We are lucky to live in this age of enlightenment. Where visionaries can see the future, and instead of waiting around for it to show up, they take matters into their own hands and try to change it for the better. The biggest case in point with all of this is the new White House administration. Certainly, a lot has been written about Obama this and green incentives that, and coming from the top, it sets an example for us all.

However, incentives and words about what should and need to be done, goes only so far. It’s up to us to use these tools and use these incentives and use the knowledge that we have, and make this whole green movement work! Not the government, not your neighbor, it’s up to us, all of us, from top to bottom.

There are those of us who don’t even realize that we are a part of this. The person that thinks they have nothing to do with the green movement, and then pitches an empty beer can into a recycling bin, is just as much a part of this as you or I. The person that looks outside and sees what a gorgeous day it is, and decides to hang their clothes out instead of putting them in a dryer, or the person who merely checks the tire pressure on their car to make sure the tires are full on a monthly basis, is as much a part of this as anyone else.

Do they know it? Probably not; and do they care, hardly. But the fact is, they are out there doing it, maybe as a collective consciousness, maybe through osmosis with all the green information flowing in the airwaves, or maybe just because one little spark went off in their head to be a little more responsible. Regardless, it works.

Those of us on the front lines doing things like saving trees, becoming organic farmers, being actively involved with our carbon footprints, even going out in public and spreading the word, that is the crux of the green movement. It’s the soul of what drives us for this passion to make the environment better. We like to see ourselves as the movers and the shakers, the go-getters, the do-gooders, and none of that can be disputed.

But probably for most of us, it all began when that first can or bottle was thrown into the recycling bin. That first real act of environmental duty whether we even realized it or not, was the true beginning. We’ve all been there, we all started at the same place. All it took was a little awareness to know that it was the right thing to do; and you know what? It still is!

Get out there, do your thing, and at least make a difference in your world. I believe on some level, every one of us attempts to do just that. No matter what you do, no matter how you interact with the green scene, you are making an effort, and that’s what really matters here.

Yet, so is the person who does something as simple as pitching an empty can or plastic bottle into the recycling bin. Ultimately, this little act of environmental friendliness, even in that most basic of ways, touches each and every one of us. Multiply that selfless act by hundreds of thousands of times every day, and you have a true understanding of what that one little can or bottle means. Knowingly or not by the person who did it, in the greater scheme of things, that affects us all from top to bottom. And that’s where it all begins.