Celebrating Earth Day by Thinking Green All Year Long

SILVER SPRING, Md., April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Earth Day is a time to celebrate gains we have made in our environment and create new visions to accelerate environmental progress. It's a time to unite around new actions we can take to improve the health of our planet. How can we each make a difference?

The experts at Planet Green and TreeHugger.com have these tips on how we can make every day Earth Day.

    -- Paper or Plastic? The answer isn't so easy.  Plastic bags are clearly
       bad for the environment since these petroleum-based carriers can hurt
       marine life in the ocean and can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in
       a landfill. But paper bags, although made from renewable trees,
       generate 70 percent more air pollutants and 50 times more water
       pollutants than plastic bags and require more energy to recycle than
       plastic.  The solution? Boycott both and bring in a reusable shopping
       tote.

    -- To idle or not to idle?  Most people believe it takes less energy to
       let your car idle when stopped than to turn your car off and then on
       again. In fact idling cars get zero miles per gallon. So, if you are
       stopping for more than 10 seconds, turning off and restarting your
       engine is more efficient for late-model cars.

    -- Recycle.  Don't think recycling matters that much? Think again.  A
       television can run for three hours from the energy saved by recycling
       just one aluminum can.

    -- Want to do more to reduce your carbon footprint in your home? It's easy
       -       -- move the thermostat up two degrees in the summer and down two
       degrees in the winter and save 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
       Caulk and weather-strip doorways and windows and save 1,700 pounds of
       carbon dioxide annually. Install a low-flow showerhead and save 350
       pounds.

    -- Want to do more to save the planet? Think about your clothes.  Whenever
       possible, wash your clothes in cold water, which reduces the
       environmental impact, and use ecologically safe detergents.  Skipping
       the dryer can reduce the overall climate impact of a garment by about
       50 percent.

Planet Green is Discovery Communications' global, cross-company initiative with a commitment to document, preserve and celebrate the planet, including the first-ever 24-hour eco-lifestyle television network scheduled to launch on June 4, to more than 50 million homes. Planet Green's unique content, tools and information will enlighten, empower and most certainly, entertain. Its two companion websites, TreeHugger.com and Planetgreen.com, provide deeper information for viewers to decide, on their own terms, what's next for them.