SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Everything we do affects the world around us,
whether we’re consciously aware of it or completely oblivious. When we toss something in the garbage, that bag of trash isn’t just hauled off to magically disappear. It piles up, and piles up, and piles up. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, in 2005, each Minnesotan was responsible for 6.4 pounds of garbage per day. That’s a 34 percent increase since 1991. This is an enormous amount of waste, and–when dumped in a landfill–has the potential to conteminate our groundwater.
We use energy–light, heat, and electricity–every day. Most of our energy comes from coal, oil, and natural gas. Once these nonrenewable energy sources are gone–they’re gone. Americans make up 5 percent of the world’s population and use 25 percent of the world’s energy. There is no substitute for oil in the ways and volumes in which we use it today.
Air pollution caused by radon, common household cleaning agents, pesticides, paints, asbestos, combustion appliances, formaldehyde (found in certain home-building products), and environmental tobacco smoke contributes to lung disease, including respiratory tract infections, asthma, and lung cancer. According to the American Lung Association, lung disease claims close to 335,000 lives in America every year and is the third leading cause of death in the United States.
And the list goes on and on.
Fortunately, we aren’t a helpless, doomed society. With a little planning and a variety of simple solutions, we can reduce our impact on the earth.
The everyday choices we make regarding the types of food we eat, how much water and energy we consume, the types of cleaning products we use, how often and what we drive, whether or not we recycle, and what (and how much) we choose to buy can make a difference. The most important lesson we can learn is that “as goes the earth’s health, so goes ours.†There are no do-overs.
Learn about the environmental impacts of day-to-day living and the concepts of “living green†at the Living Green Expo 2007–the state’s largest environmental event–on Saturday, May 5, and Sunday, May 6. This fun, free, family event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Grandstand Building on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
In addition to more than 200 exhibitors showcasing environmentally sound products, services, and practices, the Expo will feature workshops on a variety of products and include musical entertainment, a number of delicious and nutritious locally grown food samples, and fun children’s activities.
Every move in the right direction makes a difference. For more information, visit www.livinggreen.org.
Living Green Expo 2007
The state’s largest green vendor event!
Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. The event is fun, free, and family-oriented. Don’t miss it!
For more information, visit www.livinggreen.org
– Organized by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
