Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Philadelphia, PA

I always note Earth Day because, selfishly, it happens so close to my birthday every year. This year Earth Day is on Wednesday, April 22, and I plan to celebrate by getting outside with my family and going for a walk in the woods, pointing out the amazing spring plant and animal life to my daughter.

We've worked at becoming a more green family, but we still struggle. About a year ago we started recycling all of our boxes and packaging, including milk cartons and popsicle boxes. It's made a huge difference -- our trash decreased by about 60%, and it has become a fun family event to flatten and put away the boxes for recycling. We involve my daughter with cleaning up and are working hard at teaching her the difference between "trash" and "recycling." I know the best we can do is lead by example.

But I know there is so much more we can do. For instance, we are a busy family, so we often use paper plates to eat on so we have fewer dishes to wash (and now, we never remember to recycle them). We buy bottled water more often than not, even though we have reusable water bottles throughout the house. 

Then there's food... sigh. We try to buy local produce and meats, but sometimes it's just so much easier to buy everything at a regular chain grocery store. I realize this is important, and I am committed to trying to do better. We've been enjoying the Farmer's Market at Clark Park in West Philly on Saturdays, and I hope to buy a larger percent of my groceries from them in the future.

For more great greening tips, check out this column at the main Savvy Source Parenting site. And go green for Earth Day!