Image by Edgar Zuniga Jr.

On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved and officially adopted, thus declaring the independence and separation of the United States of America from Great Britain. So, with the 4th of July only a few days away, Americans everywhere are getting ready to celebrate their Independence Day with picnics, parties and various other activities. But, whether you have already made your plans or not, here are 5 MUSTS for a biofriendly 4th of July:

1. Probably one of the most important things you can do on the 4th of July is get outside! Why? Well, not only is it good for you to get sun, vitamin D, fresh air, exercise, etc. but it also helps you renew your love of the great outdoors. As a kid, you probably spent a lot of time outside. I know I sure did!

There is nothing quite like enjoying the 4th of July with family and friends at a park, in the backyard or wherever you choose to relax and enjoy your day. And if your kids need some coaxing away from their electronic games, here are 10 tricks to get them outside. Hopefully you won’t need those tricks though.

One favor while you are outside…take some time to look around you, smell the flowers, do some bird-watching, lay on the grass and look at the clouds, etc.

2. Unplug! Turn your phone, computer and TV off. Unplug them as well, or turn off your power strips, so you aren’t wasting money on phantom electrical power.

You really shouldn’t be connected to your computer all day on any day of the week, but when it comes to a holiday – UNPLUG!

Take the opportunity to step away from your FB friends – I’m sure they’ll understand. Twitter won’t collapse without you for the day. Digg if you must first thing in the morning….but seriously, just unplug. The world will keep spinning….I promise.

Besides, not only will you save energy, but you save money and get yourself some much needed “you time”.

With the average American spending approximately 60 hours a month online, don’t you think it’s time to get outside?

3. Don’t even think about buying disposable party plates, cups and cutlery. Bring your own re-usable ones, or better yet, have everyone bring their own. That way each person/family is responsible for bringing their own dishes and thus cleaning up their own dishes.

Image by chatirygirl

It makes for a LOT less trash and an easier clean up. Don’t forget to bring some re-usable containers too – that way you won’t waste food, you can pack it up and have the leftovers later.

But if you really are looking for some eco-friendly plates and party-ware, these 100% recycled plates from Preserve come pretty highly recommended.

4. Think twice about getting up close and personal with a fireworks show. It’s a well-known fact that fireworks are known for causing not only harm to the environment, but to your health as well.

Over the years, larger fireworks shows have started offering more eco-friendly fireworks and pyrotechnics, but smaller ones more than likely won’t have that option. Either way, the safest way to watch fireworks (if you insist on going to a fireworks show) is to avoid being downwind from the fireworks show.

5. Just remember, while you might like to watch fireworks on the 4th of July, that doesn’t mean your pet likes to watch them too. Many pets get stressed out or panic at the loud noises produced by fireworks going off. In order to ensure your pet doesn’t get overly stressed out, or even attempt to run away, help keep a safe environment for them all day long and especially while fireworks are going off.

Image by Right About Me

A few tips I have personally found to work well: turning up the tv, sitting and relaxing with your pet and keeping a regular schedule that day. Ensuring your doors and windows are closed/locked and your dog is safely inside is a good idea too. Here are a few more smart 4th of July safety tips for your pet.

So…I’d love to hear what you have planned to make it a safe, happy and biofriendly 4th of July! Here are some fireworks you can enjoy in the meantime – Happy Independence Day America!

Eco-friendly vehicles are no longer a vision of the future. They are vehicles of the here and now. However, many of the cool new eco-friendly vehicles you see today are designed for one or two people. They are designed for tooting around town or getting to and from work, but what about eco-friendly transportation for families?

Here are 3 cool forms of eco-friendly transportation the whole family can enjoy:

1) Bicycles: When you need to get around town or want to get out with the family, bicycles are a great way to get around. If your kids are old enough, each of them can have their own bike or you can add a bike attachment for younger kids.

Going for a bike ride

It makes for a great family outing and allows the entire family to travel together.

Don’t forget…May is National Bike Month. It’s the perfect opportunity to get you and your family some exercise and enjoy the great outdoors too.

2) Nissan LEAF: If you need a vehicle for a family outing, the Nissan LEAF seems to be a decent choice. With an estimated 100 miles on a single charge, the Nissan LEAF is a sensible option for driving around town, running errands or taking the entire family out for a local excursion.

Charging for the Nissan LEAF can be done in about 8 hours from a home outlet. However, if you need a quick charge, the LEAF can be charged up to 80% capacity in about half an hour using a quick charger.

Image by cliff1066™ via Flickr

One of the nice features of the Nissan EVs is the “EV-IT support function”. This feature connects your vehicle’s on-board transmitting unit to a global data center to provide such information as:

• how far you can go on your current charge,
• available charging stations within range of your destination,
• best time to start charging your car in order to get lower electric rates,
• text messages when your car is fully charged and more.

Take a look at some of the other advantages of having a Zero Emission vehicle. What do you think? Is the Nissan LEAF a vehicle you would consider for your family transportation needs?

3) EcoRoamer: If you are looking at taking a longer family vacation take a look at this EcoRoamer. Promoted as “The world’s first open-source, eco-friendly, family sized, 4×4 overland expedition vehicle“, this vehicle may be just what you need if you are looking for an outdoor adventure.

The EcoRoamer was designed to be environmentally-friendly too. Built on a recycled chassis, rather than buying a new vehicle, the EcoRoamer (and backup generator) are powered by bio-diesel.  Recycled Aluminum/plastic material make up the camper shell.. No plywood was used in the building of the camper either.

Solar panels on the roof and LED lighting help bring the electric impact down. Recycled foam board insulation was used to help lower heating/air conditioning costs. When there is a need for A/C, the 24V DC unit takes energy from the solar panels so neither the engine nor generator need to use fuel in order to keep the trailer cool. Even the toilet is “low emission”….it’s a composting toilet.

More detailed information and photos of the EcoRoamer can be found here.

Also, if you are interested, and in the Southern Arizona Santa Cruz Valley area this coming weekend, EcoRoamer will be at the Overland Expo 2010.

Of course there are many different forms of eco-friendly transportation nowadays, from the simple to the extreme, but no matter where your personal adventures take you, please do check out eco-friendly vehicles, fuel additives, public transportation, eco-tours, etc. If you can have a great time while having less impact on the environment, why not do it?

I’d love to hear what adventures you and your family are planning this year. Do you have any cool eco-friendly family rides in mind?

In the day-to-day grind of life, we can often get stuck so much on our own problems or worries that we don’t see the world around us. I’m sure everyone, at one point or another, has been convinced that the problem they were dealing with was maybe just a little bigger than it actually was. C’est la vie, right? Well, let me tell you about a few eco-heroes and their actions that hopefully will serve as a reminder to us all that there isn’t much we can’t accomplish when we set our minds to it.

Now I’m sure you’re familiar with a variety of different “celebrity” eco-heroes, but here are a few eco-heroes you may or may not be familiar with:

1) Erik Uebelacker: Erik was the 2009 First Place Winner for the “Action for Nature’s International Young Eco-Hero Awards“.

What’s even better? Erik was just 8 years old when he won in the 8-12 yr old age category!

Erik won for his book, “Butterflies Shouldn’t Wear Shoes” which he decided to write after he learned, in his second grade class, that butterflies taste with their feet.

With a little help from his mom, Erik wrote, illustrated and put together the book.

He then gave the book to his teacher, who requested more copies (as did other people). So they decided to print and sell them in order to raise money for the World Wildlife Fund (since Erik loves animals and wants to help them). He raised $2000 from the sale of his book which he donated to the WWF.

If you want to learn more about Erik or get a copy of his book, you can do so through his website, butterfliesshouldntwearshoes.com

2) Rory Owen Delaney, Producer/Director with Man Bites Dog Films. Whether or not you are familiar with his work with MBD Films, you might know Rory as the guy who wrote, produced, edited and directed the eco-documentary “Toxic Soup“.

Toxic Soup is the story about everyday Americans who are fighting to keep their blood, water and air safe from pollution. It is set to debut at the 2010 Atlanta Film Festival Awards and you can check a preview of it here:

3) Bethe Almeras, The Grass Stain Guru: Bethe will probably tell you right off the bat that she is no eco-hero. But she is the perfect example of an eco-hero in that through both her writing and by example, she encourages others to connect with nature, respect and enjoy nature and just get back outdoors.

Over the past 20 years, she has continued to accomplish this in a fun and creative way.  Bethe is also the co-founder of the National Wildlife Federation’s Earth Hour®.

4) Denise Herzing, Wild Dolphin Project: Denise is sometimes considered to be the Jane Goodall of the sea. Her dolphin project is three-fold: research, education and conservation.

Through her work she “seeks to contribute informed knowledge to help create awareness and preserve the natural environment through appreciation of all the biodiversity on our planet.”

5) Mike Lieberman aka CanarsieBK: Now, Mike is a little like Bethe in that he isn’t doing what he’s doing to try and be a hero. He’s doing it because he honestly wants to help provide you with “Simple Solutions for Living in a Complex World”.

He doesn’t try and preach, he doesn’t tell you it’s all or nothing, he shows you by letting you in on his personal successes (and failures) how you can live a more sustainable, eco-friendly life.

I had the honor of meeting Mike in person when he came out to Southern California (he’s a full-blown New Yorker, by the way). And I have to tell you, he’s about as down to Earth as you can get.

He tells it like it is and has a real heart-felt desire to share his experiences with others and learn from others through their experiences. And he is doing just that. He has a variety of websites including: Urban Organic Gardner, Simply Raw Recipes and 365 Ways to Go Green (all of which can be found on his CanarsieBK.com).

6) Adarsha and Apoorva, a brother/sister team and Founders of Project Jatropha: These teenagers were also winners of the 2009 “Action for Nature’s International Young Eco-Hero Awards” (but in the 14-16 year old category). They decided to create a bio-fuel for India.

Even though the teens live in California, they often spent summers with their grandparents in a small village in India. They knew many of the village farmers grew tobacco for a living, but one of the things they noticed when they were there was pollution coming from the kilns farmers were using to cure their tobacco plants.

In addition, they found out that farmers were getting their firewood (for their kilns) from traders who had been illegally selling it to them, from trees they had cut down in a nearby National Park.

In order resolve this problem the teens started Project Jatropha with assistance from two organizations: an organization that helps farmers in India and a plant biotechnology company. They came up with the solution to use a different plant…a drought resistant plant (Jatropha curcas), which can grow in an arid environment and produce seeds with about 34% oil that can be processed to create high grade fuel. For the rest of their amazing story and great accomplishments, check out their timeline.

There is broad range of eco-heroes here, but each is a hero in their own right. To find out about other selfless heroes, eco or otherwise, check out Explore.org.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: For all you filmmakers out there….Explore has teamed up with HATCH for this year’s HATCHfest in order to honor and recognize a filmmaker whose short film shows a group or individual hero striving for a better world through their selfless acts.

So, if you or anyone you know has created a short film which showcases a cause or individual hero who inspires others, through their selfless acts to make a difference, submissions are now being accepted. Deadline is Thursday, March 25th.

Spread the word and get your favorite eco-hero or eco-cause the recognition they deserve for their truly selfless efforts! You never know, their work (and yours) may help inspire the next generation of eco-heroes.