I always hear people complaining about how much the whole Mother Earth thing is blown out of proportion. They must have this strange idea that regardless of what we, as humans do, the world will continue on as normal. WRONGO! Our earth is fragile, here are some simple ways you can work to become greener….

1) The average American uses 6 napkins a day-that’s enough to circle the 7 times. Try using 1 or 2 less napkins a day or using clothing napkins.

2) When the cashier asks paper or plastic, say neither! Bring a canvas tote with you to shop or if your purchase is small, stick it in your pocket, purse or book bag!

 3) When using the ATM don’t take a receipt, most people just throw them away anyways, think of how many trees could be saved if everyone pressed “No Receipt.”

4) Switch to using Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs, they last 10 times longer than a normal bulb and use nearly 75% less energy (which means a lower electricity bill!)

5) Try switching over to products that are not tested on animals! For shower needs, the Wal-Mart brand, Equate, John Phillips and Burt’s Bees products all pass the test. Stay away from Protor-Gamble, they are notorious for testing on animals. Some of their products include Crest, Pantene Pro-V, Always, Tampax, Pampers and Joy dish soap.

6) Try unplugging everything when you’re not using them like your cell phone charger, lamps, the Pod microwave or your TV- these things use up electricity, even when they’re not on!

7) Take shorter showers! Go slow, if you take a 20 minute shower, cut it back to 15, then 12 and then pretty soon you can shower in 10 minutes and under. That way a nice, long shower will be a nice luxury every now and again and you conserve water.

8) Instead of using paper plates, try using plastic plates, they can be reused and most of them can even be put in the dishwasher. That way, if they break, no big deal, but they can be reused again and not have to be thrown away like paper plates.

9) Recycle, recycle, recycle! Recycling here is easy. There are blue and green bins everywhere for recycling. Don’t be a weenie- don’t throw away cans, plastic bottle or glass! Also, there are blue bins in the post office, library and most dorms for paper, paper can be recycled and made into more paper!

10) Finally, get creative! Instead of throwing something away, think to yourself, can I make something out of this or use it for another purpose? Shoeboxes are a great way to mail a package. Newspaper can be used to fertilize a garden. Cans and glasses can be used as piggy-banks. Larger plastic and metal containers can be painted or decorated and used as storage containers. Boxes are always useful to have around for mailing, storage or for moving in and out of college! Don’t throw away the box, tear it down, store it and reuse it! If you’re really brave, make art out of “garbage,” there are so many possibilities. I’ve managed to make décor out of the cups from the Shack, a pencil holder out an old salsa jar, and a purse out an old pair of jeans.

For more info on how YOU can  go green visit.. Oprah.com, treehugger.com, www.worldwatch.org, or www.gogreeninitiative.org