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April 16, 2021

Thursday, April 22nd is Earth Day. Earth’s climate is a result of the individual habits of each person on the planet, but at the personal level, one needn’t sacrifice functionality solely for sustainability. In fact, embracing both equally actually builds a better Earth community.

Toward that end, we outline some key behaviors to consider and products that can support them:

Capture Water

The 40 Gallon Water Preserving Rain Barrel provides a ready supply of water for flower beds and gardens, yet resembles an earthenware urn, allowing it to blend seamlessly with a home’s exterior. A rust-proof screen with a secondary safety grid prevents debris and curious animals from entering the barrel. A brass spigot makes it easy to fill a watering can or you can connect your garden hose to a built-in fitting. Capturing and using your own rainwater takes pressure off the municipal stormwater system, saves money, and preserves the integrity of soil microbiology.

Embrace Biologic Diversity

Not all bees sting. But they do pollinate – and that’s vitally important for ensuring that our backyards, gardens, and public parks continue to thrive with biologic diversity. The British Horticulturist Bee House attracts solitary bees, such as the Red Mason and leafcutter that lay individual larvae in two dozen slim tunnels. Honeybees, by contrast, prefer other housing. Made from Forest Stewardship Council-certified cedar, the apiary educates, encourages, and entertains children without the worry of stings or swarms.

Reduce Carbon

The Self Propelled Cordless Electric Mower delivers cutting performance comparable to a gas mower without the accompanying noise, air-fouling emissions, and frequent refills of gasoline. The variable-speed mower features a push-button start that eliminates the hassle of pull cords. In tests by the Hammacher Schlemmer Institute, it ran for up to 100 minutes and fully recharged in about an hour. Some feel it is more convenient to refuel a mower by plugging it in versus having to take that little gas can to the filling station. We’ll let you decide.

Or if you really want to combine functionality with sustainability, go Old School and consider The Best Push Mower, which can cut 4”-tall grass with a 20”-wide reel and provides nine grass settings (though the 3” tall setting is best for grass in hot summer months). Now, you probably don’t want this for a ½-acre backyard, but it’s ideal for smaller plots where one desires to align a need for a presentable front yard, reliable functionality, and a sustainable mindset into one expression.

Celebrate!

The One Earth Film Festival is celebrating the week with an Earth Day Mini Film Fest from April 19th-25th. What could be better than enjoying these films with one’s community in the relaxing warm yet still cool evenings of the late Spring? Well, here’s how to pull off your own film festival:

The DVD Playing Projection Cinema allows you to stream the festival’s movies just by plugging in your laptop’s HDMI to the projector’s HDMI and the film will be ready to project onto any wall, screen, or surface of your choice. You can listen via the projector’s built-in speakers, but you may prefer to plug in your own – the projector can accommodate! But why choose a wall when you can project onto The 9.5 Foot Outdoor Inflatable Movie Screen, which inflates in seconds with two built-in fans to provide a 149” viewing surface 3X larger than a 50” TV. Now you’re sharing the festival with friends, families, and neighbors – and when the festival is over, the projector and screen can stream your Hulu and Netflix as well as play your favorite DVDs.