Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, the idea of then-Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson, who saw the event as a nationwide “teach-in.” Well, we’ve come a long way since then, but the idea of Earth Day has never been so important. Living a greener life is no longer some sort of hippie ideal or left-of-center concern, it is, in short, the only way to keep the planet on which we live functioning for those who live here now and for generations to come.

Sure, Earth Day should be every day, but since it is today (the March equinox), here are a few things you can check out that might give you some food for thought:

Learn the things you can do to fight global warming with the Break The Addiction 12 Step Plan at thinkMTV

Even The Real World has gone eco-friendly in its (gasp!) 20th season

Nickelodeon breaks it all down over on The Big Green Help

You can follow the course of your clothing and the impact it has via Patagonia’s The Footprint Chronicles

Take recycling further by learning how to freecycle

Check out the informative podcasts on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Earth Day website

Check out the eco-tastic programming at The Green House , including Garden Fork TV

And while you’re here, watch “If I Had Eyes” by Jack Johnson, one of our favorite environmentally conscious artists. Did you know he built a solar powered recording studio at his Brushfire Records headquarters in Los Angeles? Oh yes, the surf star-turned-rock star lives it every day. So should we all.