Five Things You Need to Know Today: Earth Day

Today is Earth Day, and while some folks remember celebrating the very first Earth Day (such as the writer’s father), many of us we brought up celebrating every year. There are plenty of ways to celebrate this planet on which we live, some are more work than others.  Here are some suggestions for celebrating Earth Day right here in America’s Hometown.

The Bayside Runner Racing Series hosts the Earth Day Four-Miler at Myles Standish State Forest tomorrow (Saturday, April 23). You can walk or run the course through the quiet pine barrens of Myles Standish. You can do your Spring cleaning at the same time. Clean out your closets and cabinets and take your usable clothing, housewares or furniture to the race to be donated and recycled by Savers, located on Pilgrim Hill Road. Avers will accept the donations to benefit the Epilepsy Foundation of New England. Wait, there’s more: Proceeds from the race will be used to buy recycling bins in every classroom in Plymouth’s schools. Register at http://www.active.com/

Are you ready for summer, but when you pulled out your flip-flops, you discovered that your cat has been using them as a chew toy? Flip-flops are notoriously difficult to recycle, but Old Navy is accepting those old plastic and rubber sandals. Beginning today, Old Navy has a giant recycling bin for flip-flops at its store in Colony Place. The chain has teamed up with Terra-cycle, a recycling company that turns hard-to-recycle items into new merchandise, such as drink cozies made from old chip bags. The collected flip-flops will be ground up to build playgrounds across the country.

Sick of paying $100 a week to fuel that gas guzzler? Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth recycles cars through its Cars for Homes program, a year-round program. Donating your car helps the environment three ways: By taking older, inefficient vehicles off the road, recycling the metals, plastics and rubber from those cars, and by using those donations to put local families into energy efficient homes. For more information on Habitat for Humanity’s Cars for Homes program, call 877-277-4344 or visit www.carsforhomes.org.

The has 30-gallon purple trash bags available for any group that wishes to do the dirty work and pick up the trash that has built up all winter along roadsides. Call the DPW at 508-747-1620 ext. 126.

Grocery stores have reusable shopping bags for sale, buy a bunch for yourself and remember to take them with you when you go to the store. The bags are made from recycled material. They carry more than plastic bags and can last for years, replacing hundreds of plastic bags. There are also sales on energy-efficient light bulbs and other energy-efficient products today.