The Dalai Lama said, “Whether you believe in God or not does not matter so much, whether you believe in Buddha or not does not matter so much…whether you believe in reincarnation or not does not matter so much. You must lead a good life. And a good life does not mean just good food, good clothes, and good shelter. These are not sufficient. A good motivation is what is needed: compassion, without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their rights and human dignity. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities. We must share in other peoples’ suffering; even if you cannot help with money, to show concern, to give moral support and express sympathy are themselves valuable. This is what should be the basis of activities; whether one calls it religion or not does not matter.”

Sometimes we think our actions do not make a difference.  They do.  You have an impact on the world. To that end, please join me and see how many of the behaviors below you can incorporate into your life.

1. Have Meatless Mondays.
2. Plant a tree in someone’s honor or give a tree as a gift.
3. Turn off your laptop or iPad when you are not using it.
4. Set your thermostat one degree warmer in the summer and one degree cooler in the winter.
5. Ride your bike to work or school.
6. Recycle your garbage.
7. Use a re-usable water bottle.
8. Install a water filter instead of buying plastic water bottles.
9. Put solar panels on your roof.
10. Plant a vegetable garden.
11. Buy organic food.
12. Do not idle your car when it is parked.
13. Bring your own re-usable bags to the grocery store instead of taking plastic ones.
14. Use public transport.
15. Walk to work.
16. Take shorter showers.
17. Turn off un-used lights.
18. Keep your lawn pesticide free.