Take time to chill out this weekend with your pets or significant other and enjoy popcorn and a movie. Relaxing every once in awhile enables your body to recover so you can continue doing what you do best.

Whether you’re in the mood for a documentary, drama, love story or quirky film, there are environmentally focused movies out there.

The Fountain

This is a touching love story with Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. The tree is very symbolic in this film.

I Heart Huckabees

This is an existential comedy with Jason Schwartzman. He tries to find out what and if his coincidences mean anything. This is one of my all time favorite films.

The 11th Hour

This is Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary on environmental issues.

An Inconvenient Truth

This is Al Gore’s documentary on environmental issues.

So snuggle up with a good movie this weekend and be prepared to feel motivated to do something good for the Earth.

Hosting vegetarian potlucks can help bring the vegetarians in your community together. It’s a great opportunity to find out what other vegetarians or vegans are eating. A nice idea is to have everyone attach a recipe card to his/her dish. That way, anyone who wishes to recreate the meal can do so.

These events are especially nice during the summer when you can host it outdoors under a pavilion. Make sure to set a specific time (for example, 4 pm every first Sunday of each month) and give people an idea of what they can bring. Sometimes its best to tell people the type of dish they should bring like a main dish, dessert, salad, drink or fruit. This will prevent people from bringing similar dishes.

Encourage discussion by making an introductory announcement and have people sign in (name and email). Remember, a potluck should take place in a relaxed environment. Setup a small table or area where people can bring business cards, old books, recipes, flyers, etc. As word spreads, your group will continue to grow. Don’t be discouraged if you notice that some people are not coming back, because they might return later.

Potlucks enable your community to create a support group, and it’s always comforting to know that there are other people in the world who share your beliefs and passions.

Although testing on animals has enabled us to save more human lives, it’s time we try to move past this and try to save more lives in general. We are an intelligent society with many technological advancements. Civilization has opened our minds, and we can know see that other life forms experience emotions such as pain and pleasure.

Recently, primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall proposed that the Nobel prize be awarded to those who make advancements without testing on animals. According to The Guardian, Goodall said, “As we move into the 21st century we need a new mind-set…We should admit that the infliction of suffering on beings who are capable of feeling is ethically problematic and that the amazing human brain should set to work to find new ways of testing and experimenting that will not involve the use of live, sentient beings.”

This is an incentive that will encourage people to stop testing on animals, and it will also prove that progress can happen without having to sacrifice life in the process.

Even if you can’t buy a hybrid, you can still preserve and lengthen the life of your fuel in other ways.

Since summer is on its way, there is more of a reason to get outside. So start a carpooling schedule with friends, family or neighbors. If your children have weekly activities they need to attend, this can decrease the amount of fuel you use per week in half. Also think about your job and whether or not carpooling is possible with any of your coworkers.

Summer time also means that you have to get into that swimsuit again. Why not burn away your calories by walking or riding your bike to stores?

Try out any public transportation that is available to you. Not only does this help the environment, but it also supports your community.

You can also combine your errands into one trip. Dedicate one day a week to run errands or complete your errands at stores that are on your way to or from work.

Easy Environmental Tip

It’s important to remember the physical properties of gasoline. When the temperature outside is warmer, it causes the gas to volatilize or evaporate. It’s more environmentally friendly to fill up your gas tank during the afternoon or evening when it gets cooler so that the vapor doesn’t mix with the air and create ozone. This is also the reason why topping off your tank is dangerous and toxic to the environment.

Well, it has finally bit me…hard. I’m in the midst of clothing piles, trash bags, shoe racks and hangers. Out of nowhere, I have suddenly become determined to reorganize my closet and get rid of all those clothes and shoes I never wear. This is a time where you find lost treasures, and I often ponder to myself, “What was I thinking?” Some things you just need to let go of. However, that doesn’t mean throwing the stuff away so it ends up in a landfill.

Go through all of your belongings in an organized manner—t-shirts, long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, jeans, dress pants, shoes, etc. Sort out items that are damaged or stained from the ones you want to give to a charity. Giving to a charity helps recycle the clothes. You can also get a receipt for them so you have proof for tax season. Try to use the stained clothing as rags or determine if you can use the material for something else like a belt, purse or cut off shirt.

Although plastic garbage bags might be your only options, try to use large bags you already have at home to cart your belongings to a charity or friends and family.

If you have books you want to get rid of, donate them to your local library. Other paper material like notes from school or old meetings can be recycled at some recycling drop off centers.

There are many different ways you can recycle and reuse your unwanted belongings. You could even have a garage sale.

Memorial Day is about spending time with the family. It’s common to have backyard barbecues, watch parades or have picnics in the park, which means using Styrofoam cups, paper plates and plastic utensils. Nothing about that says eco-friendly.

Instead of going out to buy dinnerware that you are only going to throw away, use any plastic dishes you already have at home. At least with these you can wash and reuse them.

Volunteer to clean up after your town’s parade. The more help they have to cleanup, the faster it will get done and the less likely there will be trash still in the streets.

You can also incorporate some vegetarian options into your cookout so your meal isn’t all about meat. Try vegetable shish kabobs, a vegetable tray, fake chicken patties or hamburgers, fruit salad, vegetable chips, etc. Adding vegetables to your meal makes it more colorful and healthy too.

Recycled clothing is not hard to find, you just have to know where to look for it. Some places to check out are Wal-Mart and Target. If they don’t happen to carry recycled clothes at your local store, there are other options available like your local thrift store. While clothing at thrift stores is not made from recyclable material, you can at least do your part to reuse it.

Recently, it was announced that certain Wal-Mart stores will be carrying eco-apparel made by Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has created a line of t-shirts, fleece and loungewear that has been created from recycled soda bottles.

If you have not started recycling your plastic soda bottles, start now! PET, an ingredient in plastic soda bottles, is used to make clothing. According to www.AboutMyPlanet.com, 25 2-liter soda bottles can be recycled to create a fleece pullover. The more bottles you recycle, the more of a supply we will have to create clothing from recycled plastic. This is a great way to reuse our plastic, and it reduces the amount of raw materials we would usually use to produce clothing.

It’s also a good idea to start supporting the companies that sell recycled clothing. There are many online to choose from.

Most vegetarian meals are fairly simple to make. Below are a couple different meals that you should try during your first veggie week.

Broccoli and Rice in Peanut Sauce

Thaw and cook about 1 to 2 cups of frozen broccoli until it’s tender but not mushy. Brown rice has more protein than white rice so this is a better option. If you don’t feel like cooking the rice on the stove, purchase the 10 minute brown rice. Mix the broccoli and brown rice together and pour on as much peanut sauce as you want. This gives a unique, spicy flavor to an ordinary meal.

Dawali (stuffed grape leaves)

Purchase jarred grape leaves, chick peas and rice (brown or white is fine). You will need to cook the rice and chick peas then use salt, pepper and lemon to taste. Rub the leaves with olive oil and begin wrapped small portions of the rice and chick pea mix into a leaf. Other recipes online use pine nuts instead of chick peas, so there are a variety of vegetarian ways to make this dish.

If you absolutely hate cooking, check out your local grocery store to see if they have vegetarian hamburgers or chicken patties. I recently found tofu steaks that I cut up and put in my salads.

Challenges and obstacles make life more interesting. When you change up your daily routine, it gives you more of a reason to look forward to what the next day’s adventures will be. I’m not going to lie—giving up meat is a difficult commitment to make, but it’s not impossible or the unthinkable. People are increasingly adopting this diet. According to www.peta.org, even Oprah is giving it a try.

You should give it a try too, even if it’s just for a week. Plan out your meals and stick to them. Maybe you will find out that you feel more energized and healthier. Whether you give it a week or two days, give it an honest try. At the very least, you should come to realize that meat doesn’t always have to be the staple for every meal.