Happy Earth Day, Everyone!

Just in case you haven't opened up a magazine, watched any TV or talked to anyone anywhere recently, today is Earth Day.

Earth Day has become more than one tiny day to raise awareness for a whole collection of ideas, issues and actions. I'm glad Earth Day has made it into the "regular" media. I'm truly glad for all the hype and brou-ha-ha surrounding this week. It used to be that Earth Day was dismissed as some kind of marginal, new-agey thing that a bunch of "other" people paid attention to (mostly on college campuses). But no more - retailers are hopping on the eco-bandwagon in droves, and green is now "chic." Sound a little mainstream? Yes. A little conventional? Yes indeed. Wouldn't it be great if taking care of our planet was just the regular, conformist, boring, usual thing to do? What if it was just dull and predictable and ordinary to conserve, respect, give back, clean up and protect?

Okay, I'll step off of my soapbox now. I know that my contribution consists of writing a paragraph here and there this week on my beauty blog. Why write about beauty products when there are thousands of bigger, more encompassing issues? Because it's something I can do. I don't expect to change the entire world, just a little bit of it here and there. And then maybe a little more, and so on.

By the way, some estimate that the beauty industry is a $29 billion business. When you support a company that promotes your values, you are voting with your wallet. When you spend your hard earned dollars on products that are cruelty-free, use recycled packaging, promote fair trade, and/or use healthful ingredients; you are sending a big message to a very big industry.

And lest I forget my beauty junkie responsibilities. Here are a couple of companies we can be proud to know:

Aveda. Everyone already knows how fabulous their products are. Here's what the company has to say about their mission: Aveda believes that authentic beauty is one that works in harmony with the greater web of life. It does not qualify as beauty if it hurts any of the diverse life forms that the best beauty artist of all, Nature, created. Authentic Beauty cares for the environment which we inherited from elders and will leave to generations that follow us. Beauty cares for the society in which we live, enhancing harmony in the way we live and interact with one another as human beings. In order to be Beauty, it also needs to be Good. Beauty is the result, but also the process followed in pursuing that result. Said simply, Beauty Is As Beauty Does.

Right now, Aveda's Clean Water Campaign is dedicated to providing adequate access to clean water for the world's people and wildlife. You can participate in the campaign with a purchase or a donation. Aveda is also promoting the Clean Ocean Action program, which is committed to protecting the future of the New York/New Jersey coastline.

The Body Shop. Again, nobody needs to tell you about the beauty and quality of their products. Today is for telling you how they describe their values: We believe there is only one way to beautiful, nature's way. We've believed this for years and still do. We constantly seek out wonderful natural ingredients from all four corners of the globe, and we bring you products bursting with effectiveness to enhance your natural beauty. While we're doing this we always strive to protect this beautiful planet and the people who depend on it. We don't do it this way because it's fashionable. We do it because, to us, it's the only way.

Learn more about The Body Shop's values: Activate Self-Esteem, Against Animal Testing, Support Community Trade, Protect Our Planet and Defend Human Rights.

During their Earth Day event, you can receive a "Bag for Life" cotton tote with any $30 purchase. These totes are also for sale in the stores and online. The reusable, organically-grown cotton bag is produced without the use of harmful pesticides. They donate $2.00 for every bag sold to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Okay. All done now. If you want to learn a little more about what's going on, here are a few sites to get you started: Earth Day Network, The Nature Conservancy, Envirolink, earthday.gov.

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