local School to Use Organic Practices

You can volunteer and encourage a classroom—or a whole school—to plant an organic garden. The Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania has resources for such projects and even a nationwide contest open to schools that set up organic gardens.

While it may not be possible to convince your local school to offer organic foods in the lunchroom, you can volunteer to bring in snacks to celebrate Earth Day. Then make sure you include a note explaining why you chose organic products.