Falling in Love with our Planet

February is a busy month for us in Louisiana. This year, it's also Mardi Gras, which brings a new set of environmental concerns to my doorstep. But, for everyone else, it is about Valentine's day. Yes, it's a commercial holiday and yes, I fall victim to it. But I also take a moment to fall in love with environmentalism all over again.

How to Love our planet

1. Admit the USA has an addiction to single-use plastics. We are overly dependent on plastic containers, plastic drink bottles, plastic toys, plastic furniture, plastic, plastic, plastic. Only 3% or less of plastics get recycled AND plastic can only be down-cycled 7-9 times before it is just trash. Commit to the switch of being less plastic-dependent as you can. Take it slow and make small changes. Stop buying veggies wrapped in plastic. I mean, WHY are they even wrapped in plastic in the first place? Bring reusable shopping bags specifically for those fruits & veggies so you can refuse those silly plastic bags. If you are going to grab soft drinks on your next road trip, buy aluminum cans or glass bottles. Both are easily recyclable. Glass is infinitely recyclable. Bring your own food containers for leftovers at restaurants so that you don't take home those styrofoam and plastic containers.

2. Stop and smell the flowers. No, I mean it. Smell them right where they are planted. Don't cut the flowers! They are vital to helping our pollinators and if you cut the flowers, they are only going to die. I know it's the thing to do when expressing love and appreciation, or sadness, but give something else. I love getting plants or having someone plant a tree in my honor. You can even go the distance and paint the pot for extra credit!

3. Think about the babies. Besides real human babies, think about all the new little wildlife just coming into this world. They need a safe home where they can grow up and be part of their ecosystem. This means stopping littering and picking up litter that can be harmful to them. If you're a smoker, remember to properly discard of your cigarette butt instead of throwing it out the windows or on the ground. This is super important around bodies of water. Stop using plastic shopping bags. These end up in the waters and so many marine animals suffocate on these, starve, and die. Cut the plastic rings from soft drinks. These get caught around the necks and appendages of wildlife and marine life.

4. Take a walk and enjoy the scenery. Walking through nature is the best way to fall in love with her. She's beautiful and that's when you get inspired to do more to help save the world.

Just take a moment every day to do something beautiful for our planet. Your efforts do not go unnoticed. Start your training today and soon enough, you'll be a superhero and together we can #savetheworld.