To Green Your Labor Day, Skip... Everything

Forget the parties. You've got a day off and if you're feeling some green spirit this Labor Day, there can be no better way to honor it than by... well, taking the day off. Try not working. By not running around and shopping the latest sales or for supplies for a holiday party, you tred a little more lightly on the earth. You won't be tempted to buy things you don't need--even if they're eco-friendly things (they still have to be packaged and transported to get to your store shelf--or farmers market stand, for that matter), and you won't have a chance to forget your reusable bag and succumb to taking a plastic one (or buying a new reusable one--you only need so many). By not taking a vacation, even if it's a short road trip or heading to an eco-lodge, your carbon footprint stays a little closer to zero. You won't have to fill up with gas, you won't stop for coffee or snacks along the way, and you won't be tempted to buy things you don't need once you get there. Staying put will do more to lighten your load than even your biggest composting day of the year.

And hey, speaking of compost, if you just can't sit still, get out into a garden and put some compost to work. At home if you have one, or visit a local community garden. If you don't have a compost bin, a day off is a great time to start one.

Sure, if you're going to be active, do it lightly: bike to a friend's house instead of drive, and if you throw a party, make it green. Maybe make some iced tea. But you don't get many opportunities handed to you to just sit back and relax. Use this one to meditate. For yourself or for the planet, remember why you've started caring about your impact in the first place. The less connected you are with your goals, the harder it is to stick to them.

The less you do, the smaller your footprint will be. You might not reach zero, but you can get close. By celebrating Labor Day by actively not-laboring, the earth can get a little bit of a day off, too.