April is Earth Day Month!

Did you know that approximately 175 countries now recognize some form of Earth Day making it one of the largest secular holidays? What a wonderful holiday to celebrate...a sustainable earth!

Earth Day started over 30 years ago in 1970 when more than 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks and auditoriums for a peaceful demonstration for a healthy, sustainable environment. The day's founder, Sen. Gaylord Nelson, said the idea of Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years after spending too much time troubled by the state of the environment.

One of the most popular ways to celebrate Earth Day is to plant a tree. We say, why not celebrate Earth Day every day and purchase eco-friendly products and use recyclable bags when packing your child's lunch? At Orange and Pear we have several products that we love that are eco-friendly and we hope to find more. Check back to our blog throughout the month of April to see different people that have made it their life's career to help the environment.

The Megan Auman cozy cuff will save thousands of cardboard sleeves used to protect your hands from hot coffee cups...and it's stylish, too!



The Twirls & Twigs baby blankets reuse beautifully colored t-shirts to create whimsical appliques.



Use the Roost water bottle at your desk or home to keep plastic water bottles out of landfills.



Reusable fabric wrap is a beautiful way to present your gift to the perfect someone. These are designed by the fabulously talented Viola Sutanto of Chewing the Cud and she gives some great ideas as to how to wrap just about anything with her fabric wraps here.



We love lunchskins for packing our girls' lunches! They come in a variety of gorgeous colors and designs and are really easy to wash. They actually go in the dish washer.



We also just discovered these adorable "lunch bots" in cool colors and so easy to hand wash or put in the top rack of the dishwasher.


Search by the Eco Elitist on this blog to find some other articles about how to make a difference. There will be more on this topic (one close to our hearts) this month. We also give 1% to non-profit environmental organizations that we feel are making a major difference. In 2010, we gave to the NRDC and the Alliance for Climate Protection. The deterioration of our environment, waters, open spaces and natural resources is upsetting and yet hard to comprehend and grasp. It's hard to change, we know that. We just say: "Stay open minded and learn as much as you can." Watch Leonardo DiCaprio's movie The 11th Hour- it's eye opening. Talk to your kids. It's amazing how much they understand. A great book to read to them is Dr. Seuss's the Lorax. Click here for some more ideas.

The Earth Day 2009 graphic above was created for and is being used by the Environmental Council of Sacramento, California for its Earth Day activities. [Graphic property of and courtesy of Environmental Council of Sacramento created by Dana Gray, a local Sacramento artist.]