I remember the first Earth Day in 1970. It was a historic event in my life, because for the first time, I began to consider the health of the planet. Then, as a student of nutrition for the past 25 years, I also began to realize that my own body’s health is a metaphor for the health of the planet, as expressed in an article by Arthur Baral, featured many years ago in Vegetarian Voice, the newsletter of the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS)( www.navs-online.org). The author writes:

“Do we see the relationship of our body (the home of our soul) to our Earth (the home of our body)? Our body has blood and the Earth has rivers. Our bodies have bones and the land has minerals. Our bodies have skin and the world has soil. Our bodies have hair and our Earth has grass and trees.”

So here are some ideas to Living Green that link the health of your body with the health of the planet. These are taken from a sheet of 102 Green Things You Can Do in an old magazine in my files called Columbiana:

1. Buy organic, pesticide-free food.
2. Buy foods without additives and/or preservatives.
3. Grow more of your own food or buy local produce from
Farmers’ Markets.
4. Join a food co-op or subscribe to a produce plan from
local growers.
5. Exercise regularly and eat a wholesome diet.
6. Use non-toxic cleaning products (ex. Ecover or 7th
Generation Products)
7. Avoid highly processed foods; make more of your own
foods from basic ingredients.
8. Use the water from cooking vegetables to prepare home
made soups. (I often use it for watering my plants, also. es)
9. Plant trees in your community or grow plants in your own
home. (Grow sprouts! See “Spring is Sprouting” in this month’s
Kitchen Nutrition with Recipes.)
10.Donate to an organization that preserves or protects the
physical environment, such as National Arbor Day or the
animals, such as The World Wildlife Fund or Defenders of
the Animals.

Celebrate your health and the health of the planet! Happy Earth Day.

The article on “Spring is Sprouting” in Kitchen Nutrition with Recipes is taken from my book, The Johnny Alfalfa Sprout Handbook. I wrote it in response to requests from missioners (also known as missionaries) who wanted more information on sprouting to accompany the free seeds we were sending as part of my non-profit organization, Johnny Alfalfa Sprout.

If you would like a copy of the book, just email me and I will send you the address for mailing. The cost is $9.00 postpaid. The book contains detailed information on sprouting plus sprout recipes.