There are so many things in life that we take for granted. Like, for example God’s gifts to us – the sun, the moon, the flowers, the trees, and most importantly the air we breathe and the water we drink. Let us focus on water.

Have you considered how important water is to our lives? And if you think water is that important, what are you doing to conserve it? There are a hundred and one ways of conserving water but the best and most practical way is to stop the leaks in your faucets. Sometimes we wonder why we have to conserve something that covers almost three-quarters of the Earth’s surface. Worldwide, water is plentiful. Every year an average of over 7,000 cubic meters per person flows into riversand underground channels. But the rain does not always arrive where and when it is needed. Already, almost a quarter of world’s countries are dangerously short of fresh water.

In almost every part of the world, there is scarcity of fresh water. Yet people tend to take for granted the wasteful usage of this prime commodity. Whenever there is a shortage of water most likely health is jeopardized because the quantity and quality of water are linked to the quality of life we are to enjoy. Diseases associated with contaminated and filthy water kills over 5 million people a year, many of them children, and incapacitates millions more.

Do you know that the importance of water can be seen in the human body also? Water furnishes exactly what our bodies need to carry out the chemical reactions for all of their life processes. The human body consists of about two-thirds water. Deprived of water, its metabolism quickly comes to a halt, and it will die in five to seven days. When the body receives only a small amount of water, it must excrete wastes in a much more concentrated form. Concentrated wastes cause body odor, bad breath, and unpleasant-smelling urine. Forcing the body to work with limited quantities of water is like trying to wash dishes in a cupful of water.

Water is the perfect beverage and one of our greatest blessings? Drink freely, it helps supply the necessities of the system and assist nature to resist disease. Next time you see a leaking faucet do something about it – every drop of water is as precious as life. Let us recognize the importance of water.

The world is facing a serious problem with global warming. This has paved the way for us to think of alternative energy sources and reduce the emission of Green House Gases to the atmosphere. We are aware of the scarce natural resources that we use in generating electricity. We should not use all the resources only for our consumption. We should think of our descendants and leave some amount of resources for their consumption. Life should be sustained upon this earth. There are various sources of sustainable energy: solar energy, wind energy, tidal power, bio-energy and hydro-electricity. We have to use the latest technologies available to meet our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. There are both renewable and non-renewable sources of energy and the majority of the world’s thought has been to develop renewable sources.

All the world’s leaders have urged the nations across the world to emphasize renewable sources of energy. This way, we can have a Green Earth and have a good ecological balance to maintain the process of life. The United Nations has come out with a system of so-called “Carbon Credits” to encourage the countries to go for renewable sources of energy. This proved successful in the last 3 years of ‘Carbon Credit’ trading strategy. A special day, “Earth day”, on April 22 has been able to create awareness among the masses to contribute their fair share for a Greener Earth. Earth Summit is also going to take place in Rio De Janeiro in 2012 to assess the present global situation. Both the developing and developed countries should go side by side towards the goal of sustainable energy. If every individual is successful in providing their contribution towards a Green Earth, then there is no doubt that sustainable energy can be a real thing rather than a dream.

Okay, the easy answer is to water your garden when there is no water coming out of the sky. However, in sever drought situations there can be water rationing rules and laws that apply during that time that don’t apply when water is plentiful. This means that it’s not only important to water on the days that your property falls on but also watering very early in the morning or in the evening can also help your garden flourish.

There is another somewhat unproven thing you can do that my grandfather practiced when water was short. He would pick the crop a few days early and let them ripen in the house instead of on the vine. His reasoning made sense to me then and still does today though I cannot prove it scientifically. He believed that by taking as much from the plant as early as possible without damage to the vegetable or fruit, it would have more to give to what was left on the stem or vine. You can try it and see what you think.

If it is forecast and you know there will be little water in the growing season, seek out plants and hybrid plants that are hearty in arid or drought prone areas. Science is working very hard to find ways of producing seeds and plants that can thrive on less water thus reducing the amount of water your garden will need over the season. You can check with your extension program at the nearest University to see if they have updated information on these types of plants or seeds for your area.

Finally, you can reduce the size of your garden and contain it in smaller areas like raised beds of pots. You might be surprised just how much you can plant in a small area.

The one thing I hope you never do is give up on your garden for any reason.

Dressing fashionably doesn’t have to ruin the environment. Many clothes are massed produced in ways that harm the earth, and are bad for third world economies. Being a responsible shopper means finding the most earth friendly clothing options available.

Find organic cotton clothing online, or in your local shops. Organic cotton clothing is made without using any synthetic dyes or harmful chemicals. Many earth-conscious shops also offer fair trade clothing that is manufactured in responsible ways, as opposed to being made in a factory in a third world country where people are treated badly. Organic, fair trade clothing is becoming more popular, and as a result is becoming a lot more fashion conscious. You don’t have to wear bulky, baggy pants to be a responsible clothing shopper. Many clothing options include beautifully made and very chic clothing styles that any fashion-conscious person would love to wear. Become a responsible AND stylish shopper with organic and fair-trade clothing and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with purchasing a product you can be proud of.

There is an ongoing argument about global warming. Many circles of people feel that it doesn’t exist, while others remain steadfast in its reality. Either way global warming is affecting the way we live our lives.

Global warming or not – the way we live our lives is affecting our planet in a negative way. Too much physical waste is filling up our landfills, and too much chemical waste is ruining our air supply, and our ozone layer. Global warming may not affect you personally, but in many areas of the world, where drastic climate change is ruining the lives of many species (such as the polar bears), global warming is a harsh reality and a serious consequence for the way we continue to live our lives. Whether or not you believe in global warming, it’s important to believe that your habits affect your world. Do what you can to conserve energy and limit waste before it’s too late. No matter what you believe, we can all agree that we need to believe in the earth, and our responsibility to keep it clean and safe for generations to come.

When choosing your paint colors one of the best ways to go about getting what you like is to look at your favorite colors produced by nature itself. If you love blue, is it the blue of blueberry’s that make you shiver or the color of a clear blue sky? Do you love the yellow of the sunflower or is it the daisy that makes you smile? Picking colors from nature has a keen affect on our senses so it’s important to choose those that give you energy if you are painting an office or help you rest if you are painting a bedroom.

This also holds true when choosing colors for offices and conference rooms in commercial spaces. You don’t want to paint a conference room with colors that put everyone to sleep nor do you want colors that cause your staff and clients to bounce off  the walls during an important meeting! This is why it is very important to get your colors right and there are many interior designers who specialize in color theory that can help you choose the perfect colors for your home and office.

After using pesticides for many years on our lawn and in our garden, we have completely changed our approach to lawn and garden care over the last few years and now do not use anything but natural substances. I will admit it is not near as easy as going out and spraying or spreading but after learning what these pesticides are doing to our environment, we felt there was really no choice.

We also don’t know why others have not joined us because the use of these materials are killing thousands of insects and birds every year and polluting the water we drink. I am amazed how many people don’t realize that the ground water that we end up drinking can easily be toxic and full of all kinds of chemicals we are using on our lawns and gardens because they are absorbed into the ground. What is not absorbed is found in the runoff that ends up in our rivers and streams. This water kills butterflies, bees, birds and other small animals and it drank by livestock that ends up in our food system. Living with a few bugs becoames easy once you learn the high cost of pesticides.

The big buzz word these days is “green” but what does that really mean? In some circles it’s everything that is “earthy”, back to nature. In other circles it’s anything that is environmentally friendly like electric cars that have to have batteries, which are not earthy at all but help save energy. What green means to me is anything that brings more life to your world and to the world around you and that includes a robust inner life as well.

If you are doing everything you can for the earth and energy savings yet are neglecting yourself, then what you are doing, though wonderful, is not meeting your basic needs. If your basic needs are not met then you will eventually give out, give up or die. I see this in people who have gotten older and have just given up on changing the way they world works because they’re “tired” or because “nothing ever changes anyway”. These people have let the fire inside them go out because they have taken care of everything and everyone else but themselves. Don’t end up spent and tired. Take the time out today to recharge your internal batteries as this is the ultimate “greening” of the world.

Before the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, many of our friends and family have felt that becoming environmentally active was a little bit over the top. However, since this disaster has now come “home to roost”, so to speak, all of a sudden these same individuals who have given us a hard time in the past are stark raving mad! As much as I like the fact that they are finally seeing the light of day it’s too bad it took an actual disaster to make so many see that this has been a possibility for years.

It seems it’s much more popular in America to react to what is happening as opposed to anticipate what might happen and have some things planned out just in case. The environment is not the only place we seem to have a short sided view because we also do this in healthcare, military action, politics, taxes, business and finance, just to name a few. Is it not time we got involved with the environment as well as with every other thing that touches our lives? If not now, then when?

It is possible to have a lush green lawn and be concerned about the environment.  Research has been conducted at the university level using organic methods to improve lawn health.  A few of the methods are easy and inexpensive.  That makes them a breeze for the average homeowner to do.

The most important way to keep a lawn green is to compost leaves in the fall and let the leaves degrade into a lovely rich soil.  Then that compost can be spread on the lawn to return the rich nutrients from the leaves back to the soil.  It is time consuming, yet free compost.  The trees really do all the work for us.

Another great organic cure is the use of corn gluten meal as a pre-emergent. A pre-emergent is a product that keeps seeds form germinating—all seeds, not just weed seeds.  Pre-emergents can’t tell good seeds from bad seeds.  Usually, pre-emergents are toxic chemicals.  Corn gluten is completely organic.  It is easy to handle and not difficult for a homeowner to apply themselves.