We do not own the planet. We are here on earth for a short time and we are just borrowing it. Like any good tenant, we need to leave the place like we found it. We need to leave clean air to breath and clean water to drink. We need to reduce waste disposal by recycling wherever we can and we need to conserve resources at every opportunity.

In order to do this we have to change the way with think, and then the way we act. The actions we need to take are not difficult. What I have found to be more difficult is to change the way we think. There is a basic principle I have adopted for myself that has helped me live a greener lifestyle. That is "live simply, so other people can simply live." You can apply this to all aspects of your life and watch the results.

If you are going to travel a short distance, walk instead of drive the car. If you are going to prepare a meal, do so out of fresh produce instead of expensive, highly processed packaged food. If you are going to spend an evening at home with the family, play cards instead of getting a video or DVD. Not only are all these things green living and better for the environment, they are also better for you.

Everyone has to find their own balance in green living, but we all have to start somewhere. For you it may be as simple as taking a shorter shower in the morning to conserve water. For another person it may be starting a compost heap in the back yard instead of putting all that green waste in the rubbish bid. For yet another person it may be starting a vegetable garden in the back yard and using no pesticides or man made chemical fertilisers.

No mater where you want to start, each of us needs to make an effort towards living green. Even though the impact of our individual efforts may seem to be small, when you start adding up the effort of all the individuals in this country, you begin to see the immense effect we can have as a nation upon the wellbeing of this earth we live with. I challenge you to start making this difference today.

The whole thrust of Green Living Australia is to find solutions to green living problems, promote green living products and help as many people as possible to live a greener lifestyle. We are starting small but have big plans. We believe that green living is key to a successful future for us all as individuals, and as a group sharing this earth. We invite you to join us in any way you can.