It seems like I get some sort of email from SparkPeople at least once a day. For those of you who are not familiar with SparkPeople, the best way I can describe it is sort of a social network or online community that aims to get people engaged in meeting their health and lifestyle goals. The company was founded in Cincinnati, where I’m from, so I’ve been hearing about it locally for what seems like a very long time. The website is a great mix of opportunities to interact with others who are trying to reach the same goals you are as well as articles and information from health and fitness experts. For me, it’s a good website to turn to when I know I’m lacking the inspiration to meet my workout schedule or endure with my healthier eating habitats.

So, how does this relate to sustainability? The email they sent me on Friday had a link to a sort of “calendar” that contained one tip for every day in April on how to live a “greener” life. I’ll be the first to admit that not all of their tips are practical for everyone, but most of them are practical, good common sense and fairly simple for most people to implement. A few of my favorites include:

• “Visit the library. Instead of buying books, CDs, movies and magazines, borrow them. The library is free, local and eco-friendly.”
• “Eat seasonally. Seasonal foods are fresh and more nutritious. Plus, they don’t have to travel far to get to your table and are rarely imported from far-away countries.”
• “Unplug. It’s not enough to simply turn off electronics when you’re not using them. When they’re plugged in, they’re still sucking in and wasting electricity.”

For all of the tips, click here for the printable PDF from SparkPeople.