Happy Earth Day 2012

It's hard to believe that the first observance of Earth Day 
was held on April 22, 1970.  Over 20 million Americans 
participated in that celebration which is credited with the 
start of the environmentalism movement.


The reason that April 22 was chosen to be Earth Day is 
because it is the first official day of Spring in the Northern
hemisphere and of Fall in the Southern hemisphere.


Let's take a look at some vintage Earth Day posters that 
helped promote ecological awareness.

The very first Earth Day poster, 1970

 Fact:  Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to watch a TV for three hours;
           it's also equivalent to half a gallon of gasoline.

Earth Day, 1985

 Earth Day, 1990

Fact:  If every newspaper was recycled we could save about 250 million trees each year!  

          Only 27% of all American newspapers are recycled.

 Earth Day, 1992

Earth Day, 1995

Fact:  More than 20 million Hershey's Kisses are wrapped each day using 133 square miles
of tin foil!  Not many people realize that all of that tin foil is recyclable.

Earth Day, 2000

While not chosen as an official poster for a specific year by the international Earth Day
organization, these submissions have been used to promote Earth Day awareness:

created by Louise Carey 

created by Wani Pasion

fleaChic is proud to promote repurposing, upcycling and the reusing of everyday items in novel
and unique ways in an effort to intentionally reduce waste.  One family has take the reduction
of waste to the extreme in

Zero Waste Home

How a family manages to produce only 

two handfuls of trash per year!

On trash day in Mill Valley, California, the Johnson home has no garbage.  Nothing.  
There is a hefty compost bin and a teeny recycling bin - one that Bea Johnson is 
embarrassed exists at all.  "So much recycling really goes to waste, so you  need to 
try to reduce that, too."

Garbage is something that happens rarely in this modern, minimally decorated house.  

That's by intention - to live simpler and lighter on the planet.  The Johnson's quest 

started three years ago when Bea and husband Scott downsized from a 3,000 sq.ft. 

home to their current 1,400 sq.ft. house.  Bea wants to use and know everything 

she keeps in their home, "even down to the vegetable peeler," she says.

Bea documents her family's zero-waste lifestyle in her blog, Zero Waste Home.  

Fascinating reading, the blog might not convince you to drastically reduce the trash 
you produce each year but you might learn something about living simpler and 
reducing waste through passive efforts.

Plant a tree this week in memory or in honor of a loved one, hang your 'delicates' to

dry instead of running a load in the dryer, and think about starting a compost heap.  

Great movements start with common people who have an uncommon goal.