Oprah stresses it's important to save our planet on Earth Day

Oprah Winfrey is using her hour talk show today to try and get the message out about how important it is to start saving our planet, and takes an indepth look at what really happens to the trash that we throw away or let what down the storm drains.

Her first guest was Fabien Cousteau, the grandson of Jacques Cousteau, and he spoke about how plastic and garbage ends up in our oceans. He stressed that without our oceans all humans would die, and that's the honest truth. 

One of her reporters visited a landfill and had a up close and personal look at the trash in our landfills and how most of it doesn't need to end up there. There were so many toys and furniture and books and the amount of waste was piled high to the sky. She asked 'couldn't these toys have found a new home?'

Some Oprah tips to 'go green'

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Oprah Winfrey Show [ APRIL 22 ] - Earth Day 2009 - Go Green, Save Money - Part1

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sourced by Amy Judd

Use LED lightbulbs or a Compact Florescent Lightbulb - both last longer and are better for the envrionment, although they cost more initially.

Use a programable thermostat so that you can input a temperature for your house to stay at, and you can save energy and money.

Make sure you weather strip your house to prevent air leaks and drafts that will save you money on heating and cooling.

If you are going to buy a new appliance for your home, try to look for the 'green' options that are more energy efficient, such as a LCD tv versus a plasma screen.

Use a device that helps you cut down your water usage, and use a Brita filter rather than buy bottled water. 

Use microfibre clotes instead of paper napkins.

Make your own cleaning products rather than buy cleaning products from the store.

Michael Pollan skypes in to the show and talks about how important it is to remember that there is a connection between what we eat and our environment. 

He stresses that it's a good idea to have one day a week without meat, and that will make a huge difference if every American does that.

He also says that when you go to a grocery store, shop around the edge; that's the area where all the fresh food is kept, and don't eat anything that won't eventually rot, it's not real food. Buy organic and sustainable whenever possible. He also talks about if you can, put in a small produce garden as it's the best way to eat and is better for the environment.

Oprah wants everyone to bring their lunch to work, as it not only saves money but helps the environment; don't use plastic bags to pack your lunch, use tupperware or cloth bags. Use reusable straws, not plastic straws, and never take plastic bags from the grocery store, always take cloth bags from home.

The most important thing is to raise your consciousness level that everything you do has an impact on our planet, and that we want to save it for generations to come.