Inflatable Kayak Blog

By Sonija Gierman

As an avid kayaker, I love the outdoors and respect nature. And I want to keep our Earth clean and healthy. For those of you that do not know, Earth Month is celebrated during the month of April with Earth Day this year on April 22^nd. I wanted to find a way for my family to help celebrate the existence of our wonderful planet. Unfortunately, like many families, we weren’t sure on exactly what we should do. After doing a little creative research, I decided that I would put together all of the resourceful ideas I had found. These compiled ideas are listed below in my guide for celebrating Earth Month.

Cleaning up the Land
One of the best ways to help keep our planet in tip top shape is to clean up the land. Many County Parks, State Parks and even National Parks host “Clean-Up” days in April. For example, McNary National Wildlife Refuge in Burbank WA has their “Clean-Up” day on April 9^th. It is strictly a volunteer event which allows Earth lovers to join in and do their share of cleaning up the environment. There is something for everyone to do: from cleaning up while exploring the park to cleaning up the nearby ponds via kayaks. Many of the items picked up in the parks and bodies of water are recyclable, so be sure to watch for recycling bins in the park. Keep in mind, you do not have to go to Washington to do your part. You can simply check with your local parks to see what they have planned for celebrating Earth Month and join in the fun.

Around the House
There are a number of ways to reduce your carbon footprint right around your own home. You can start with changing all of your light bulbs to CFL light bulbs. They produce 75% less heat, last 10 times longer then standard bulbs, lower electric bills by 40% and they use an overall 75% less energy. To give back to Mother Earth around your home, you can build a compost bin in the back yard which will help enrich the soil. Recycling is also a must for saving the planet. Set up recycle bins for paper, plastic, glass and aluminum. Check with your local recycling plants to find out where you can drop off your recyclables.

In the Environment
More and more vehicles are being designed to be fuel efficient. It is well worth trading in the old clunker for something more cost effective that is easier on the environment. If you are not ready to do that just yet, then you may want to look into a fuel converter kit to help make your vehicle more fuel efficient. Kayakers, like me, or fishermen and women who use inflatable fishing pontoons or float tubes help the cause year round by paddling our watercraft, but if you’re a fisherman who uses a motor on a regular basis, maybe you can plan one trip this month that you propel your boat the old fashioned way, like we do, with paddles or oars.

Earth Month is a time to celebrate the planet on which we live. There are many ways to give back to the planet and hopefully these tips can help you get started. Talk with your family about how they would like to contribute and break it down so that you are all doing something Earth friendly this month.