APRIL

Learn: About indoor pollution and how to keep your air fresh and healthy. Double points for researching the benefits of growing your own fresh air.

Plan a goal: On Earth Day, plan your green goals for the year. Make small green goals, make large green goals, but figure out how you’re going to avoid the Earth Day-one day trap and instead focus on how to celebrate green all year long.

Celebrate: A green Easter and a fab Arbor Day.

Just for kids:

• Green fun for kids during April showers
• Get your baby or toddler outside once spring arrives
• Start researching Green Summer Camps
• Interactive Green Kids Website – Clean Air Club for Kids

MAY

Learn: Everything you ever wanted to know about green weddings. Weddings can be a major strain on the environment, and I’m betting you know someone with a summer wedding coming up – maybe even you. Educate yourself and others about smart green wedding choices.

Plan a goal: Set up a household recycling center this May. With summer coming the kids will be home and this is a great time to get eco-organized. Recycling is vital for a green family.

Celebrate: Your community. Make a plan to green your neighborhood.

Just for kids:

• Got Paper?: The Best Folded Recycled Paper Crafts for Kids
• Green Game for Kids – Recycle City

JUNE

Learn: About summer energy (and money) conservation with ten easy ways to beat the heat.

Plan a goal: Make this summer a little more plastic-free. Ditch plastic in the kitchen, snag some reusable ice pop molds, and learn how to make 32 unique homemade Popsicle recipes.

Celebrate: Early summer flowers with a cool project - candied flowers.

Just for kids:

• Summer Bug Safety for Kids
• Father’s Day Crafts for Kids
• Great Summer Projects, Crafts, & Nature Activities for Kids…

JULY

Learn: About organic foods. From which organics are best, to the health benefits, to how to save money on organics, July is a great time to get educated about this topic because farmers markets and local farms are in full swing operation, plus, summer naturally feels like a good time to eat healthy.

Plan a goal: Start incorporating organics into your family’s diet. Don’t go nuts (you’ll drive yourself mad) but do choose some products in organic form each time your shop.

Celebrate: Mid summer with an awesome eco-barbecue or an easy green picnic or potluck – now that you’ve learned about organic foods it’ll be a snap.

Just for kids:

• Build A Solar Cooker – adult help needed but way fun.
• Solar Art Project

AUGUST

Learn: All about trees this August. You can learn how people affect trees, read a killer book about trees, travel to see some neat trees, or just get out there and hug your favorite tree. 

Plan a goal: Plant some trees that will thrive where you live.

Celebrate: Your kids before they head back to school. Involve them in green issues, take them on a hike, cook up some eco-food with them, and snag them some eco-friendly school and lunch gear for their return to school.

Just for kids:

• Five Fascinating Tree Facts
• Learn to green your school experience

SEPTEMBER

Learn: If Weatherization Assistance Programs are for you. If you need help keeping your home warm in the winter these programs can help plus they focus on energy efficiency tips and products.

Plan a goal: Green your beauty & bath routine.

Celebrate: World Ozone Day – learn about the issues surrounding global warming.

Just for kids:

• zeroOout: Green Fashion Revolution from Four Teens
• How Kids Can Help Prevent Acid Rain

OCTOBER

Learn: About the most common excuses why people don’t go green – note; avoid these. Ask a non-green friend about their reasoning and try to inform them of your side.

Plan a goal: Cut back on your paper towel use this month (maybe switch to cloth altogether).

Celebrate: A spooky green Halloween. Try an organic pumpkin, look for eco-friendly treats, and make homemade costumes.

Just for kids:

• Non-toxic face paints for Halloween
• Oodles of Free Recycled Halloween Craft Ideas
• Organic Halloween Smoothie

NOVEMBER

Learn: About why a less consumer based winter holiday season rocks. Now is the time to really focus on avoiding commercialism because it’s going to be knocking at your door big time.

Plan a goal: Plan to participate in Buy Nothing Day or at the very least start making some of your own  homemade holiday gifts.

Celebrate: Thanksgiving sans the meat this year. If that’s not quite for you, you can still green up your Thanksgiving day in other ways. Try some nature crafts for your table or 

Just for kids:

• Nature Themed Autumn Craft
• Green Up the Toy Issue
• Kids & Shopping – How Kids Can Be Smart Consumers

DECEMBER

Learn: Why vegetarian meals are good for your health and the planet. What we eat does affect the entire world. You can gather amazing tips and facts for going meatless (and organic) at the Sustainable Table website. 

Plan a goal: Incorporate two vegetarian meals weekly. Here are some easy veggie recipe ideas for meat-eating families.

Celebrate: A super green Christmas or Hanukkah.

Just for kids:

• Homemade Recycled Holiday Luminaries – adults need to help, but kids LOVE these.
• Last Minute Eco-Christmas Crafts!
• Meatless Meals: Veggie Books for Kids

JANUARY

Learn: Sustainable housing is a huge topic, but one worth learning about. You can minimize your impact on the planet, live cleaner, and even get cool tax breaks for greening your dwelling. For tips related to all of the above visit Best Green Home Tips.

Plan a goal: Stop buying dishwasher detergents with phosphates.

Celebrate: A peaceful Martin Luther King Day and a green New Year’s Eve.

Just for kids:

• DIY Cardboard Dollhouse – the kid version of sustainable housing!
• How Kids Can Save the Earth A to Z

FEBRUARY

Learn: Reusable bags are one major green topic everyone should learn more about. If you’re not taking this super easy green step (using reusable bags) what’s stopping you? This green lifestyle choice is so easy it’s a crime not to try.

Plan a goal: Yes its chilly, but there are still plenty of good reasons to get outside during winter. Make it a goal to stay healthy all year long by incorporating regular outdoor activity into your life.

Celebrate: Valentine’s day by avoiding paper greeting cards.

Just for kids:

• Eco-Valentine’s Day Ideas for Kids
• Green Kid Site Spotlight: Children of the Earth

MARCH

Learn: About why commercial, conventional cleaners are so bad for your health and the environment.

Plan a goal: Green audit all your green cleaners, safely toss the icky ones, and then make your own  natural, toxic-free homemade cleaners.

Celebrate: See 60 eco-friendly ways to celebrate spring and you also might want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with some greener than usual brew. 

Just for kids:

• Creative Reuse Art Projects
• Green Game for Kids – Recycle City
• Mummy Style Trash

NOW: Share some of your green goals for the year in the comments…

[images via stock.xchng (altered by yours truly)]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Our winner is scoring a super prize package courtesy of Disneynature. This Earth-branded prize pack is valued at $60, and includes a canvas tote, a reusable grocery bag, a biodegradable tumbler, a tree seedling, and more!

And our randomly drawn winner is…

Amber; who said, “This year my children and I will be planting our first family garden, which we hope to have out first peach tree added to as well.”

Congratulations to Amber! I’ll be emailing you asap with info about your prize. Note: check your spam filter if you don’t see an email from me by later today, because I’ll need to hear back from you within three days.

Many thanks to everyone who played. I loved lots of your comments – everyone is doing cool stuff for Earth Day. In fact, later on, I’ll be highlighting some of my favorite comments in a post, so watch for that. Lastly, lots o’ hugs to our great sponsor Disneynature for setting us up with this fab giveaway. Don’t forget to see the movie Disneynature’s Earth within the first week so you can get a tree planted!

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Each year I tend to land more on the side that says, “One day is bull; every day should be Earth Day” so I was happily surprised to see the Grist campaign this year – Screw Earth Day!.

I posted all about this event at Blisstree Green, so if you want, go check it out. In this post there’s info on how you can score a Grist book for free too (which rocks) so even if you’re so on board with Earth Day that it’s not even funny, the post is worth a look.

Coming up later today - the winners of the Disneynature’s Earth Giveaway!

[image via Grist]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Disneynature is celebrating the release of their premiere film, Earth, by planting a tree in honor of every moviegoer who sees the film in its opening week. This is just one more cool reason why you and the whole family should go see the movie Earth. Besides being a family-friendly nature film, a good time, and a reason to justify overly calorie laden popcorn, it’s great that your outing will help to plant trees.

CONTEST REMINDER!

This post is also your official reminder that our Disneynature’s Earth Giveaway is over very soon. If you haven’t entered to win the great Disneynature’s Earth giveaway package, I’d hop to it. All comment entries must be posted by April 17, 2009 – midnight my time (west coast) – yup folks that’s tonight.

Enter the Disneynature’s Earth Giveaway!

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Still, the point now is that these events fall on the same day. If you’re interested in celebrating both events, I’d snag some eco-friendly beans. Such as…

Surf Sweets Jelly Beans: Made with organic fruit juice and sweeteners, 100% Vitamin C per serving, no corn syrup or GMO’s, gluten free, made in a nut-free facility.

Green Beans Natural Jelly Beans: Green Beans are new and all-natural; the colors are bright and shiny – not muted like some organic candies. Flavors include: Black Cherry, Orange Punch, Strawberry, Vanilla Bean, Grape, Lemon, Pomegranate, Blueberry, Peach, Apple, and Root Beer.

Lotus Organic Jelly Beans: Made with natural colors and flavors, plus packed in an oxygen barrier pack, with special consideration of organic products’ natural susceptibility to infestation and mold, and discoloration caused by oxidation.

Vegan Jelly Beans: Made without beeswax, gelatin, insect-derived “confectioner`s glaze,” or any other animal-derived ingredients commonly found in jelly beans. Also made with non-bone-char processed sugar, corn syrup, corn starch, vegan natural and artificial colors and flavors, carnauba wax.

Organic Jelly Beans, 3-pack: Organic, gluten-free, and allergen free. Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange, Cherry and Grape flavors.

Sadly, I’m not a jelly bean fan. I’m more a chocolate kind of girl. Too bad national chocolate day doesn’t coincide with Earth Day. BUT if you are a fan, the above choices are pretty darn good.

[top jelly bean image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

FUN EVENTS & IDEAS:

Go see the new Disneynature’s Earth movie premiering on Earth Day or rent a nice earth-minded flick.

Find a major Earth Day event for the whole family at the Earth Day network.

COOL EARTH RELATED YOUTH PROJECTS:

Get involved with the Earth Day Groceries Project- we discussed this here last year, and everyone loved the idea. I still think it sounds like fun. Kids get to gather paper bags from a local store, decorate them up in true Earth Day style, and take them back to the store so that consumers get a taste of green on Earth Day.

Water Use Earth Day Project for Kids

Older teens and college kids can get involved with greening the local college campus.

Anyone remember Journey North? We talked about it last February and being that it’s a year-long event I figured I’d bring it up. Kids can hook up with Journey North, learn about nature, and discuss the natural world with kids all over the country. Great earthy fun.

According to the Earth Day website, following are some of the best youth groups for kids to join. Kids involved with these groups are dedicated to fighting climate change and creating positive changes for the planet.

• Energy Action Coalition (US)
• Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement (West Africa)
• AVAAZ (Global)
• Australian Youth Climate Coalition
• Canadian Youth Climate Coalition
• People and Planet (England)
• African Youth Initiative on Climate Change
• World Youth Organization on Climate Change (Global)

SUPER EARTH DAY CRAFTS:

Make a Hummingbird Heaven in Your Yard

DLTK’s Crafts for Kids – all kinds of Earth Day arts and crafts (coloring pages too).

Happy Earth Day Coloring and Activities Book

Tin Can Herb Pots

Laundry Bottle Pet Food Scoop

Recycled Toothbrush Bracelets

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

ABOUT THE NEW MOVIE:

I recently posted about Disneynature’s Earth – but in case you missed it, here’s a quick recap. Disneynature’s Earth is a brand new Disney flick premiering on Earth Day, April 22, 2009. As noted previously, this flick is narrated by James Earl Jones and follows three families of animals through their daily lives – whales, polar bears, and elephants. This movie is just one of the great ways you and your family can celebrate Earth Day this year. See the movie trailer!

ABOUT THE PRIZE:

One Tree Hugging Family is going to win an amazing prize package courtesy of Disneynature. This Earth-branded prize pack is valued at $60, and includes a canvas tote, a reusable grocery bag, a biodegradable tumbler, a tree seedling, and more!

HOW TO WIN:

Leave a comment on this post telling me how you and your family are celebrating Earth Day this year.

RULES:

1. If you don’t follow the ONE how to enter rule above I’ll delete your comment. Yup, comments that say something lame like, “Hey, enter me” will be deleted.
2. Anyone (minus yours truly) can enter once starting… NOW.
3. Comment entries must be posted by April 17, 2009 – midnight my time (west coast).

I’ll randomly draw a winner on April 18th, post the winner here, and send the winner an email with more details.

Good luck!

[images courtesy of Disneynature’s Earth]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

So, last year we posted about Earth Hour here at Tree Hugging Family. Of course that’s when Peggy, who was, I believe, pro-Earth Hour was still blogging here. Now it’s just me – and I don’t participate. I’m not an Earth Hour fan.

However, instead of posting my issues with EH here, I’ve got a post all about it over at Blisstree Green Living. You can check it out – Are You On Board With Earth Hour?

IF you happen to be an Earth Hour fan, I’d read Peggy’s post from last year her also on board post this year, or just head over to the official Earth Hour website to sign up. Earth Hour is happening tomorrow, Saturday March 28th at 8:30 – 9:30 pm.

Green contests!!

Speaking of Peggy, Light Green Stairs is having a contest with green goodies. Sinupret for Kids Giveaway Package – Sinupret is a cool natural plant-based allergy remedy for the littles. If you’ve got kids and pollen, head over to the contest to score some free Sinupret. THEN stick around and check out this too fun for words video (not green – still wicked fun).

Don’t have kids or pollen? Well, hopefully you have feet! Click here to learn about how you can win some cool new Keds Green Labels. Neat-o.

Green news you need to know…

‘First Locavore’ Michele Obama to Oprah: Veggie Garden Coming to White House Lawn. Ah raise your hand if you remember the video about this very topic I posted here! I DO.

LunchBots: A Non Toxic, Healthier Alternative – no they aren’t little robots that pack the lunches for you, but they’re about that slick.

Learn all about the first and only USDA organic certified bar in the world. Very cool for thirsty folks.

Do you have any cool green news to share this week?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

How does taking care of yourself equal taking care of the earth? Here are a few things you may do that benefit not only you, but our earth we share.

-Adopt green cleaning products

-Eat less meat

-Walk or cycle to work if you can

-Buy or grow organic food

-Carefully choose cosmetics and personal care items

-And help curb pollution and petroleum use by taking your own bags.

It all adds up. This Earth Day, don’t stress and think about what’s wrong. Instead, just keep moving in the right direction. Your simple steps will inspire others.

Happy Earth Day. Hug your cat and a tree, but not at the same time.

Image via MorgueFile.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Marye at the delicious Baking Delights prepared a nice list of sources for fair trade cocoa. What sounds more dreamy than that? Fair trade and cocoa! Plus, Marye will open your eyes to the reasons you should purchase fair trade cocoa. It’s not pretty, but you need to know.

This is the last of our count down to Earth Day posts, but look for a round up of all the count down posts tomorrow. Also, today at midnight CST is the deadline to enter our Zabar’s Rainforest Alliance coffee contest. To enter, go to the contest post.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family