Lots of Ways to Celebrate Earth Day!

I published the following on the new site, but I'll share it here, too. There are countless ways to make a difference for the Earth and some real deals, too!

Earth Day has come a long way since 1970.  Some of the issues, however, are more important than ever.

Here's a link to a PDF overview of this year's official Earth Day Campaigns. The verbage is pretty strong in expressing disappointment of the government's response and is encouraging an unprecedented call to action. Pledge your own "Green Action" to be part of A Billion Acts of Green!

Earth911 is a fantastic resource and has all the answers for items you're wondering about recycling.

Here's a list of Eight Earth Day activities from Earth 911 that you can do right from where you're sitting. Also, you can earn Recyclebank points by signing up for their newsletter or by simply reading articles from this site. 

Signing up with Recyclebank would be a commitment to the planet that's really easy to do!  They have a list of ten ways to celebrate, too, but they're Earth Friendly all year long! Get rewarded while you "Learn and Earn!"

Give & Get

• Donate $35 or more to the Institute for Responsible Technology by April 30th and receive 2 free packets of Baker Creek non-GMO seeds.
• The Dinner Garden is “striving to create one garden for every six Americans.” You can donate directly or purchase their Cook Book or T-shirt to contribute.
• The Natural Resources Defense Council has a great list of over 50 gift ideas “aimed at saving the environment. From defending polar bears to protecting clean water ... from reviving rainforests to promoting renewable energy."

Freebies

• You can view the April/ May issue of Vegetarian Times online for free and you can also download a free copy of their Vegetarian Starter Kit, which is full of information whether you're vegetarian or not!
• Visit a Pottery Barn Kids store on April 21st or 22nd for free Sunflower seeds from PBK & National Geographic.
• Target is celebrating Earth Day by giving out free reusable tote bags, one per customer, near their service desks, plus their current printable coupons (which stack with manufacturer's coupons) are featuring Earth Friendly products, including organic foods.
• Save the UPC's and your receipt from two Lightlife products and receive a free Non-GMO tomato seed starter kit.
• TODAY ONLY, you can receive a $20 voucher to Paper Culture for just $1 or FREE for new buyers with the code PAPER1 from MamaSource! Scroll down for more about this eco-friendly stationary.
• Design a reusable bag to receive a free one from Kroger & its affiliates!

Contests & Sweepstakes 

Cascadian Farm is featuring an Earth Day Sweepstakes where FIVE lucky winners will win a YEAR'S Supply of their organic products and a Goody Bag with some swag!  Even better, 100 more winners will receive a pretty respectable Goody Bag with some coupons, too!  (52 free product coupons wouldn't last me a year, but I'd be really, really happy to have them! My son would prefer to have this salsa on hand 24/7 and that's a lot more likely to happen when I have Cascadian Farm's corn in the freezer!)

Driscoll's Berries has an Earth Day Giveaway going on ~ the Grand Prize is a Driscoll’s tote bag with an Acacia dinner set and $100 in Driscoll’s coupons, but each Friday in April, a weekly winner will be picked at random and announced at 6pm EST and will win a Driscoll’s tote bag and $25 worth of Driscoll’s coupons, too!

This one isn't really an Earth Day promotion, but as long as you're entering to win things this month, remember you can enter the "Wake Up A Winner Sweepstakes" by Avocados From Mexico daily through May 6th, 2012! Each day they're awarding a $200 grocery gift card and the grand prize is a trip for two to a Bed & Breakfast in Napa Valley, CA.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day is donating $1 (up to $10,000) to the American Community Gardening Association for every entry in their Clean Day Bucket Brigade Sweepstakes. Enter daily through April 27th at 10:00 a.m. to win their natural cleaning products for yourself and, if you're a weekly winner, five of your friends!

Discounts

Rodale Publishing is offering a 25% discount store-wide through April 26th, 2012.  Their Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening book is just $20.76 and there are lots of other valuable books in the Gardening section.  Browse other categories for great books on real food, cooking, fitness, health and more!

Esse Reusable bags is offering free shipping on their website for the entire month of April. They're also donating $1 for every silkscreen Everyday Bag and $2 for every "Rethink" Market Pak set to the Nature Conservancy. 

Simply Rustic has all their products discounted through April 30th!

I got to sample these handcrafted body care products made of fair trade, organic and unrefined ingredients and I think they're fantastic! The Paradise Bath Scrub (Coconut Lime) and the Raspberry-Lemonade lip balm are among the best smelling things on earth, and they're all natural!
 

Chelsea Green Publishing  is my other favorite, and the leader on sustainable living books since 1985.  Sign up to receive a code to get 25% off and check out all the categories of topics!

Laura's Last Ditch is offering 15% off with the code EARTHWEEK15 toward all the vintage kitchen utensils, small appliances, replacement parts, retro kitchen collectibles, pots, pans and bakeware in her Etsy shop. Follow her on Facebook for the latest finds!

Paper Culture will plant a tree for every order of their 100% post-consumer recycled cards and envelopes!  Save 20% on customized baby announcements, baby shower invitations and more with the code BABY20A through April 30, 2012.

TODAY ONLY, you can receive a $20 voucher to Paper Culture for just $1 or FREE for new buyers with the code PAPER1 from MamaSource! 

Advance Auto is running some nice "Oil Change Specials" and TODAY ONLY you can save 20% on your whole order with the code EARTH.  You can order online, and get the discount, and pick up your order in the store the same day!  There are also some rebates worth checking out. I'm getting $10 back on the plug wires from a recent tune up. (This particular one is good until November and you can actually get two per person or household.)

EcoLunchboxes is offering 20% off of their stainless steel Bento Boxes through May 1st, but you need to be a Facebook fan and check their page for the code! Check out this photo for the link and share the photo to enter to win!

ReUseIt carries all sorts of re-usable sustainable products and has donated over $200,000 to environmental organizations since Earth Day 2011 through the 1% For the Planet program. Through tomorrow only (4/23) you can use the code SAFE10APR to take $10 off a $50 order.

And, to sleep better every night... if you're in the market for a new mattress, check out the eco-friendly ones at Keetsa and Save 5% on any Keetsa "Pillow Plus" Mattress and Keetsa brand Foundation through April 30, 2012 and get Free Shipping within the US and Canada. Use code "KEETSA5POFFAPR12" at checkout.

If you're in the Dayton, Ohio area, check out the local events happening here.