Earth Day in Palm Beach

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Palm Beach Mom Collective is committed to celebrating and supporting all moms – that includes Mother Earth!

Gear up to celebrate Earth Day, on it’s observance day of April 22nd! This annual event is a great time to work on preserving and protecting our planet.

Did you know, that according to a recent article posted on Calendar-365.com, “Earth Day is celebrated in 193 countries each year.”

I am constantly teaching my kids not to litter, the importance to recycle and how to respect and protect our environment. Although I try to teach them these things all the time, this month is especially fun, with lots of great family events to get involved in!

Below I will share some of the ways that my family and I are trying to be more environmentally conscious, especially this month and for the future.

Recycle!

I routinely recycle whatever and whenever I can. Visit Palm Beach County’s Solid Waste Authority website. There you can find a wealth of information about what you can and cannot recycle. You can even order new recycle bins there and find out where you can discard hazardous materials, like batteries, things that should not go out in the regular trash to landfills. The SWA website is also currently running a social media challenge where you can participate to win a prize! Excellent resources on that website! http://SWA.org

Side note: (And maybe I am possibly the last person on earth to learn this), but did you know that Home Depot will take your used batteries off your hands and properly dispose of them for you? You can drop them off at any of their stores! 

Use Reusable containers and pouches whenever possible for lunches and snacks.

Kids love them! So many cute designs and options! We are trying to limit the use of plastic baggies at my house.

Do you have any MAC make-up in your make-up collection? Have you heard about “Back to MAC”?

O.K. so maybe this is old news to some of you, but this momma completely forgot about this little perk! I was purging some old make-up and remembered that program existed! You can return the plastic containers to the MAC make-up store and receive a free lipstick as a reward! I believe you need to bring back 5 containers. Call the store and check that they participate and what the specifics are… But how awesome!!! Being good to the planet and getting a free lipstick!! Win Win!! I have also now been trying to purchase make-up in more earth friendly packaging. My latest find is an eyeshadow palette by Kat Von D that I found in Sephora, called “Lolita.” I was attracted to the beautiful colors in the set,  the ingredients and really love that it’s made of a sturdy cardboard like material instead of plastic. It definitely seems to be a more easily recyclable container. 

Order a Mermaid Straw

You may have noticed many places switching over to paper straws. I first noticed this a while back at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  More recently I’ve noticed Starbucks is now on board and McDonald’s. Well, for me, ever since  I saw that horrible video online of a plastic straw stuck in a Sea Turtles nose, I have ordered my reusable, stainless steel, rainbow colored (they come in many different colors/designs) straw with travel case from Mermaid Straws. I love these straws and have gotten asked many times while out and about where I ordered them from and how great of a product it is! I’m glad many places are making paper straws available, but this straw is a nice option to have on hand too. Anything you can start doing, even just some of the time to help protect our oceans is great! Check out these straws! http://MermaidStraw.com

4Oceans

Started by two surfers who realized the threat plastic is causing for the ocean environment and fishermen. You can purchase one of their bracelets, or collect them all. Their website says that their bracelets are made of recycled materials and that “Every bracelet purchased funds the removal of 1 pound of trash from the ocean and coastlines.” Visit this amazing website and help support this important cause. This bracelet could be a great gift for someone too.  Not all of us can get out and join a local beach clean up, so this is something we can do to help with just a click from home and know we are helping make a difference. http://4ocean.com

Plant seeds with your kids!

There’s a lot of cute plant and seed projects to do with the kids that you can find on pinterest! some of them are really cute!!

Get out this month to an Earth Day celebration or event in your community! 

Local events to celebrate Earth Day:

  • South Florida Science Center from 10am-2pm on Thursday, April 22: Environmental Science Demos, Special Aquarium Presentations, and more;
  • Earth Day Beach Cleanup, Bryant Park at the Lake Worth Lagoon, from 9am-12pm on Thursday, April 22;
  • KidX Earth Day event at the Boynton Beach Mall, from 1-3pm on Saturday, April 24.

Happy Earth Day!

 

 

 

 

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Kim Ballejo
Originally from Long Island, New York, Kim Ballejo first moved to Florida as a college student, fell in love with Palm Beach and never left. After college, Kim worked in Diagnostic Imaging for over 10 years and is now a married, stay at home mom with two daughters, ages 4 and 6. She loves to write about experiences in motherhood, exploring new and fun things to do with the kids, and connecting with the amazing moms in the community. Kim also enjoys crafting, working out at Orange Theory Fitness, shopping, make-up, fashion, movies, massages, facials, moms nights out, date nights, going on family cruises and everything Disney!!! If you see her in target, say hello... but if you catch her cutting the car line at the school just look the other way! Kim is a contributor for Palm Beach Moms Blog and you can follow her on Instagram @kimballejo