Celebrating Earth Day With Your Pets

Over the last twelve months our beautiful blue planet has been truly challenged, not only by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which so detrimentally impacted both human and animal lives, but also by the calamitous BP Oil spill -- one of the most disastrous industrial accidents to impact our precious, magnificent wild life. Yet Congress has failed to enact legislation to prevent a tragedy of this magnitude from ever occurring again. Does that mean that our planet, with all of all its valuable resources, is just being taken for granted? Is the sustainability of precious resources being taken seriously? The inter-relatedness of all things on our planet is so vital. Every action has a reaction, either negative or positive. So during our celebration of Earth Day today, Friday, April 22, it behooves us to truly appreciate our home and commit to do our part in preserving our planet. And even if we don't own monster corporations similar to BP, that impact our environment so deeply, each of us, in our own special small way, is able to contribute to the world in which we live to help protect and nourish Planet Earth and respect the inter-relatedness of all things. We "pet people" have an excellent opportunity to get involved by "greening up" the way in which we take care of our animals. For instance, rather than buying plastic pet toys, those made of sustainable materials can make a huge difference. With just a little bit of imagination, old socks can be transformed into enticing fun toys for both dogs and cats. Cat litters manufactured from wheat, corn or cedar-shavings are far more environmentally-friendly than clay products. The beauty part is these can be disposed of safely in the garden. Dog and cat solid waste can be composted in a separate bin, and when fully "ripe" make a dandy fertilizer for ornamental house plants. And speaking of fertilizer, if you happen to be lucky enough to live near a riding stable, make an arrangement with the owner to collect manure for use in your vegetable garden. Let's celebrate Earth Day 2011 together by sharing more ideas for the year ahead. Add your "green" tips in a comment. Image Source: Flickr User silent_e