Prepare for Earth Day:
1.Eat local food.
2.Get your sneakers ready.
3.Pump up your bicycle tires.

Renewable energy is once again (since the 70s) part of the national energy agenda in a substantive way. There are a multitude of homeowner options from simple conservation to selling your excess renewable power back to the grid. Businesses can purchase from renewable sources, or even save money and “go green” like Google or Sierra Nevada Brewing.

While the ethanol biofuels you purchase today at the pump likely use more carbon that straight diesel or gas, and steal acres from food production, a new report shows they waste water as well (E&E News PM, nationally it takes between 5 to over 2000 liters of water to produce 1 liter of ethanol).

In light of all this there are some very simple things each person can do to conserve our energy resources (renewable and non-renewable), even if only for one day.

The first part of this manifesto is easy, eat local food. Avoid buying those off season grapes from Chile and buy some California raisins. Everything can’t be local especially our favorites coffee and chocolate, but there are a lot of local purchasing options for most other foods.

The second part will be easy for some and not for others. If you live in a city or town, walk some place instead of driving. If you live in a remote or rural area try to walk for an errand when you’re in town.

Third, fix up that old bike in the garage and use it. If you’re not up for fixing it, I’m sure there is a local bike shop that would be happy to give your old ride some love. Also, the folks at Bicycle Times magazine are there to show you how to safely push the pedals everyday without spending a fortune or wearing spandex.

A recent review of human powered friendly cities shows that even in some of our biggest, oldest cities and coldest cities, folks regularly pound the pavement to get places. What is your town’s walk score? For biking, frozen Minneapolis has the list beat with 3.8% of the population commuting by bike!

So here is a plan for Earth Day: walk or ride a bike to a farmer’s market, buy local food, walk or ride home, then cook and eat. Enjoy.

Click here to learn more about your Carbon Footprint.