We live in an age of convenience and speed. For every task in our lives there is a product or service that makes it easier and faster, often at the expense of the environment. In the interest of personal convenience, we have come to thoughtlessly condone extra packaging, excess use of natural resources, and the convenience of disposable everything. As a society, we've managed to disregard and deny our own exploitation of this planet that we call home, on a huge scale.

I'm told that the Chinese word for "busy" is composed of two characters: "heart" and "killing". When we make ourselves so busy that we ignore the sacred space within us and around us, we kill something vital in ourselves and in turn kill the vibrance of our planet. Our attitude as a society must change if we hope to preserve and heal the Earth. We must increase awareness as a global community, and actively live more frugally and respectfully.

The change begins with each individual - it begins with you. How do you contribute to the wellness of yourself, your home and your environment?

Being environmentally conscious doesn't have to mean making drastic changes all at once, nor does it mean your needs will not be met. Simple, gradual changes to your lifestyle will contribute a great deal to healing our fragile ecosystem. Every small step contributes to a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable planet. The beauty of the process is that typically once you make one step toward healing the world around you, you'll soon become eager to find other simple ways in your life to contribute in a positive way.

Countless ideas to make simple, immediate changes are right at your fingertips. Choose one or all of these to start healing your surroundings:

• REDUCE - REUSE - RECYCLE
• compost food scraps and lawn cuttings
• purchase only biodegradable soaps and other products
• purchase products with less packaging, or packaging that can be reused or recycled
• STOP using pesticides in your garden - use natural organic alternatives instead
• only shop from companies which are active in environmental efforts (research before buying)
• find your own ways to create less garbage - send less to the landfill
• use less water (shorter showers, larger loads of laundry)
• use less electricity (turn off lights, TV or radio when leaving a room, turn off your computer when you're not using it, wash dishes by hand instead of using dishwasher)
• use automatic shut-off appliances
• drive less: walk or bicycle instead

As you begin to experience a shift in willingness to do away with some conveniences in favour of a healthier environment, you may want to look at more involved changes:

• make your own cleaning products
• make and use a composting toilet
• recycle your "gray water"
• use fewer electrical appliances - process by hand wherever you can (don't use microwave, food processor; use french press instead of electric coffee maker)
• cook large amounts of food at a time - freeze portions, or join/create a cooking co-op
• parents choose cloth diapers and wipes over disposable

If you're interested in becoming even more active in environmental preservation on a larger scale, you may want to:

• organize Earth Day and similar events to promote awareness in your community
• purchase an environmentally conscious home, or convert or design your home to be earth-friendly
• lobby your government at all levels
• join and support organizations that promote a peaceful and harmonious planet

These are only a small handful of ideas for changing to a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. I encourage you to research further and find as many ways as possible to make changes that your lifestyle can fit into.

Healing the environment is our responsibility as members of our global community. As human beings, we have the ability to make changes in our lives to better ourselves, our communities and our planet.

It's not a mystery. It's not expensive. It's not time-consuming. It's just a simple shift in lifestyle that anyone can make. Employ any of these ideas or create your own to make our environment healthier and cleaner for all.

Renée Deakin's personal journey of growth and discovery has taken her to teach, work and live in several locations across North America. Currently residing in the woods in a remote area of Vancouver Island, Renée has devoted her life work to helping others find harmony and balance in their daily lives through connecting with their intuition. http://www.spiritcircle.ca