Earth Day

On this earth day, I thought about ‘green’ things as I drove alone into work this morning. Yes, I realize I should have put more effort into either carpooling, taking public transportation/the Google shuttle or even biking to work. Ok, the last one is a stretch. It’s hot and I’m at least 6 miles from work. But my effort to be green today will just have to consist of green thoughts.

Some ‘green’ things I love:

- Driving down the heavily tree lined Shoreline Blvd. The stretch of Shoreline between Charleston Road leading up to Shoreline Park can be particularly peaceful and I’m on Shoreline until the very last turn right before you get to the park. The surrounding of trees is pretty calming before starting another day at work.

- After a few days of rain, the ‘greenbelt’ or the belt of hills that you can see behind Milpitas as you come in from 237 is lovely. Of course this is after seeing it dry, brown and dingy for most of the year. Take a look at the link above and now imagine that the hills are green. See...lovely.

- Getting a few cents off our grocery bill every time we use the reusable cloth Safeway bags.

- Anything that is energy efficient

- Clothes made out of recycled materials. They also look so earthy! Too bad they can be pricey.

- Composting. It reduces waste in landfills and is a great fertilizer for plants.

- Paying bills online. Less paper, no need to write a check and less postage. Although now they want to reduce mail delivery days. I guess with every 'pro' there's a 'con.'

- Hybrids. Less gas consumption and lower carbon footprint is, as Martha Stewart says, "it's a good thing."

- Solar panels. They harness the power of the sun and they can make pretty good carports when you park underneath structures that have them on top.

- Public transportation in urban/metropolitan areas. The routes are frequent and extensive. Too bad they smell.

Maybe for the next earth day I'll consider some public transportation options. Or better yet, work from home! In the meantime, think green and check out today’s Google doodle: http://www.google.com/logos/earthday09.gif