Tuesday is Earth Day 2014

Tuesday is Earth Day in the United States.  The observance was started in 1970 by Wisconsin U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson--who later was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award in recognition of his work.

Gundersen Health Systems' "Envision Team," which handles sustainability programs for the organization, is passing along ten tips that will help you reduce your carbon footprint and support a healthier environment.

1.    Stop paper bank statements. Ask to receive your bank statements online and save paper.
2.    Recycle your newspaper or read newspaper articles online. You'll be saving trees and keeping waste out of the landfill.
3.    Use one less paper napkin. Most people have the tendency to grab several paper napkins. Do you really need them all? The more napkins you use, the more that go into the landfill and the more trees that are wasted.
4.    Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. You might be surprised how much water you'll save.
5.    Take a shorter shower. Or, consider changing your shower head to a low-flow shower head to save water.
6.    Skip eating meat once a week. Producing meat requires a lot of resources, including water and fuel, and livestock give off methane, which is 20 times worse than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. So, eating one less meat-based meal a week can help reduce the meat industry's carbon footprint and your own.
7.    Plant a tree. Trees benefit the environment because they filter water, absorb carbon dioxide and recycle oxygen into the air.
8.    Hesitate before throwing something away—could it be reused, given as a gift, recycled? Just because you throw something away doesn't mean it disappears forever. Limit the amount that you send to the landfill.
9.    Carpool…even just once a week. The Environmental Protection Agency says tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks account for almost one-third of air pollution in the United States. Carpooling just one or two days a week can help to make a difference in reducing emissions.
10.    Turn off the lights when you leave a room. It is easy to forget to turn off a light at night or when you leave for work in the morning, so leave reminders around the house to keep you from forgetting.