September Focus: Mother Our Mother Earth + GIVING ROCKS DAY Sept 29!

[Elly Rose]

Our Earth feeds us, gives us water to drink, provides us with shelter, nurtures us and shares her beauty of nature with us; in short we are indebted to her in every area of our lives. She sustains us. The Welcome Wagoneers, the group of volunteers that keeps this site running smoothly, have had a discussion about ways to give to Mother Earth this month and every month.

 

Below are 29 Ways to Renew, Reuse, Recycle and Mother Earth as well as ideas of sustaining her with our thoughts, prayers and energy. Our Earth is having many crises lately. She needs all the mothering we can give her. Here are the ideas that were shared. Add your own as comments.

1. In the spirit of this month's theme, join us for Giving Rocks Day on September 29. Decorate rocks with inspirational images and messages (like GIVING ROCKS or YOU ROCK). Then GIVE THEM AWAY! RSVP for this FUN community give here!
2. Check at thrift stores to see what delightful discoveries we can find.
3. Make do with what we have instead of spending outside of our means.
4. No more useless containers and bags.
5. Pick up all the trash.
6. Plant a few trees in honor of loved ones.
7. Feed birds and animals.
8. No more plastic bottles
9. Join in a Reiki meditation for the world, information for this monthly event can be found here.
10. Save water, water lawns once a week.
11. Spay and neuter your pets, all pets.
12. Try to plant more edible gardens and give away what you can't eat.
13. Put wood chips and rocks around flower beds.
14. Create your own compost.
15. Use a rain barrel for watering flowers and plants.
16. If your workplace doesn't already have one, encourage them to start a recycling program.
17. Purchase a water filter and start using reusable water bottles.
18. Contact a school to see if you can donate items such as egg cartons, paper towel rolls, shoe boxes, pop bottles. These items and others are often used for craft projects and are greatly appreciated.
19. Hang your clothes to dry when possible instead of using the dryer.
20. Take shorter showers and turn off the water when brushing your teeth....every little bit helps.
21. When making copies, use both sides of the paper.
22. Make sure lights, TVs, etc. are turned off if not in use. Unplug rarely used items....they are still using electricity if they are plugged in.
23. Use vinegar as a glass cleaner
24. Vinegar is a safe drain cleanser
25. Rubbing alcohol will leave your metal faucets and appliances sparkling and germ free.
26. Recycle your old clothes and worn out wash clothes as rags, cut down the use of paper towels.
27. Distilled water vinegar works on many surfaces....glass, wood, metal, etc. I love it and it's inexpensive too.
28. If you have a persistent bad smell and you don't want to use chemicals to remove it, set a small bowl or cup with apple cider vinegar in it in the room. It works
29. Vinegar will also freshen laundry if put in the rinse cycle along with a bit of baking soda.

Don't forget to join us for Giving Rocks Day on September 29. Decorate rocks with inspirational images and messages (like GIVING ROCKS or YOU ROCK). Then GIVE THEM AWAY! RSVP for this FUN community give here!

 

[Deb~ Community Manager]

All fabulous ideas Elly Rose. I am going to try to use and incorporate as many of these in my daily life as possible. Thank you all for these wonderful gifts for our Mother Earth~

[Lois55 wwt]

Thank you for this wonderful list and beautiful graphic..I love all of these ideas..

[Harriet]

Fabulous message and ideas. We quit using plastic water bottles about a year ago. It is so freeing, to just go to the pitcher with the filter.

My husband plants veg and flower gardens and uses a rain barrel for watering.

I use baking soda and vinegar as cleaners.

I buy 80% of my clothes at the local thrift shop.

Our pets are neutered.

We have more bags of recyclables than we do of household trash.

I have another idea:

30. Borrow books, magazines, CDs, DVDs and materials at the library, instead of buying them. (I am a librarian : )

[Elly Rose]

Great idea, use what is available from the library, thanks Harriet.

[spiritquest]

These are all wonderful ideas. We are doing the rain barrel yet. We'll have to get that one under way. What a great idea. is that something your build?

[Tamiko Paquette]

Go for a run, ride a bike, read a book, play a boardgame instead of watching TV or playing videogames!

Organize a neighborhood book swap!

Use recycle bags instead of wrapping paper for gift giving! They are so decorative and usually just a dollar!

[Deb~ Community Manager]

This is helping our family be more aware what we can do to help our Earth~

[carelia]

We take our own bags to the grocery store. I've made a bunch out of old t-shirts.

[spiritquest]

I am a new member of 29gifts and love the idea of using Earth friendly giving. I have been collecting used containers Once we have finished with them my daughter and I plan to come up with some creative ways to use them for holiday giving.

[Ann]

Thanks for the great ideas.  Here is another one:  every time yougo for a walk, cary a small bag and gloves and pick up litter.  It only takes a few minutes and it makes our planet look and be so much better.  Also remember wherever you go -- if you cary it in - cary it out!  I love the idea of "mothering" earth!

[spiritquest]

I thinks thats a wonderful idea. Thanks for the tip

[Deb~ Community Manager]

Great idea Ann! Just think if we all did this....