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Earth Day kudos, reader
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(AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
For Earth Day 2009, you’ll hear and read lots of advice about what you should be doing: eating locally, reducing your carbon footprint, saving water, recycling…
If you live in Seattle, chances are you probably do a lot in the spirit of Earth Day everyday. We have recycling and composting programs. We are a city of walkers. We have well-attended farmers’ markets. We have Zipcars. We have environmentally-conscious grocery stores.
Today, I want to celebrate some of the things that readers do to benefit the earth. Here are some things I’ve been mulling over on this rainy Earth Day morning:
Armchair travel has a much smaller carbon footprint than airplane travel. If you read a book about a destination instead of actually going there, you’ve made a healthier choice for the environment. Remember that there are always free companion fares for armchair travel; just share your book with a friend when you’re done.
Really good books can encourage use of public transportation. I haven’t seen any scientific studies on this, but I think my theory holds for people who don’t get motion sickness. If you start a book you can’t put down, you’ll be more likely to take the bus than drive. Just think of the bus trip as extra reading time!
Sometimes I feel guilty when I don’t leave the house (and barely leave the couch) because I’m reading such a good book. No more guilt. Today I’m going to congratulate myself for my environmental wisdom! When I stay in, I usually only have one light turned on: my reading light. I’m saving electricity! When I stay in, I’m usually wrapped up in a blanket. I’m saving heat! When I stay in, (true confession time) I may not even take a shower. I’m saving water! It all makes me want to turn off the computer, grab a book, and do my part to save the world.
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