By Dell Alann, Assignment Producer, NBC WeatherPlus

Whether you believe in the whole global warming concept or not one thing is clear. We as a civilized nation could be doing more to live more earth friendly and environmentally sound lifestyles.

We all hear the plugs by Hollywood A-listers and lawmakers challenging us to be “greener”. As I look at the super-sized mansions and gas guzzling SUV’s many we aspire to live like own, I wonder do they really know what it means to be “earth friendly.” Recently, I was watching the domestic goddess (Martha) and she was telling a guest that she has a dark colored swimming pool. The idea is to trap heat eliminating the need for a heater, which in turns saves energy. That’s rather clever don’t you think.

During the premiere of “Ocean’s 13”, Brad Pitt arrived in his usual sleek style, stepping out of a state-of-the-art BMW Hydrogen 7. I have to admit, the car was hot and totally cool. In fact, the H7 doesn’t use fuel or electric motors, yet it is powered off of hydrogen. How genius! Most of us won’t be purchasing on of those puppies, but Brad certainly is trying to keep up his celebrity status without tanking the environment.

I recently went to one of my favorite natural food stores and purchased two cloth bags to begin carrying groceries home. I think some refer to that as “BYOB” – Bring Your Own Bag. That same day, I dropped off the two shopping bags full of plastic building in the pantry. Trust me, it was out of control and I couldn’t find my Cheerios in the morning. Why do we stockpile this stuff? I also went online last year to find a green dry cleaners. I can’t even imagine the toxicity non-green establishments might use on the clothes we wear daily.

So really, you don’t have to spend a fortune or disrupt your daily routine to exist on earth in an environmentally conscious manner. Just think of one thing you can begin doing this week to make a difference and encourage one friend to do the same and believe me…I think we’ll all be universally green before long.