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U.S. Earth Day (which is different from the date in the rest of the world, naturally) is this weekend, and Epicurious offers tips for being green in the kitchen.

Here are a few more that I came up with:

• Have an Earth Dinner. I hadn’t heard of Earth Dinners until my sister Lori sent me the link to Roz Cummins’ article on her Earth Dinner at Grist.org.
• Eat from your locale for the day. You can get everything from eggs and bread to meats and vegetables at your local farmers market tomorrow. The market here in Lawrence is forecast to have more vendors and more food compared with last week’s demoralized inaugural event. Yea!
• Start composting if you aren’t already. There are lots of compost guides, and this compost guide includes links to buy bins and the like. The city of Lawrence offers compost bins to its residents for just $30. But composting isn’t complicated. Here’s how it works:

1. Throw plant matter somewhere that it can get some air and water. A pile on the ground works, but it’s handier to contain the stuff, as with chicken wire or the like. Heck, a laundry hamper would work great if it can withstand the elements.
2. Wait for the plant matter to rot.
3. Really, that’s all there is to it. The only rules are don’t add any animal products (except egg shells are OK) or diseased plants. No special collection unit is required inside (I use a stainless steel bowl) or outside. Even if you never dig your compost out and shovel it on your flower beds, you will be amazed at the way your composting will reduce your piles of waste to “black gold.” Just think of all the solid waste you’re keeping out of the landfills and/or water-treatments plants (if you’d have put it down the garbage disposal).If you want to make compost faster or better, read the guides.

• Go raw. I’m not sure we use that much energy when we cook, but I suppose we’d use that much less if we ate our food raw.
• Fill up your half-empty fridge with full jugs of water. Lots of other energy-saving tips also apply to the kitchen.
• Start using an oxygen-based bleach instead of chlorine bleach. Much better for you and the earth.