Hi and a Happy Earth Day to all! Today is an important day to stop and think of what we're doing to our environment. While doing this, resolve to make a change in your daily routine or at home that will benefit the environment.

Last night after getting home I decided in honor of the big day, to plant some of the free vegetable plants I got last week from the generous students at St. Aloysius School. If you read in The Mercury or on our website, last week the students made a salad for lunch out of vegetables they had grown from seed along with help from Strogus Greenhouses. Well, the plants grew so well and were in such abundance, that some of them made their way back to The Mercury for whoever wanted a good start to their vegetable garden. So, of course, I helped myself to some radishes, spinach and a couple of cherry tomato plants. Thanks a lot!

Ok, here's a few things you can do today and maybe afterward in honor of our environment. Instead of using paper cups today for your coffee/tea, how about using or buying a travel cup. Sure, it's plastic, but you can use it over and over again, instead of using a new paper cup everyday. And if you make coffee at work, save those used coffee grounds. You can mix them right into your garden beds. They're full of nutrients for the soil.

And if you absolutely have to have bottled water -- try using glass bottles. I'm not even going to get into the statistics of how many plastic bottles are used EVERY DAY in this country.

Recycle your copy/printer paper if you can and use the other side. Turn your computer off every day, it uses less energy that way. And, my parents' favorite, turn off any unnecessary lights if you're not in the room!

This past weekend, we installed a rain chain just off our patio to catch rain water. Here's how it works. The rain chain is installed at the end of the rain spouting, where it connects to the down spout. The chain hangs down into a catch basin, any kind of planter, bucket or barrell will do. When it rains, the water comes out of the spout and follows the chain into the catch basin. The fresh rain water can then be used to water the garden. Rain water is better than tap water for the garden, it doesn't contain all those additives from the treatment plant.

In addition to conserving water, the rain chain is an interesting focal point as well as a water feature when it's raining. It provides a pleasant trickling sound, depending on how hard it's raining. Now all we have to do is wait for some rain.

And last, but not least, why not rent "The 11th Hour" on DVD. This documentary narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio will surely open your eyes to what we are doing to our environment. Or you can just tune in at 8 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel for "Naked Earth: Glacier Meltdown" for more information on the subject. So get out and do something "green" today!