Debbie Roney Smith, REALTOR®

In 2011, the Plastic Free Foundation started the annual Plastic Free July in Australia. The month is all about assessing and fighting the global dependence on plastic through individual and collective action. It has grown to be one of the most influential environmental campaigns in the world. Millions of people across the globe take part every year by committing to reducing plastic pollution during July, and usually far beyond the end of the month. It is an opportunity to learn about the devastating effects of plastic dependence on the world – plastic effects everything from a person’s health to the health of the ocean to the harmful chemicals we absorb through the air and more.

The website plasticfreejuly.org, offers a wonderful wealth of information. The website can be used to share resources, ideas, and stories to better help people reduce the single-use plastic waste in their homes and communities. It even offers inbuilt evaluation tools to help participants discover where excess, single-use plastics exist in their life and measure their success throughout the month at reducing their plastic use. Additionally, it allows both individual users AND the Plastic Free Foundation to track the trends in the common plastics that households use and create more effective methods of reducing these plastics.

July is National Ice Cream Month, and you have Kentucky to thank! In 1984, Senator Walter Dee Huddleston of Kentucky introduced a resolution to proclaim the month of July 1984 National Ice Cream Month and the 15th of that month National Ice Cream Day. Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law the same year, and the rest is history! Even though the bill only specified that July 1984 was National Ice Cream Month, the tradition carries on—much to our pleasure.

The first true Ice Cream was said to be introduced by Catherine de’ Medici in the 16th century. So impressed was Charles I of England (one hundred years after this introduction) that he paid to keep the formula secret, making ice cream a royal prerogative, utterly unobtainable by the common man. The first recorded recipes didn’t exist until the 18th century.

Ice Cream Month has only one appropriate celebration, gorge yourself on Ice Cream at every opportunity! Ok, ok, moderation is necessary even during Ice Cream Month, but there are a bunch of different ways you can enjoy this delicious treat. It goes great with a warm apple pie, and nothing compliments a brownie better than vanilla ice cream. Maybe you prefer a nice scoop of strawberry doused in caramel topping, or that most amazing of all ice cream treats, the Ice Cream Taco! You can even take the time to make your own ice cream during Ice Cream Month and enjoy the fruits of your labor on a hot summer evening! And to celebrate and to provide a little pick-me-up, Blue Bell ice cream has brought back a fan favorite, Milk & Cookies Ice Cream!

The Fourth of July—also known as Independence Day or July 4th—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues.

John Adams believed that July 2nd was the correct date on which to celebrate the birth of American independence, and would reportedly turn down invitations to appear at July 4th events in protest. Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

A few things about the 4th you may not know: ~The Declaration of Independence was not signed on July 4, 1776. That’s actually the day it was formally adopted by the Continental Congress, but it wasn’t signed by most signatories until August. ~Americans typically eat 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day, “enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times,” according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. ~Massachusetts became the first state to make the 4th of July an official state holiday in 1781. ~The famed Macy’s fireworks show in New York City uses more than 75,000 fireworks shells and costs about $6 million. ~Small towns in the U.S. typically spend between $8,000 and $15,000 on their fireworks displays. ~John Hancock has the largest signature on the Declaration of Independence.

Did you know more pets gets lost on July 4th then any other day of the year? Here are a few ideas to keep your pets safe. Many dogs get scared when they hear fireworks. ~Be sure your dog has a visible and up to date id tag. ~Take a current photo of your pet just in case they get lost and you need a current photo. ~You can leave music or a TV on to distract your dog from the noise of the fireworks.