Outdoor Play Time & Recycling

Without a doubt the best play time is spent outside in the fresh air and in an effort to remain responsible to the environment there are a few things to keep in mind when out and about.

The best place to play is somewhere that you don't need to fly to, take a train to, or drive to. Yeah, your own backyard is a good place but not everyone is fortunate enough to live near a national park. There are bike paths to find and trails to hike that can be found all over the place, and can be new journeys of adventure with very little effort. Check with your town or city hall, they may have little treasures all over your community that you go past everyday and are not aware that there is a walking path tucked in somewhere because you don't take the time to walk in and explore.

Always remember when you are enjoying yourself outdoors that the other people around are trying to enjoy themselves too, so do everything possible to remember to leave the beautiful spaces as beautiful as they were when you arrived. Today, with trash cans everywhere you look, there is no excuse for leaving trash behind and that means cigarette butts, too. Take a few minutes before leaving the area you have been enjoying and be sure that all of your trash goes with you, so it won't become a burden for the next person to deal with.

Spending a day in a park or at a beach will greatly outweigh the alternative to watching TV and running electronics in your home, depriving yourself the added benefit of fresh air and exercise. Walking the beach will never affect your electric bill and picking up after yourself will only encourage the next person to do the same. The power to make choices about what to do with our leisure time is great and being able to choose an activity that will not impact your financial responsibilities is a wonderful freedom.

If a mode of transportation is needed to arrive at the spot you're headed to, try to use the least pollutant-adding means possible. Riding a bike is better than driving a car, so depending on the distance that is needed to travel, make the best choices that will not add to the pollutants our air is facing. If it is a possibility, use mass transportation to get to where you need to go. A bus or a train is always better than driving, but if you have to drive, be sure to pack as many people into one vehicle as is possible. You may need to drive, but driving one car is a whole lot better than driving four of them.

Making choices to help our great outdoors is not difficult, but there is some thought involved and don't we owe it to the planet to take the time necessary to make the choices that will benefit it, in the long run?