By Jo Jo Harder

Earth Day happened back on April 22. But every day should be a day to celebrate nature and the beauty of the world. Here are six fun ways to taking care of your four-legged family member while being sustainable and celebrating the Earth.

1. Off to the Park

Summertime is calling. Get outdoors and explore nature with your dog. Many celebrations take place in parks, where you can be close to nature. But before you head out, check to make sure the event is dog friendly. As with any fun outing, bring plenty of water, healthy treats (in reusable containers) and biodegradable pick-up bags.

2. Prepare a Healthy Meal

Dogs are a lot like people when it comes to nutrition. Prepare healthy meals for your dog by avoiding dog food with low-grade animal by-products and preservatives. For a better understanding of canine nutrition and other dog food questions, check out PetMD.com.

3. Groom Green

Create an at home spa for your dog. Grooming provides an opportunity to spend quality time pampering and bonding. Choose earth friendly pet shampoos, conditioners and other grooming products that do not contain phosphates, sulfates, and other chemicals that can be harmful to pets and to the planet.

4. Reuse

Give new life to gently used pet toys, beds, old blankets and towels by donating them to a local shelter or rescue group. There’s a saying: one dog’s trash is another dog’s treasure!

5. Plant

Plant dog-friendly flowers and other plants. Not only is it good for the environment, but gardening can also be relaxing. A dog-friendly garden can also be a wonderfully stimulating space for your pup. If you don’t have a backyard, consider container gardening on your deck.

6. Adopt

If you’re thinking of adding a new pup to the family, giving a home to a dog in need is earth-friendly and heart-friendly, too.

Jo Jo Harder, is an author, stylist, producer and pet lifestyle expert, as well as CEO and creator of America’s Top Dog Model contest. Jo Jo has been at the helm of America’s Top Dog Model ® brand since 2005, and her unique approach to discovering, developing and managing top dog models has gained international attention. America’s Top Dog Model’s new reality series “How to Get to the Top” will launch on YouTube in August. www.americastopdogmodel.com.

When we are born from a male and female union we are given life. Life includes things such as health and intelligence (physicality), which is part of our ‘nature’ – things beyond our control. As we grow up, the world around us nurtures us (spiritually); many things are directly affected by this including our knowledge and our emotions. Nature and nurture can affect our future. We will be given choices in everything we do, and the choices we make will or will not be inspired by our nurture or our nature. The outcome can be positive or negative, but, one thing all our choices will have in common is, no matter the person, their parents or their upbringing, we make the final choice. We didn’t choose our nature or nurture, but we do chose to use the nature and nurture either as an excuse or as a reason for the choices we make. We can choose to do the opposite of what our nature and nurture dealt us.

If you had every excuse in the world to be the worst type of person in the world because of your nature and nurture, what would you choose?

Here is what one person did.

Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger has the ultimate skeleton-in-the-closet, and he’s not shy about sharing it.

He was born in 1958 and was raised Catholic in Germany. As a young boy, he admired his father, Major Arthur Wollschlaeger, who was a tank commander in World War II and awarded the Iron Cross by Adolf Hitler.

Dr. Wollschlaeger said, “My father was a hero, I had no doubt. The fact that he was a Nazi didn’t mean anything to me because I was a child.”

But as he got older, he had questions that his dad didn’t answer. He was determined to know the truth. So, as a teen, he took a trip to Israel.

“What I learned about the Holocaust shocked me, not only from the fact of history I didn’t know, but also the contrast to my father’s stories of heroism. That was not a hero,” he said.

About his father, he said, “He admired Hitler during the war. The treatment of the Jews … he never used the term ‘murder,’ never used the term ‘extermination.’”

Dr. Wollschlaeger admits his attraction to the Jewish faith was driven by his discovery of the truth.

“There’s no question that my initial step towards Judaism was motivated by guilt and shame as a young German. How could that happen? How could my people do that?” he said.

He turned his guilt into conviction, and, ultimately, action. Seven years after starting his spiritual search, he converted, became an Israeli citizen and joined the Israeli army.

“I felt comfortable in a family of choice, the Jewish community, versus a family of origin, which rejected me,” he explained.

Over the years, his relationship with his father deteriorated.

“He was bitterly disappointed that his son betrayed him, the son whom he wanted to raise to be a good German,” said Dr. Wollschlaeger.

He moved from Israel to South Florida more than 20 years ago, where he now practices medicine. He hopes the next generation never forgets. He has taken his daughter to the concentration camps, which he calls “the entrance to a man-made hell.”

Dr. Wollschlaeger said, “We, as human beings, have the capacity to do tremendous good and do horrific and horrible things.”

But, it is rare to have both so uniquely intertwined in one family’s history.

Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger will be speaking Tuesday, Nov.10 at the Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort. R.S.V.P. at Chabadoflighthousepoint@gmail.com or www.JewishLHP.com.

Rabbi Tzvi Dechter is the Director of Chabad of North Broward Beaches located at 4081 N. Federal Hwy., #100A, Pompano Beach, FL 33064. For all upcoming events please visit www.JewishLHP.com.