Earth Day Essentials for Yourself and the Planet

The scoop on how to live your best green life

From the LifeMinute.TV Team

April 23, 2021

Today is earth day and here is the lowdown on how to live your best eco-friendly life with everyday essentials from contact lenses to travel and safe pesticide alternatives.

Recycle Contact Lenses
Contact lenses that are not disposed of properly can contribute to the trillions of microplastics in our water that can harm fish and the food supply. With 45 million Americans wearing them and anywhere between one and a half to three and a half billion lenses going down the toilet or the sink each year, Bausch + Lomb, the makers of Biotrue® Oneday daily disposable contact lenses, created the one by one recycling program in collaboration with Terracycle, which is a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle waste. Since the program launched in 2016, they’ve collected and recycled nearly 30 million contact lenses, blister packs and the foils they come in. Some of the plastic collected from the program has even been recycled and combined with other recycled plastic to create training modules for seeing eye dogs. Bring them to one of the 6500 participating eyecare providers near you. Find one at bauschrecycles.com.

Sustainable Travel
Travelodge by Wyndham has so many sustainability initiatives going on all the time and an ongoing commitment to preserving our nation’s parks. More than 75% of Travelodge hotels are less than an hour’s drive from a national park and this week, for National Park Week, they’re raising funds for their long-time partner, the National Parks Conservation Association. They’ve already donated $25,000 and they’re allowing you to help double that amount. Head over to travelodge.com to learn how and take advantage of a great deal they’re running in celebration of earth day: 20% off stays of two nights or more.

Pesticides Alternative
This time of year we’re all pulling out the insecticides and lawn and gardening gear. Ecologic offers some great alternatives to traditional pesticides for your home, lawn and garden that when used as directed are safe for use around kids and pets. They are made with ingredients like cinnamon, clove and lemongrass oil so you can feel good about using them. There’s an ant and roach aerosol spray that also kills crickets and spiders by contact. Spot treat areas where insects are often found this time of year, like cracks and corners. And their weed and grass killer is great for keeping sidewalks and patios really pristine. Find Ecologic at Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s stores for about 4 to 8 bucks each.