If you weren't able, or simply forgot, to participate in Earth Hour on March 27^th, redemption will come knocking on your door April 22, 2010. Earth Day, celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year (now how many of you actually knew that?), frequently gets overlooked by those not enrolled in elementary or secondary school. While it is vital for our youth to recognize the importance of addressing the mounting problems with our planet's environment and ultimate survival, their plight should not be a solitary one. The ailing of our planet is not somebody else's problem, it's all of ours. Canadians from all walks of life need to be engaged and partake in the continuing battle to heal Mother Earth. More can and must be done by a generation of people too 'busy' to care. And the idiom of casting stones in my glass house, soaring atop my high-horse or some ivory tower, is not lost on me. To help offset the carbon cost of producing this article, I will be donating $25 to Tree Canada[i]. Here are some inexpensive things that you, and the business or organization you work for, can do to help celebrate the importance of Earth Day, not just on the 22^nd of April, but all year round.

1) A scavenger hunt: Incandescent light bulbs have gone the way of the horse and buggy. They are on their way out and for good reason. These energy zappers not only use more wattage than their fluorescent cousins, they last a fraction of the lifespan. So not only do you save money by switching, our landfills get a breather too. In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, Australia has banned the sale of incandescent bulbs and is expecting to see an 800,000-tonne reduction in their carbon emissions within the next five years. Canada will be following suit in 2012.

Here's how you can get a head start. Organize an incandescent light bulb scavenger hunt for your place of business or at home. Divide participants into teams as you see fit. Find a common area to start the contest and make sure you give each group more than enough replacement fluorescent light bulbs (get them to do the replacement work). Extras can be stored for future use. Let the groups have at it and the group that brings back the most incandescent light bulbs wins. Prizes are of course at your discretion but our winning group is going to get an hour off to go out and enjoy the fresh air.

Now what is to be done with the old relic bulbs? Unfortunately, there is no environmentally friendly way of disposing of them. The best solution is to use them until they burn out. Not everyone has completely switched over to the new super bulbs so finding them a new home shouldn't be too difficult.

2) Go back to school: At least for a day. As a former teacher for nine years, I know how important Earth Day is and how teachers integrate it into the curriculum. Activities like yard clean ups and litter less lunches are commonplace. The media surrounding these events is usually quite extensive (hint hint). Have a representative from your workplace call the local schools and see what each has planned for the day. Volunteer your services to help pitch in and send over a crew of employees to help out. Schools are always looking for volunteers and the PR upside is tremendous. In addition, you will be setting a wonderful example for the students who, I can attest, often feel that these types of events have no value or practicality in the 'real' world. You'll be glad you did.

3) Wear green: Not the colour necessarily but clothing that has been manufacturing by eco-friendly means. Many companies and organizations use casual Fridays to inject some enthusiasm and increase moral in the workplace. Take it one step further, at least for the week of Earth Day, and propose a green version of this common practice. The key is to get your co-workers to wear casual clothing that is also eco-friendly, a task that is easier than it sounds.

Companies like RDF Unlimited Concepts[ii] are distributors of clothing that is environmentally conscience. "Before we even entertain the thought of dealing with an ECO clothing supplier, we ensure that they are fully certified," says Marketing Manager Janice Prince. "You would be surprised how many companies out there are making ECO claims about their products with no certification whatsoever."

Making clothing from recycled, sustainable, or renewable fibres is a relatively new phenomenon. Products like organic cotton and rayon (from bamboo) are not only easier on our environment, they produce great garments. Certified manufacturers of these ECO wearables reduce the use of harmful chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides that are poisoning our planet. Also, resources like bamboo are extremely renewable and easy to harvest. Your best bet when purchasing these green items is to ask questions about the manufacturing process to guarantee you are getting the genuine article.

4) Get surfing: The internet is a beacon for greenness. Earth Day Canada[iii] is a fantastic site for everything Earth Day. Their 'Every Day Heroes Film Competition' is cutting edge. Filmmakers from all across Canada are invited to enter their 90-second silent videos on how people are reducing their environmental impact on the planet.  Now you may not have the time or expertise to make one of these films yourself, but actually taking the time to view them and vote is the least we could all do. Not only will you learn something, you will help continue to inspire people across the country to continue to make a difference in our world. You can vote online on their website or through their Facebook Fan Page.

Toyota is also showing their greenness with a great contest as well. The 2010 Toyota Earth Day Scholarship encourages and rewards high school students who have demonstrated environmental leadership through community service, extracurricular activities, academic excellence, and volunteer work. Toyota will be giving away an astonishing 20 awards of $5,000 to our future environmentalists. The money goes directly to further student education through the purchase of tuition, books, accommodation, or other educational expenses for post-secondary education in Canada. Visit their website[iv] for more information.

Finally, Billion Acts of Green[v] is a site everybody in your workplace can use. The premise is simple. Billion Acts of Green is making an accounting of any green act committed in the world. If you took public transportation to work this morning, this act of environmental awareness on your part could be counted in the 5,000,000 plus acts that have already been tallied. It is easy to register and even easier to have your green act counted. Having your workplace sign up and begin counting green acts will not only increase each one of your co-worker's commitment to becoming more eco-friendly (think mob mentality), but we all win with the lower carbon emissions that will result. Now what could be more important than that?

5) Throw it on credit: More and more companies are turning to carbon offsets as a way of reducing their carbon footprint. Carbonfund.org[vi] is the industry leader in helping individuals and corporations balance out their carbon output. A carbon calculator is used to determine an emissions value for certain day-to-day operations (let's say shipping items). The calculator will determine an amount of money needed, in the form of a donation, to pay for the cost of offsetting the emissions released through regular operations. The offsetting is done through Carbon Offset Projects occurring all around the world (like a reforestation project in the Amazon).  It's easy, painless, and tax-deductable.

So although Earth Day has traditionally been the forgotten yearly observance, there are many reasons for each and everyone of us, both individually and as a workplace collective, to get more involved in what should be a celebration of our planet but may, if we continue with our negligence, evolve into a day of mourning.