Coastal Journal: Every day can be Earth Day to the thoughtful

More than any other time I can remember, Earth Day - coming up Tuesday this year - is on everybody's minds.

No matter what their political persuasion, most agree that something has to be done to combat global warming, to get rid of plastic bags, to protect wildlife habitats and to preserve our waterways. The list goes on and on.

Finally, focusing on the environment is coming to the forefront. From all the material that has come across my desk recently, I've picked some serious and fun ways to celebrate Earth Day Tuesday and every day,

1. Send an Earth Day e-card to all your friends from the Nature Conservancy's Earth Day Web site, www.nature.org/earthday. Click on e-cards at bottom right. Also click on "Green Tips" to get ideas for helping the environment.

2. If you have a small- or medium-sized yard, use an old-fashioned reel mower, rather than a gas-powered lawn mower. You'll reduce your garden's carbon footprint and exercise your muscles, too (although new mowers are lightweight and much easier to push).

3. Plant trees, which also offsets your carbon footprint and may help reforest the rain forests. Right here at home, trees can reduce energy costs by shading your house in summer, combating erosion and absorbing pollutants. Friday is National Arbor Day, yet another cause to celebrate by planting a tree.

4. Make your yard wildlife-friendly. Visit the Web site of the National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org). Click on Certified Wildlife Habitat in the lower right corner for ideas, and maybe you'll be inspired to go the extra mile and get your yard certified.

5. Water your wildlife. Animals had it tough in last summer's drought. The folks at Wild Birds Unlimited say that water is the most important thing you can offer to attract wildlife to your yard.

6. Keep the cats away. It's also National Wildlife Week through April 27. A huge gift to animals would be to keep your cats inside during nesting season (and all the time for that matter) to protect baby wildlife. Free-roaming cats kill millions of birds and mammals every year.

7. Take your own bags to the grocery store to do your part to keep plastic bags from clogging landfills and choking oceans. You can buy lightweight, reusable bags very inexpensively from most grocery stores. Better yet, if you want to wear your heart on your bag, buy bags from my favorite environmental organization, Lynnhaven River Now, and every time you go into the grocery store, you will not only be helping the environment you also will be promoting an organization that is trying to clean up the river. Bags are 4 for $10. Call 962-5398.

8. Scoop the poop! Of all things that dog owners could do to help the environment, scooping the poop is top on the list. When it rains, bacteria from dog waste washes down storm drains and into rivers and streams and pollutes the water.

9. Celebrate at Virginia Beach's own Earth Day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 4 at Mount Trashmore and then let the celebration continue throughout the year.

10. Pass on your earth-friendly tips, and I will include them in Close Encounters.