Tomorrow is Earth Day. Because of my ultra-sensitive daughter, it's become an official holiday around our house. Every year we participate in local events like beach clean-ups or tree plantings (or both). And then we make a "pledge to the planet" for the coming year.

The pledge doesn't have to be huge like saving the whales or chaining yourself to an ancient tree. The small differences make the biggest impact - like carrying a travel cup instead of buying beverages in bottles or cups that end up in our landfills. There are lots of ways to make a difference that only require tiny changes in our day-to-day lives:

• Swap your incandescent lightbulbs for energy efficient fluorescents.
• Do a home energy audit to identify energy "leaks" and plug them up.
• Plant a small garden -even a couple of pots of herbs will do.
• Join a clean-up event. Most only require a couple of hours of time. And you'll meet lots of great people with their own ideas.
• Go solar in inexpensive ways like replacing outdoor lighting.