April 22, 2014 is Earth Day — a day that marks the anniversary of the modern environmental movement that evolved in 1970.

As little as 40 years ago, pollution and waste were overlooked without being offered a second thought. It’s been said, at the time, air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. Factories were working to make the most efficient dollar, instead of the cleanest one.

Words like “environment,” “eco-friendly,” and “green” were either not used in the same context we find them today or they had not yet been defined.

According to earthday.org, “Earth Day 1970 capitalized on the emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and putting environmental concerns front and center.”

“Earth Day founder, Gaylord Nelson and a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin realized if [they] could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda.”

This led to more than 20 million Americans demonstrating for a healthy, sustainable environment.

The first Earth Day paved the way for the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency and eventually the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.

Maybe you’re thinking, “How does this apply to me? What can I do?”

Remember the words of Mother Teresa, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

And it takes all of those drops to comprise the whole.

This Earth Day, you can “think green” by:

1. Cutting down on electricity & water usage.

2. Reusing & recycling.

3. Batching your errands into as few trips as possible.

4. Going paperless.