It’s hard to believe an entire year has passed since I started this official journey of sustainable living with Make & Takes.
But then I look outside – delighting in daffodils and tulips that trim the landscape of our yard (otherwise in need of the upcoming Spring-Cleaning overhaul).

Yes my friends, writing from Salt Lake City – where the weather seems to enjoy a Jeckyl and Hyde sort of identity crisis until summer, I am reminded that a year ago prior to Earth Day, you and I began what I consider a special friendship: we launched a renewed commitment to the planet’s matriarch, our dear Mother Earth.

I thought about making a memory/photo book to commemorate our journey, but figured bullet points could suffice!

11 Ways to Sustainable You

• Kicked off with Movie Night, e.g. Food, Inc. and I’m guessing we’re all thinking twice about our pop-“corn.”
• Got our thumbs a Little Greener planting gardens
• Extolled on the virtues of the local Farmer’s Market
• Discussed how “It’s not trashy to compost”
• Got Canned, figurative speaking of course, to preserve the bounties of the harvest
• For Manic (and meatless!) Mondays we vowed to eat a little less animal
• Ideas flooded the comments section for a greener Halloween
• The holidaze turned planet-healthy with eco-conscious ideas for Thanksgiving and Christmas
• Our family welcomed a new addition in December which redoubled my efforts on raising a green-bebe.
• We cleaned a little less toxic, eco-overhauled our kitchens and beyond
• And I’ve got a host of new breakfast delights to try thanks to those who commented in the “Nix the Pancake Mix” bit

With this past year chock-full of green tidbits, what could there possibly left to talk about? I jest, of course. So we’ll continue our monthly journey, but until then, might I suggest kicking off Earth Day this year by checking out the new-and-improved Practically Green website. “[Their] mission is to make living healthy and more sustainably easier, faster, and way more fun.” The site highlights 400+ actions that “make it easy to discover what to do and why it matters.” I’ve mentioned this place before, but it’s a nice resource for seeing exactly where you fit into the green landscape (yes, you get rated!) and where to go from there.

So we’ll continue this journey – and I’ll be back next month, but in the meantime I’m anxious to hear what everyone’s got planned for Earth Day. Maybe watching/reading The Lorax? Planting a tree or two, perhaps? The sky’s the limit – and together we can each do our part to protect it and the planet below.

photo via Ornella Binni