Honoring Earth Day in My Own Private Idaho

As an nature artist who lives in the mountains, I am particularly inspired by the Earth and her creatures.

Today is Earth Day, so to honor the Earth in my own way, I thought I’d share a few Instagram photos of my own private Idaho. (I love taking Instagram photos with my cell phone when I don’t want to to lug my big camera around).

Earth Day, April 22, is considered the largest secular event in the world.

Earth Day was founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson, after our country witnessed the atrocities of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.
Nelson built a national staff to promote events across the land, and on the 22nd of April, 20 million Americans demonstrated for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies.

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare nonpartisan political alignment with support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city dwellers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts

“Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could only do a little” ~Edmund Burke

Nevertheless, sometimes the problems seem far too big for us to do anything about them. But, truly we all can help the Earth in our own small way – everyday.
This list might seem trite to some of you, but here are a few suggestions that I plan to implement so I can help in my own small way:

Unplug unused appliances and chargers.
Take shorter showers.
Don’t let the water run when brushing your teeth.
Wash your clothes in cold water when you can.
Walk or bike around town instead of drive when you can – it’s good for the Earth and you too.
Recycle.
Turn off lights, tv, fans, etc. when leaving the home or office or when not in need of being used.
Produce less waste by composting.
Wash your car less.
Sweep the garage instead of hosing it out.
Change filters so the heater and a/c runs smoothly.
Plant a tree.
Use cloth shopping bags instead of plastic when you can.
Buy reusable water bottles and use instead of plastic water bottles.
Nueter your pet.
Adopt a pet at your local animal shelter.
Pick up a piece of trash along a hike or in the street.