“Helping this world and the climate problem the planet faces is not just by what you buy, but by how you live,” these are not the exact words of Leonardo DiCaprio because I did not write down the quote, but I found it very empowering and true. Earlier this evening I was watching t.v with my mother, and there was an interview done with DiCaprio and his devotion to the ec0-movement, and what he does to promote and follow a sustainable life style. It is Earth Week and I feel terrible for not preparing something earlier since it is practically coming to an end. However, celebrating the earth and doing things to benefit a cleaner planet can be practiced and achieved every day. I am especially devoted to the eco-movement. I think my friends and family are getting sick of my constant ranting and enforcing of very simple things which help the planet stay cleaner. So in order to create the full effect of just bombarding my friends and family with being eco-conscious, I feel it is my duty to advise you and promote ways in which you can help the planet one step at a time. I completely agree with DiCaprio’s philosophy on helping the planet and becoming eco-friendly, and it is really simple to transition your life style into a sustainable and green way with these three easy ways.

1. RECYCLE!!! I am pretty sure that every city in the country has some type of recycling system or service either at your residence or work, or even some where near you. Did you know that just in the state of California 1 billion plastic bottles are being thrown in the trash instead of recycle. 1 BILLION! Imagine that number and all of the other states and other countries around the world. That is a lot of plastic bottles that should be recycled because they are only filling up our landfills, littering our streets, and killing the wildlife in both the oceans and on land. So please recycle. It is really easy and it will benefit the world 5 years from now and today.

2. Turn off all electronic appliances and lights when leaving the room or house. So this one can be difficult, because I know how easy it is to forget, but our natural resources are diminishing because of simple things such as not turning off the t.v or lights when leaving the house. Also the great thing about sticking to this rule, is the amount of money you will save from actually turning off these appliances. Your electrical bill will go down, trust me you will see a difference. Also if it sometimes slips your mind,at least switch to low energy light bulbs. Now to not confuse what I am saying, if you buy the energy conserving light bulbs, it does not make it alright to leave your lights on when you leave the house in the middle of the day, just turn them off; you will benefit from turning them off both financially and for the planet.

3. Bring your own grocery bag. Throwing away of plastic bags runs along the same frightening way as plastic bottles end up in landfills. If you forget to bring your own shopping bags, just save the plastic bags and your local grocery stores have added chutes to recycle plastic bags. Great right?! This is a new development which I am very proud to see in big grocery stores and not just Whole Foods.

These are three very easy steps when it comes to starting of in an eco-conscious way. I will definitely be doing more articles that delve into more ways for living greener, but for now I feel as though this has been plenty of information for you newbies in the sustainable world. For all of you that already do these simple steps, well thank you and keep going at it, because it really is important to start now and to keep going. To leave on a happier and softer note, I also thought I would share some companies that have really started to go into the eco-movement, or have started off in it and have stuck it out today.

Toms Shoes

http://www.toms.com/

Toyota

http://www.toyota.com/

The Body Shop

http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/index.aspx?cm_re=Tyra_LoveYourBody-_-Navigation-_-logo

Whole Foods

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

The North Face

http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/index.html

Kiki

Hey Guys,

One of my friends has introduced me to a an eco-friendly bus company that takes people up to Mount Hood. The bus runs off of waste vegetable oil from local fast food chains and restaurants. If you are planning on going up to Mount Hood anytime soon before the season ends for snowboarding or skiing, check them out. It cost $10 on week days and $15 on weekends. Plus you will be supporting a very organic and eco-friendly company.  http://www.greasebus.com/

Kiki Culture

Hey everyone,  take a look at a new hydroponic concept that we should all start to implement in our own households. Though the price may be a little on the high side, this efficient organic farming system is well worth the long-term investment. This all-inclusive greenhouse package can easily be placed in your patio or backyard with very little maintanance. Kikiculture is lending full support for the distribution and marketing of this project of the future.

The Urban Food Farms are high yield outdoors hydroponic growing systems for small places. They grow organic vegetables and herbs year round in all climate zones. Thanks to automated systems the Urban Food Farms are easy to use and take about 1 hour maintenance a week, putting commercial growing power within reach of everyone. East fresh, tasty and healthy organic vegetables growing feet from the table with this sustainable food solution.;