The other day, a friend told me that last year she made an Earth Day pledge that she wouldn’t purchase any plastic Ziploc bags for the entire year. One year later, she was pleased to report that she succeeded! She laughed that many times her family became annoyed with what resembled “trash” drying all over her kitchen, but she didn’t care. She wanted to make a difference in the environment by keeping fewer bags from reaching our landfills. Some sources credit the bags with an estimated 500-year lifespan; others prefer a more conservative 1,000 years. At any rate, it’s a really, really long time.

I found myself asking, “Can I be more diligent when it comes to green living?” I must confess that sometimes a paper towel is more convenient than a cloth one, although I do try to use cloth napkins at meals. I don’t always use eco-friendly cleaning products; especially when I’m helping my dad around his house and using what he has on hand. And I do find myself feeling just a little bit guilty when I steal a few extra minutes longer than normal under the hot shower..

I don’t always get it 100 percent correct. I do, however, give myself credit for increasing my awareness of how to live more sustainably and making an effort to do so. I participate in my community recycling program, collect and deposit compostable items separately, use reusable glass containers for my drinking water throughout the day and am conscious of my driving speed and gas consumption. An eco-car is on the radar for my next vehicle.

We can all be hopeful that examples we set for our children help them grow into future sustainable citizens, the topic of our feature article this month. While they might still need a lot of reminders and guidance to make good choices, hopefully one day the voice inside their heads won’t be their parent or teacher saying, “Recycle that!” or “Reuse this!” but will be their own voice, instead.

You and your family and friends can learn how to take simple steps toward living a more sustainable lifestyle at the Mechanicsburg Earth Day Festival and Go Green In The City, in York. Celebrate Earth Day this month and as always, feel good, live simply, laugh more.

Dave Korba, Publisher