While I think we should treat every day like it’s Earth Day, the official day to celebrate our planet is April 22. Here’s how I share my love for Mama Earth with my little one, Vienna, and ways that you can too! Read on for my best planet-friendly tips.

8 planet friendly tips for green parents

1. go plastic free.

I’m making a concerted effort to curb my family’s plastic use, and you can too. It always amazes me how these simple changes can make such a big difference. • Start packing your lunches and leftovers in food storage containers made of lightweight steel, bamboo, ceramic, glass or silicone instead of plastic (especially single-use plastics). • Bring your own water bottles and tumblers when you’re on the go to avoid using a single-use cup. This may mean being a bit more prepared, but it’s worth it. • Say “no” to plastic straws for cold drinks. • Bring your own bags to the supermarket and farmers’ markets. Don’t forget to bring bags for the produce and bulk section, too.

2. reuse and recycle.

• When purchasing packaged foods, be informed about what’s recyclable and what’s not. My daughter, Vienna, loves Love Child Organics’ purees, and we love knowing that the product we are purchasing can be recycled through TerraCycle. You can read more about Terracycle here. • At home, we also like to reuse glass bottles and jars for food storage.

3. use recycled materials for arts and crafts.

There are a million ways to create with boxes, cardboard tubes and egg cartons. Help repurpose “waste,” and even encourage your kids’ schools to do the same!

4. eliminate food waste by using whole foods

When I roast a chicken, for example, I’ll use up the leftover bones to make a delicious and nourishing broth. Or when I make juice, I’ll use the leftover pulp in a smoothie or freeze it and use it later. In situations where you don’t use the whole food (non-edible peels or leftover tea leaves, for example), make sure to compost!

5. make your own cleaning products.

Discover the magic of essential oils, baking soda, and lemon to create eco- and child-friendly all-purpose cleaning solutions. Chemicals used in conventional products can be harmful to our environment and ultimately come back to us through our drinking water and the food we eat. There’s a reason you see a skull and crossbones on many household cleaning supplies sold at the hardware or grocery store.

6. whenever possible, walk or cycle instead of driving.

We walk Vienna to and from school every day, and try to do most of our errands on foot. It’s a great way to spend quality time together and we always feel energized being outside. This leads me to my next point…

7. spend time outside (yes, even in the wintertime).

Going outside teaches kids to appreciate and love nature. Research shows the incredible benefits of spending time outdoors, including increasing the feel-good serotonin in our brains, alleviating stress and depression and boosting our energy!

8. shop second hand, and donate your gently worn clothing.

One of the bittersweet signs that your kid is getting bigger is seeing how quickly they outgrow their clothes. Babies and toddlers especially seem to need a new wardrobe every few months. Unfortunately, the stats on clothing waste are staggering: Canada itself contributes 12 million tons a year of textile waste dumped into North America’s landfills! Keep clothes out of the landfill by donating, selling or swapping gently used items, and buying from secondhand shops. Above all, remember that caring for Mama Earth doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. Simply going to the park or enjoying a meal loaded with seasonal veggies is an amazing way to show your love for the planet!   Joy McCarthy is the Founder of Joyous Health, a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and best-selling author. A trusted nutrition expert, Joy has been featured in hundreds of publications both online and in print; and is a regular health expert on TV. Through her innate drive to inspire others, Joy has created numerous online programs and eBooks under JOYOUS U and is a faculty member at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition. Joy lives in Toronto with her husband Walker and their daughter Vienna

    Natural is no longer enough; you need beauty products that are sustainable. We scoured the globe for new ways to green your hair, skin, and makeup routine. Here, the eco-friendly innovations we're most excited about.  

Skincare Treasures From Trash

  In France, the prune d’Ente is as coveted as foie gras, but the pits of the famous dried plums are routinely discarded in the manufacturing process. Enter Tina Hedges, the Jamaican-born founder of LOLI Beauty skincare. “When we started the brand, one of my priorities was to find powerful skincare ingredients that could be repurposed from organic-food-supply waste,” she says. One of her success stories: LOLI’s Plum Elixir, which features the cold-pressed oil of the Ente plum pit; it’s a luxurious, antioxidant-rich moisturizer-from what used to end up in the garbage.  

A Greener Space to Shop

  In the Venn diagram of places beauty enthusiasts shop and places the sustainability crowd frequents, there wasn’t much overlap-until New York City’s Hudson Yards opened this spring. At the heart of the multibuilding complex is a cogeneration plant that recovers wasted heat to make the buildings 70 percent more energy efficient. Plus, nearly 10 million gallons of storm water a year will be collected from building roofs and public plazas to be filtered and reused. This green hub is also a chic shopping destination with beauty stores like Sephora, Kiehl’s, and the Body Shop. There’s even a vegan nail salon, Sundays, where you can slip on headphones and do a guided meditation while you get your manicure. Retail therapy just took on a whole new meaning.    

The New Oil That Saves Trees

  Creating chemical alternatives to plants may seem counterintuitive to the cause, but it’s often the most environmentally responsible option. Green startup C16 Biosciences has developed a lab-grown alternative to palm oil, a popular beauty-product ingredient that often comes from plantations that contribute to deforestation in places like Costa Rica and Indonesia. The biotech firm is relatively new, but representatives say they’re already working with a confidential group of cosmetic companies to replace the palm oil in their products. Green moral of the story: Sometimes saving the planet starts in the lab.  

Shampoo Bottles That Save Beaches

  Tidying up the earth’s coasts can be a dirty job: Environmental-advocacy nonprofit Ocean Conservancy claims it has collected more than 250 million pounds of beach pollution in the past 33 years. Now Herbal Essences is assisting with the task and putting the conservationists’ earth-conscious efforts to good use. In collaboration with TerraCycle, a global leader in recycling hard-to-repurpose materials, the brand has created new bottles-for its White Grapefruit & Mosa Mint, Argan Oil, and Coconut Milk collections-made with 25 percent plastic that has been collected from the coastlines in Canada, Panama, and other polluted spots around the world.  

Creamy Colors That Power Flowers

  Danish makeup artist Kirsten Kjaer Weis is known for her elegant, stunningly packaged line of cosmetics. She’s also an innovator who finds sustainability in the most uncommon places. Case in point: The beeswax in her velvety lipsticks and dewy blushes helps preserve a delicate ecosystem. The brand buys wax from Italian beekeepers, who cart their tiny charges to mountains on the border of France and Italy every summer to gather their nectar in biodynamic flower fields. The bees help pollinate the flowers, and the location ensures they aren’t exposed to any pesticides. Come winter, the harvest of the hives is used to create the rich, ultrapure wax that goes into those dreamy makeup compacts.  

Serums And Cleansers Made Without Water

  The new brand PWDR practices what founder Carrington Snyder calls BYOW, or bring your own water. “If you take water out of a skincare formula, you can take out a whole range of preservatives and emulsifiers, which often come from synthetic sources,” explains the California-based entrepreneur. “And many of those types of ingredients that aren’t good for you aren’t good for the earth either.” Another ecobonus? Powders are lighter than liquids, which cuts down on shipping weight, so less energy is used to transport them. The standout is a sophisticated serum made with concentrated extracts of hyaluronic acid, B vitamins, peptides, and floral extracts; just add water and it transforms into a silky emulsion in seconds.  

Products With Zero Packaging

  Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics bypasses the dilemma of packaging that contributes to landfill waste by selling “naked” skincare. After opening a packaging-free concept store in Milan last year, the company, which was founded in the United Kingdom, realized it was on to something and developed a collection of solid face oils, cleansers, masks, and moisturizers that are sold worldwide-without boxes or bottles.  

Carbon-Neutral Makeup From Vegetables

  Growing up in Mexico with a grandfather who was a medicine man and a mother who turned plants into makeup, Ere Perez was destined to start a holistic beauty line. And after she moved to Australia, that’s exactly what she did, creating a collection of botanical skincare and cosmetics that features all-natural colorants like beetroot and carrot extract. Her company also offsets all the greenhouse-gas emissions produced during its manufacturing process by purchasing credits to fund carbon-neutral energy initiatives. How’s this for a full-circle story: One project her company helps fund is a wind-energy farm in her native country.  

Recycled Bottles That Build Gardens

  You can’t guarantee the plastics you put in your recycling bin actually get recycled. (Some bottles, for example, are rejected by community processing plants if the labels aren’t easily removed.) But Garnier has a solution: Four years ago, it launched a program encouraging consumers to send their bathroom empties to TerraCycle to be cleaned, shredded, and ground into pellets that are turned into building materials. Now Garnier is using the 11 million bottles collected thus far to build garden beds, benches, signs, and trash bins for community gardens. The first green oasis opened in Miami this year, with more coming soon.  

Sheet Masks That Disappear

  Pick a more earth-friendly sheet mask and your self-care Sunday doesn’t have to be selfish. One option: the Body Shop’s Drops of Youth Concentrate Sheet Mask, which features babassu oil from Brazil. The mask is not just biodegradable but compostable too. Let it work its smoothing and plumping magic for 15 minutes, peel it off, then toss the sheet in your compost bin. Even if you use the bin at an organic community garden, you’re still good: The mask has been rigorously tested to ensure it disintegrates without leaving any trace metals or toxins that could affect plants or water.  

Wildcrafted Skincare

  There’s something romantic about the concept of products made from wild-grown and carefully harvested ingredients. And sustainable sourcing can lead to more potent ingredients too: Because wild plants have to fend off pests and survive in extreme climates without the help of pesticides or fertilizers, they may be richer in protective antioxidants than commercially grown versions. Alpyn Beauty uses a complex made with plants from the mountains of Wyoming to create its skin-brightening Plant Genius Survival Serum. And Shea Terra Organics puts tamanu nuts from Madagascar’s Vohibola Forest in its antiaging, skin-healing Tamanu Beauty Oil. Considering that commercial farming is responsible for 70 percent of the water used in the world, these products are truly a low-impact way to glow.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., April 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, Guitar Center, the world's largest musical instrument retailer, is partnering with D'Addario for a special event in celebration of Earth Day. Over Earth Day weekend (Saturday, April 20, Sunday, April 21, and Monday, April 22) at Guitar Center locations nationwide, any musician bringing in a guitar for setup will receive complimentary D'Addario premium replacement strings – either NYXL or EXP Coated Acoustic strings – as part of the guitar tuneup, with the old strings being recycled. This event is part of D'Addario's Playback Recycling + Replacement Program, as well as Guitar Center's year-round string recycling initiative, which has seen more than two tons of strings recycled since the program's inception – approximately 3.37 million strings total. These efforts are accomplished with the help of global recycling organization TerraCycle, which specializes in handling hard-to-recycle materials. As musical instrument strings are not recycled through municipal recycling programs, an estimated 1.5 million lbs. of instrument string metal is put into landfill each year – material that could be recycled thanks to specialized organizations like TerraCycle. "Last year's event was a resounding success, and we thank all who participated, as well as all those who have been turning to their local Guitar Center locations for recycling their used strings," stated Stacey Spencer, Guitar Center Director – Repairs & Rentals. "Recycling strings is the responsible choice, and we encourage all musicians to recycle whenever and wherever possible. We are looking forward to serving our customers with premium setup service and replacement strings throughout Earth Day weekend at our stores nationwide." About Guitar Center: Guitar Center is a leading retailer of musical instruments, lessons, repairs and rentals in the U.S. With nearly 300 stores across the U.S. and one of the top direct sales websites in the industry, Guitar Center has helped people make music for more than 50 years. Guitar Center also provides customers with various musician-based services, including Guitar Center Lessons, where musicians of all ages and skill levels can learn to play a variety of instruments in many music genres; GC Repairs, an on-site maintenance and repairs service; and GC Rentals, a program offering easy rentals of instruments and other sound reinforcement gear. Additionally, Guitar Center's sister brands include Music & Arts, which operates more than 200 stores specializing in band & orchestral instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students, and Musician's Friend, a leading direct marketer of musical instruments in the United States. For more information about Guitar Center, please visit www.guitarcenter.com. D'Addario & Company, Inc. D'Addario is the world's largest manufacturer of musical instrument accessories, marketed under several product brands: D'Addario Fretted, D'Addario Orchestral, D'Addario Woodwinds, Promark Drumsticks, Evans Drumheads, and Puresound Snare Wires. A family-owned and operated business with roots dating back to the 17th century, D'Addario now has over 1,100 employees worldwide, and manufactures 95% of its products in the U.S. while utilizing Toyota's Lean manufacturing principles. D'Addario musical accessories are distributed in 120 countries, serve more than 3,300 U.S. retailers, all major e-commerce sites, and are the preferred choice of musicians worldwide such as, Keith Urban, Zak Brown, Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews, Gary Clark Jr., Chris Thile, Ry Cooder, Joe Satriani, Julia Fischer, Anderson .Paak, Kacey Musgraves and more.

 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/guitar-center-partners-again-with-daddario-for-earth-day-string-recyclingreplacement-event-at-locations-nationwide-300834405.html

SOURCE Guitar Center

FARMINGDALE, N.Y., April 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As the leading musical accessories brand in the world, D'Addario is passionate about manufacturing products that create positive change, both on stage and off. It's why, since the beginning, they've been committed to crafting the highest performing products with the lowest impact on the planet. CEO Jim D'Addario revolutionized the way guitar strings were packaged by coiling and packaging strings together in a single, recyclable Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor (VCI) bag. The result has reduced packaging waste by 75%, saving over 7 million pounds of paper. But that's just the start. Troubled by the lack of programs for recycling strings, D'Addario partnered with Terracycle, an organization that repurposes hard-to-cycle waste. Together, they formed Playback: the world's leading string recycling program. Since Playback's inception, D'Addario has recycled over 3 million strings through Restring & Recycle events hosted by music retailers across the country, recycling competitor strings, and rewarding D'Addario's loyalty members for participation.

Local musicians are invited to attend a free recycle and restring event at Russo Music in Asbury Park on April 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. Sponsored by D’Addario and international recycling company TerraCycle, musicians can bring any old instrument strings for recycling and get their electric or acoustic guitars restrung with D’Addario NYXL or Nickel Bronze Acoustic strings. Old strings collected during the event will be recycled through Playback, D’Addario’s free, national recycling program. The team at Russo Music is committed to accommodating musicians of all levels, backgrounds and groups. They curate the finest of instruments and accessories, from popular brands or “ambitious boutiques” and seek the highest quality while ensuring there is something for every budget and taste. In fact, all instruments go through a quality-test before being put on the shelves and being sold. The team of experts are always available for personal service as well as repairs. Each year, Russo Music fixes thousands of instruments in areas near and far, paying an ode to their commitment towards communities who are close by or far away. Playback is the world’s first instrument string recycling program, launched through a partnership between D’Addario and innovative recycling company, TerraCycle. The program is a part of D’Addario’s Players Circle loyalty program and allows registered users to recycle their used strings in exchange for extra Players Circle points. Musicians attending the recycle and restring events will receive a code at the event, redeemable for extra Players Circle points. Points can be used towards merchandise or donated to the D’Addario Foundation, the company’s nonprofit organization supporting music education in underserved communities. “We’re thrilled to have found a recycling solution for our instrument string waste thanks to the partnership between D’Addario and TerraCycle.” says store representative, Scott Engel. “We can now make sure that our collected instrument strings are properly disposed regardless of the brand, allowing us to do what we love while minimizing our footprint on the environment.” D’Addario has been consistently committed to the environment, working to reduce their company’s packaging waste and use the most environmentally responsible packaging available on the market. Their partnership with TerraCycle allows them to further reinforce their role as an environmental leader in the music industry. TerraCycle is a global leader in recycling typically non-recyclable waste, working with companies to implement recycling initiatives and finding solutions for materials otherwise destined for landfill. For more information on the recycle and restring event, please contact Russo Music Asbury Park at (732) 455-8397.

At Province Apothecary, we are committed to providing organic and ethically sourced products, and continually finding ways to reduce our environmental footprint. For the last few years, we have offered a recycling incentive program to local customers: if you bring in 5 used PA bottles, you receive a free lip balm. We recycle all returned product bottles with the City of Toronto. In an effort to further reduce the environmental impact of cosmetic waste, we have partnered with a program called Terracycle for repurposing + recycling packaging that isn't currently accepted in the municipal program and might otherwise end up in landfills or waterways. What is Terracycle and what do they do? TerraCycle is a highly-awarded and globally recognized recycling company that develops zero waste solutions for difficult-to-recycle waste streams. The waste is collected through their Zero Waste System and is then sorted and repurposed into affordable, innovative products instead of being sent to a landfill. How is this different than our last recycling program? We have always recycled our bottles with the City of Toronto but until this point, we have not been able to recycle droppers, sprayers, or pumps. With Terracycle, we are able to continue to recycle glass and plastic packaging as well as materials like our pumps and droppers, mist sprayers, tins, lip balm tubes, and other hard-to-recycle packaging. What are some ways that Terracycle diverts waste from landfills? METALS |  Metals are separated by specific type and smelted into ingots for re-use. PLASTICS | Plastics are separated by number and melted down. From there, most plastics are turned into small pellets that can be molded and extruded into unique shapes and products. GLASS | Glass is cleaned and sorted by color for processing. It is then crushed and melted to be used in new glass products or other applications. What will you accept in your new recycling program? We will continue to honour our “bring back 5 empty Province Apothecary containers to receive 1 free lip balm.” We will accept + recycle packaging from our entire product line, including:

• Wellness + Perfume Roll-on vials
• Lip balm containers
• Sample containers and vials

Please ensure minimal residual product on your returns. Please note that sample packaging will not count towards receiving a free lip balm. We're so excited to be broadening our in-store recycling program and we hope you'll continue to bring us your empty PA containers!