The Green movement is good. It’s a sign that humanity has reached an intelligent tipping point in the evolutionary calendar of life and is finally growing up. It’s just like when your son suddenly decided to bathe regularly and also realized he could attract more desirable friends to his room if it was clean and tidy.

I look at this way; the planet, just like our personal living environment is ready for a major janitorial-strength cleaning, where old useless junk is thrown away or given to Goodwill or Oxfam and all nooks and crannies are sanitized and buffed till they shine.

In the case of the Earth, chucking out useless, outdated stuff can easily be equated to ceasing to use fossil fuels, tearing down hideous overhead telephone and electrical wires, eliminating nuclear weapons and other outmoded toys of destruction and rejecting genetically engineered organisms and chemical pesticides. Donating stuff is really the same as recycling. We needn’t worry about putting anyone out of work, since practically all non-biodegradables, even petroleum, metals and plastics, with a bit of thought and creativity can be developed into eco-friendly new industries.

If you are leaning towards believing that Green is good and the the Earth could use a bit of TLC, there’s lots of stuff you can do that’s not time consuming or expensive; in fact, it’s practically painless. Sorry Kermit, it is easy being green.

Here are Ten Easy Ways to Help Planet Earth:

Most supermarkets and grocery stores now stock at least one brand of “green” dish washing liquid. (I am not referring to the color of the liquid). Brands like GreenWise and Seventh Generation no more expensive than the old fashioned petroleum-based products. They’re non-toxic, non-irritating (gentle on your hands), and biodegradable (no phosphates).

If every household in the United States alone used a 25 oz., eco-friendly dish washing liquid instead of a petroleum based liquid, the world would save 86,000 barrels of oil . That’s enough to heat and cool 4,900 homes a year! Think of it - that’s just for replacing dish washing liquid in the U.S.. Imagine what we all could do, if we replaced other cleaning and paper products with eco-friendly products.

Whether you recycle plastic items or not, there is something you can do to prevent birds from strangling themselves on the plastic loops on six-pack soft drink cans. The birds, mainly scavenger-types such as sea gulls, raid landfills looking for food. Remember to cut the loops before you trash them!

This on-line charitable organization offers interesting, unbiased news stories on animal welfare, global warming, environment and wildlife, politics, health policy, women’s rights, human rights and civil rights.

They also have an informative ‘healthy & green living’ section billed as “good green fun”.

Their amusing, free e-cards are an easy and green way to say ‘Happy Birthday’, Merry Christmas, and even Happy “World Hello Day” – a new one on me.

It’s simple to sign a petition to forward your favorite cause, such as saving the polar bears, initiating responsible teen sex-education programs, preventing feeding chicken feces to cows, reducing the military’s carbon boot-print and my fav, banning Fox News advertisers. So sign a petition today. Joining Care2 is free!

Speaking of chicken feces, you can choose to purchase organic milk and other dairy products over the ‘regular’ kind. Organic dairy farms are dedicated to producing a more healthful product and to raising happier, healthier cows that are free to roam in lovely grassy fields.  A carton of organic milk may cost a few pennies more than regular milk, but it tastes fresher and last so much longer than regular milk. Just check the ‘sell by date’ on the carton.

It’s autumn in the northern hemisphere at the time of this post which means it’s the best time for planting. The rule is, it's ok to plant, as long as there hasn't been a frost in your area. If you're already into winter weather (sorry Colorado), you'll have to wait for spring to enjoy summer blooms. I'm not knowledgeable as to the best time to plant down under in the southern hemisphere, but Van Dieman's website can be very helpful.

Anyway, the message is to go play with the earth and plant a few bulbs. It’s great family fun, good exercise and a great way to commune with nature. In just a few months time you’ll witness a small miracle.

Quality bulbs such as tulips, crocus and daffodils may be purchased from your local garden center, or if you’d like to try something more exotic, such as the Oriental Lily “garden party” show here, check it out at Brent and Becky’s Bulbs.

I had the good fortune to visit Brent and Becky at their farm in Virginia when we featured them on “A Gardener’s Diary”. They’re one of the top suppliers of quality bulbs. They even have a progressive fundraising program designed to earn select non-profit organizations cash for every order received through the Brent and Becky's Bulbs website.

Right now they’re only able to ship within the U.S., but if you live elsewhere, there are many excellent on-line and catalog suppliers who can offer a wide variety of bulbs. (see links below)

Christmas is coming and stocking need stuffing. Here are a few great green items.

• Eco-friendly Compact Stapleless Stapler $2.99

• Keep veggies fresher with a  re-usable cotton produce bag from Blue Lotus (no relation)- as little as $2.49

• Exotic green tea –good for the soul; good for you – Bigelow, MightyLeaf and Stash make great organic green teas at supermarket prices.

Most cell phone retailers will do the recycling for you. Just make sure you turn in your old phone when you upgrade to that new iPnone. There are more than 500 million used cell phones in the U.S. sitting in people's drawers or worse, in our landfills, and another 130 million will be added this year alone!

If you smoke. Quit. If you can’t quit, try electronic cigarettes. They'll keep you well satisfied and you won’t stink up the house, your clothes or your planet with fuming carcinogens. Check it out on my hub, Electronic Cigarettes the Smart Alternative.

Here's something we all need to know about Styrofoam.

For my European friends - Here are some great sites for purchasing bulbs.

J. Parkers Catalogue

Van Meuwen Catalogue