Always one to celebrate the beauty that Mother Nature bestows upon
the Earth, Girlawhirl's happier than ever this Earth Day, 2009 because
finally she feels there's an up-tick in organized efforts to save the
planet. It's no longer for fanatics or those on the fringe; everyone's
interested in “greening” these days…

Some bright spots Girlawhirl's particularly happy to see:

The US Government is really on board when it comes to the greening
of American homes and buildings. Tax breaks of up to 30% are up for
grabs for new windows and doors, better insulation, and building green
from the ground up with solar panels and/or geothermal heating systems.
See the whole list of tax credits for homeowners online here.

Electric cars are coming on strong: Check out Better Place's plan to
create a world where everyone drives a battery powered vehicle. Broad
strokes: they won't cost more than the cars of today, we'll buy mile
plans like we currently do for cell phone minutes, and there will be
charging stations in parking lots, home garages and anywhere else
they're needed. Guess what? The plan's already being enacted! Renault
and Nissan have built prototype cars that allow for batteries to be
changed instead of charged (to accommodate long trips), charging
stations are being built in Israel and Denmark. Australia and Ontario
have signed on along with Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay area. Find out more at betterplace.com.

Parabens, Phthalates, and other nasties are becoming a thing of the
past: Most of Girlawhirl's favorite brands of cosmetics have
re-formulated their products to eliminate the ingredients that have the
public up in arms – giving her plenty of options and choices. And yes,
that thrills her, but it also reminds her that this is one issue where
public awareness and pressure can make a real difference. Skin
Deep, a cosmetic safety database from the Environmental Working Group
is her favorite resource for information on these ingredients.

Big Business is participating as well. Maybe it's because Wal-Mart
led the way by showing Wall Street that green was good for the bottom
line, but now it's almost a necessity to have a sustainability expert
or team in house. Dow Jones rates companies on a Sustainability Index
where environmental concerns are one of the elements that are
evaluated. And sustainable investing – where investments are made in
companies that make decisions and follow practices with the environment
in mind – is a new way of looking at investment portfolios.

That's plenty to celebrate this Earth Day – all of the above signal big changes to come…

From our friends at Girlawhirl