Earth Day is April 22! How Will You Promote Sustainability in 2011?

Earth Day is April 22! Founded in 1970, Earth Day provides a dedicated day to to raise awareness about the importance of conservation and to demonstrate our commitment to the health of our environment.

This Earth Day ACHS encourages you to review and renew your day-to-day commitment to the preservation of our natural environment. Here are some simple things you can do without significantly impacting your day-to-day routine:

• Compost. Many food items like fruits and vegetables, tea bags, coffee grounds, and plant material can be composted.
  
• Reduce energy consumption. Turn off lights when you leave a room and unplug electronics that are not in use.
  
• Get rid of old cosmetics and recycle the containers. Body and skin care products with organic ingredients support sustainable practices and your health! To find out what may be lurking in your cosmetics, visit the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.
• Plant an herb and veggie garden. Plus, growing your own herbs and veggies is a great way to reduce cost, involve the entire family, and bring healthy, nutritious foods from backyard to table. For tips about organic gardening and growing herbs in pots, visit ACHStv on YouTube for easy-to-follow instructional videos.
  

How will you promote sustainability and make the earth a better place in 2011? Post your comments and suggestions for Earth Day activities!

Read more about ACHS's sustainability initiatives on our website here and our Oregon Tilth Organic Certification here.

Grow your own herbs in a few easy steps

You don't have to have a big garden to grow your own fresh herbs. For those who live in apartments, don't have a backyard, or only like to garden small-scale, most herbs can be grown in ceramic planters.

If that's good news, you'll like what Master Gardener and ACHS Senior Vice President Erika Yigzaw had to say Saturday, May 9, at the ACHS From Your Garden to Your Kitchen Open House.

Although each herb is different, most are fairly easy to grow and use at home. There are just a few key things to remember. 1. Unless otherwise specified, herbs like full sun. 2. Herbs potted into planters should be watered about once a day. 3. Don't over water. As a general rule, water herbs so that the soil remains moist approx. one inch from the top.

Once your herbs are potted, what can you use them for? Most easily, herbs can be used on a meal-by-meal basis and either cooked into hot foods or eaten raw in salads. You also use fresh herbs to make your own herbal teas and infused oils for cooking and/or body care, as well as herbal medicine infusions and tinctures.

Click here to download free information about making your own herbal remedies, herbal teas, and organic gardening.

Additional tips for growing your own herbs include:

• When planting in peet pots, break up the peet and roots before planting.
  
• Do not plant above the base of the plant. Adding a top layer of soil can cause fungus.
  
• To keep bugs from your plants, include a decoy plant in your garden like artichoke.
  
• Before harvesting, find out the best method for that herb (for example, rosemary likes to be plucked, but peppermint can be snipped).
  

Click here for more information about dried herbs and herbal medicine classes.