Oprah's Influence on My Green Job

Oprah Winfrey taught me a lot. Her show first aired when I was sixteen years old, and the world was a different place. In general, mainstream Americans weren’t thinking globally. The “Me” generation and yuppies were “in,” and everyone I knew considered Madonna’s “Material Girl” an acceptable anthem.

Oprah was as pop culture as anyone, but the pulse of her message was others-centric. She cared about other peoples’ problems, and was ever-patient in explaining why the rest of us should, as well. She sent cameras into places and situations we would have never chosen to see, but we followed her into heartbreaking stories to find ourselves emerging braver, stronger and more confident after crying another’s tears and absorbing both their pain and their triumph.

Oprah let blessings flow through her, and demonstrated the simple act of sharing in everything she did. She shared her friends, her knowledge, her struggles, and her wealth.

Though not a biological mother, Oprah taught us how to mother. We watched her nurture youngsters around the world, as she constantly reminded us that society has an obligation to our children. ..all our children. What we desire for our own children, we should desire for all children. It is that lesson I will carry with me always, and what drives me to do the work I do with the Go Green Initiative. It’s not enough to prepare our children for the future; we must prepare the future for our children. Oprah showed us how to open our hearts, minds and arms to embrace the most vulnerable among us. She made me believe we can all make a difference.

Thank you, Oprah, for twenty-five years of sisterhood and inspiration. You brought out the best in all of us, and the world is better place because of you. I hope you see your fingerprints in the work of the women you have touched.

If you would like to watch my favorite “green” video clips from the Oprah Winfrey show, click here. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLA8C9B6330D832724

Why Oprah says “it’s easy being green”: http://www.oprah.com/world/Its-Easy-Being-Green_1

Oprah’s Green Resources: http://www.oprah.com/packages/going-green.html

Buck Speaks to the Buckeyes on Earth Day

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Buck Speaks to the Buckeyes on Earth Day

View more webinars from Go Green Initiative.

Discover 30 ways to Go Green for Earth Day

I am happy to invite you to take part in a Smarter Life, Better Planet challenge, where I am one of 30 speakers discussing environmental and green topics.

This challenge has a simple format and an inspiring mission: starting from Earth Hour, March 26, until Earth Day, April 22, a new video is going up each day to offer you advice and easy tips on how you can improve your health and our planet.

In less than 3 minutes per day, you'll learn how to:

- Lower your energy use (and bills)
- Reduce your carbon footprint
- Purchase more sustainable products when shopping
- Save money while using less plastic
- And a whole lot more...

Along with watching a video, you can also complete a fun and quick challenge that will help you deepen your knowledge of each topic and create a simple plan just for you and your family to go green.

To take this rewarding journey along with me, my fellow speakers, and all the other participants, go to http://smarterlifebetterplanet.com/. Click on my picture on the left column to watch my video and hear my challenge.



You can also join the Smarter Life Better Planet conversation on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/hXCiq9 and follow @smarterbetter on Twitter.

As always, I appreciate your support and your effort as together we work to create a new and sustainable lifestyle, one action at a time.

On April 1, I interviewed Dan Ferber, co-author of a fascinating new book, Changing Planet, Changing Health: How the Climate Crisis Threatens Our Health and What We Can Do about It. We discussed the ways climate change causes extreme weather events, and how those events can increase the rate of infectious diseases, threaten our food supply, and strain our national security forces in the face of global shortages of natural resources. We discussed the ways in which children are particularly vulnerable to the health impact of climate change, and ways that everyday people can make a positive difference in our nation’s ability to thrive. You can check out the podcast of this episode of Go Green Radio at: http://tinyurl.com/3buuw7h

Changing Planet, Changing Health: How the Climate Crisis Threatens Our Health and What We Can Do about It.by Harvard health and disease expert Paul R. Epstein, MD, and award-winning science journalist Dan Ferber, reveals the complex links between global warming and cholera, malaria, lyme disease, asthma, and other threats such as crumbling ecosystems and lost services. They also examine abrupt climate change, which could cause catastrophic droughts, crop failures, large-scale migration, and war, according to a Pentagon projection. Dr. Epstein, associate director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHGE) at Harvard Medical School, has been documenting the links between global warming and declining human and environmental health since the early 1990s. Co-author Dan Ferber, a contributing correspondent to Science, traveled to rural Kenya, Honduras, Harlem and other places to talk with doctors, patients, scientists and others who are wrestling with these changes. The authors tell their stories and describe Epstein's quest to alert the world to the public health dangers of climate change. Then they draw on the latest science to vet climate solutions, and lay out a suite of innovative solutions to shape a healthy global economic order in the twenty-first century.

Go Green Radio - Straight Talk on Nuclear Energy

In light of the tragedy unfolding in Japan, it is absolutely prudent to take a good, hard look at existing and future nuclear power plants in the United States. The Obama administration is still committed to backing loans for construction of nuclear facilities in the U.S., even as everyday Americans wonder if the facilities are safe. We will be joined by Angie Howard is president of Howard – Johnson Associates, a consulting practice specializing in strategic energy and utility issues, and 2009 recipient of Women in Nuclear Global leadership award. Ms. Howard retired in May 2009 as vice president, Office of the President and Executive Advisor to the President for the Nuclear Energy Institute. We will talk about radioactive waste disposal, nuclear proliferation concerns, and terrorist threats to nuclear facilities. Tune in to learn about the facts regarding nuclear energy in America, and what safety measures are in place to avoid a crisis. Go Green Radio airs live on www.VoiceAmerica.com at 9 a.m. Pacific, noon Eastern every Friday.

Philippe Cousteau…the Family Legend Continues

Today's episode of Go Green Radio might be my favorite so far. After 97 episodes, I have had some brilliant and amazing guests, but Philippe Cousteau was such a delight to have on the show. Of course, it is intriguing that he is the grandson of the legendary Captain Jacques Cousteau, but his current work is fascinating. His organization, EarthEcho International, has some phenomenal programs for schools and kids, and I'm hoping you will visit his website to get involved. You can listen to the podcast of my interview with him by clicking here.

Don't Let Your Heating Bill Ruin Your Holidays

As winter sets in and temperatures drop, our home energy costs tend to rise. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, more than 50% of the energy used in a typical American home is for heating and cooling the air. Unfortunately, a lot of Americans will spend good money to heat their homes, only to have the warm air escape through poorly sealed attics with inadequate insulation. You can remedy that situation by conducting a do-it-yourself home energy audit. Visit the Department of Energy website at http://tinyurl.com/m2dh2a for tips on:
• Locating air leaks
• Insulation
• Heating & cooling equipment
• Lighting
Take control of your energy bill this winter, and save money while doing your part to conserve natural resources.