Editor's note: We're pleased to welcom Tiffany Washko to the GO blog! Tiffany writes for GNMParents (among others), and her biweekly pieces that we'll publish here are one half of a content swap we're doing with that site. In this case, we'll be trading original pieces: our "Green Family Values" writer Jennifer Lance will be fulfilling our half of the obligation at GNMParents — you can find her first post here.

Earth Day has come and gone now. Hopefully you spent the day with your family like I did, reaffirming your dedication to environmental causes through one or more activities designed to unite us all in the love for our one home — earth.

But now that the official day has passed, does that mean Earth Day is over? Is it out of mind now? Hopefully it is not. As an avid environmentalist I choose to look at Earth Day as a true holiday for treehuggers. It is one day that I can show my "true colors" so to speak and not have everyone in my community look at me as though I have fallen off my rocker — even when I am wearing my old ragtag tie-dye T-shirt that says "World Peace" and I am scouring the park with my kids looking for garbage to pick up. Earth Day means a lot to me but it does not end after the sun rises on April 23rd. Instead I choose to see Earth Day as something like New Year's for environmentalists and their agendas. It is a day to make resolutions so that every day can be Earth Day.

So after the festivities of Earth Day have died down I sit with my family and we make a list of all the ways we want to improve our current activities and our lifestyle to make them more planet friendly. My children are quite young so usually they concentrate on just one thing. My six-year-old son has picked his resolution. He wants to pack zero waste lunches for school.

My husband, who is not an environmentalist my any means, has the goal to drive less and walk more. This means walking to the post office, library, DMV, etc and take advantage of the community we chose to call home and the ease with which one CAN walk instead of driving. I am sure that since gas prices are also incredibly high, he sees the money savings as an added benefit.

I also have a few areas that I need to concentrate on this year. For one, I want to concentrate more on reusables. I got a jump on things by purchasing a few more Klean Kanteen bottles, some Wrap-N-Mats, laptop lunchboxes, cloth napkins and canvas grocery totes. These items easily replace their disposable counterparts while not sacrificing comfort or style.

I am also going to switch my regular grocery day to Friday so that I can attend the Farmer's market every Thursday and stock up on fresh, local produce and then plan our meals and our additional grocery needs around that. This way we will be eating in a more sustainable way and helping our local economy.

This year I want to increase the amount of food I grow and to help do that I am enlisting the kids with the some clever garden projects. One such project will be the making of a pizza garden by separating out a 12 food wide circular area and making slices with string and then planting all of the ingredients for our homemade pizzas (tomatoes, garlic, onions, basil, peppers, etc.) in the different planting areas. When harvest comes we will be able to pick our pizza ingredients fresh from the garden and make our pizzas together.

And of course I have a few small resolutions such as my intent to put an egg timer next to the shower and start taking two minute showers and to bring more plants into the house to act as natural air cleaners.

Now that we have a plan, Earth Day doesn't need to end. April 22nd is a holiday and a reminder. It is the day that we revive our environmental goals and evaluate our current lifestyles and see clearly all the areas where we can lighten our environmental footprint and do more in our individual communities. Don't let the enthusiasm that Earth Day brings die down in the aftermath — every day can be Earth Day in your homes and hearts.

So what are your resolutions for this "new year"?

Tiffany - the NatureMom