Earth Day Begins at Home

You can make everyday an Earth Day by considering these suggestions and sharing them with your neighborhood.

Purchase nontoxic cleaning products. Use natural fiber sponges and cleaning agents that are biodegradable, phosphate-free, chlorine-free and unscented.

Reduce paper use. Use rags instead of paper towels; cloth napkins instead of paper ones. Buy post-consumer recycled paper and recycle it when you have used it.

Restore responsibly. Use water-based or vegetable-based paints, stains and varnishes. Do not wash paint thinner, household cleaners, oil or pesticides down the drain or pour them on the ground. Use them up, give leftovers to your friends or dispose them at your local waste disposal center.

Repair instead of replace. Reupholster furniture. Resole your shoes.

Replace disposable goods with renewable ones. Buy rechargeable batteries. Use dishes instead of paper plates.

Plant for the planet. Strengthen your garden’s resistance to pests by planting resilient plants, by rotating the fruits and vegetables you plant and by attracting friendly bugs to prey on the pesky ones.

TRUST WHO?

My heart pounds nowadays every time I hear my phone beep. I can’t help but think that there’s more bad news coming. You can’t blame me though, because a recent experience made me think of something that I have always taken for granted. I’ve always believed. I used to think that everyone else was just like me: carefree, unaffected and easily trusting. But my thoughts were proven wrong.

I hurriedly grabbed my phone. I was surprised to find out that it was one of my close friend. What was far more surprising was her message. It was short and simple. But its impact was huge. I nearly lost my balance when I red her text in bold letters: “I’M TWO MONTHS PREGNANT.” For a moment I was stunned. I was replying to the text message: What happened? Did you tell anyone else? All I got was a curt reply: “ NO ONE ELSE KNOWS. “ I felt bothered. I wanted to call her. But I didn’t know where to start. I have always perceived her as the shy-typed and probably now ashamed to admit her condition. I’m quite surprised that she told me, but somewhat relieved. At least she trusted me. So I promised to never let her down.

Sometimes the world can be so indifferent. People can be so immature. Sharing a part of yourself with others can be hard. Looking for that elusive trustworthy someone then becomes a quest. I have never put much thought on this matter, until I realized that trusting isn’t easy at all. But do people today still have their own confidantes whom they can turn to in times of troubles? Or do they just keep it all to themselves? I had to convinced. So I made my own little survey. I tried to find out whom people trust and the reasons why they do so. Out of 100 respondents, my survey says: “ MOTHERS KNOW BEST. “