Spring is in bloom – and green is its color given that Earth Day is set to fete its 40th birthday on April 22.  This year, some of the media are suffering from green fatigue. In fact, the other day I pitched a reporter on a sustainability story and heard back the following: “I have a feeling my editor is going to say ‘Earth Day, Schmearth Day’ this year.”

The following two things are true: 1) the green angle has been overplayed and abused like a Lady Gaga song; and 2) there are (debatably) flashier things on which to focus, such as the demise of the commercial market here in Phoenix and the death plague affecting print media outlets the world over. And how. But doom and gloom are doomy and gloomy, and spring requires something fresher and more upbeat. But even more than that, the idea that sustainability was ever just a trend – like feathered hair or skinny jeans - is plain sad. ”Trend” is a misnomer placed on the green movement because it only recently captured the interest of the mainstream media and the fleeting attention of American general public.  But the earth is everyone’s address, and taking care of where you live isn’t a trendy notion - it’s good sense, a smart practice and nothing new.

All of this underscores why sustainability will never be played out – nor should it be for media or the public. There are always new angles to take and information to gather to further the reduce/reuse/recycle lifestyle. Accordingly, here’s my wee attempt to offer some good-to-know eco info.

Green Your Getaways: Kimpton’s FireSkyResort & Spa is a client of ours, and it just became the first Green Seal certified hotel in the state of Arizona. The Kimpton brand and FireSky property are doing this because they care, but also because their guests care a lot – in fact, about 20 percent of surveyed guests chose both the brand and Scottsdale resort based on sustainability practices. To learn about this and other eco-minded stays around the globe, check out www.kimptonhotels.com, www.fireskyresort.com and www.greenvacationhub.com. 

Green Your Cleaning: Spring cleaning isn’t as fun as Spring Training, but what can you do? While less relaxing than sitting at a ball game with peanuts and popcorn, cleaning house doesn’t have to be dirty for your health thanks to an increasing number of available environmentally-friendly cleaning products. In addition to Seventh Generation, Simple Green and Shaklee, check out this lengthy list of green supplies.

Green Your Garbage Can: Some take spring cleaning beyond surfaces and behind doors and inside drawers. The result is often a massive, hallway-length pile of unwanted wares – some unfit for the dumpster. The question of “where to dispose of what” came up the other day when I was talking with a friend who’s emptying his house to relocate. I sent him to what I consider to be one of the resources of resources: Earth911.com. There, you can do a search to find close-to-home recycling centers for paint, computers, you name it. And if knowing where to go weren’t cool enough, check out the site’s tweet-to-win Earth Day Giveaway, which offers chances to score an iPad and other cool green goods and gizmos.