Happy Earth Day everyone!

Image Credit: NASA/JPL

Isn't she beautiful? I'm old enough to remember the first Earth Day in 1970. Are you? In honor of Earth Day, I measured my ecological footprint today.

If everyone on the planet lived my lifestyle, we would need 1.83 Earths to support us all. That's down slightly from the last time I took the quiz, but not by much.

If I want to live in the bounteous and never wasteful world of Ordinary, I must be more conscious of my choices. Everything I do either works toward creating a world more like Ordinary or less. Over the next year, I'll take steps to reduce my eco-print. Here are some of the things I know I can do:

• Walk further before I get on the bus each morning and evening (good for my health as well as the planet)
  
• Purchase energy-saving Smart Stripsfor our home computers, television, radio, small appliances and cell-phone chargers
• Learn about ways I can reduce water usage and save energy by changing my laundry habits
• Defrost my refrigerator and freezer four times a year
• Purchase renewable energy for our apartment
• Join a garden co-op and grow my own veggies
• Encourage my landlord to provide a green compost bin (Will it save him $$?)
  

That's enough for starters. There are plenty more options for reducing my footprint, once I've accomplished these.

Will you join me? What's the next action you plan to reduce your ecological footprint?