This past Saturday, April 22^nd, marked the 47^th year of celebrating Earth Day, a day of action when we are encouraged to do our part to keep the environment clean and take care of our planet.

Here at the Treehouse a group of employees volunteered to participate in a cleanup of our campus during our lunch breaks. We split into groups so that each building in our industrial park would be covered, grabbed some trash bags and gloves, and got to work picking up trash around the outside areas of our office buildings.

Even if you're not picking up trash along the sides of the road, there are so many ways that we can each reduce our carbon footprint in our day to day lives. At the Treehouse, we are boosting our efforts to be environmentally conscious by placing emphasis on recycling and trying to use reusable mugs for coffee and tea. Coming to work every day in an office that looks like a tree fort is a great reminder of nature's beauty, which can be so easy to overlook!

If you're looking for easy ways to stay environmentally friendly in your own life, here are a few tips:

• Reduce waste by recycling whenever possible – check out this helpful guideline from the EPA to learn about which materials can be recycled.
• Turn off your lights and computers, and unplug electronics when not in use.
• Try going paperless with your bills and paychecks – many banks and companies are now offering paperless options for customers.
• Use reusable dishes and utensils rather than paper and plastic.
• Bring reusable tote bags to the grocery store.

These are just a few of the ways that we can make a difference in our daily lives. It doesn't have to be anything big; even the smallest action helps. Happy Earth Day from all of us at The Treehouse!