Happy Earth Day: 5 Ways to Optimize your Health and the Environment

Happy Earth Day!

Did you know there are hundreds of ways you can help the environment and get healthier? You can help make the world a better place to live a happy and healthy life.

Here are my top 5 ways to get you started:

1. Buy Fruits and Vegetables that are in Season.

Eating fruits and vegetables that are in season save fossil fuel, but your food will also be fresher, taste better, cost less, and retain more nutrients! Take a look at produce that is in season here.

2. Visit your local farmers market.

Make it a family trip! We are lucky that what started as one farmer’s market in Manhattan now expanded to about 54 markets all around NYC. You will be supporting local farmers and keeping your dollars in your community. Find your local farmers' markets today!

3. Get planting!

You can do this numerous ways. It can start by a single pot inside your home. Some easy herbs that do well indoors include: basil, cilantro, parsley, sage, mint. If you have a back yard... make real good use of it. You could be harvesting your own salad, helping you save tons of money! Your next option is getting involved at a community garden.

4. Start composting.

Composting can divert as much as 30% of household waste away from the garbage can. When this material is sent to a landfill, it contributes to NYC's disposal costs and can create greenhouse gas emissions. When composted, food scraps and other organic waste become a useful product that adds nutrients and improves the quality of soil. That means more rich nutrients in our produce!

Composting has helped me to keep track of how much fresh produce I am consuming. I feel double fulfillment when I see how much produce I have consumed, and when I bring my compost to my local public library where they collect compost every Monday morning. Check out your closest food scrap collection at 35 Greenmarket locations in NYC, you can find other sites here.

5. Ditch the Gym, Get Outdoors!

There is no better way to celebrate Earth Day than being outdoors, enjoying the scenery, breathing fresh air and getting your physical activity!

Remember Earth's health is also in your hands! Lets make your body and our planet Earth a healthier place to live in! =)

Tell me how you have been helping our planet and your health.

Yours truly,

Diana