"How different it would be if we looked at the earth as our mother. Do you treat the planet with the same love, care, respect and honor that you treat your mother?"

Peter Walsh, from his Oprah Radio show Organizing for the Environment

"We need our trees, obviously, because they do everything from remove air pollution and sequester carbon, they filter our water, they provide wildlife with homes. Do something wonderful for your planet and do something wonderful for your life. Get rid of this junk [mail]."

Matt Damon, from the show Going Green 101: What Your Family Can Do Today!

"If everyone in America simply separated the paper, plastic, glass and aluminum products from the trash and tossed them into a recycling bin, we could decrease the amount of waste sent to landfills by 75 percent. Currently, it takes an area the size of Pennsylvania to dump all our waste each year."

Elizabeth Rogers, author of The Green Book , from an Oprah.com exclusive

"Being clean isn't always green, especially when it comes to laundry. The dirt: The average household does 400 loads a year, consuming 13,500 gallons of water. … Run only full loads and use cold water whenever possible: About 90 percent of the energy used washing clothes goes to heating the water."

Louisa Thomas, from O, The Oprah Magazine September 2007

"Why wouldn't we decide to identify, control and ultimately prevent those environmental factors that are making us sick?"

Deirdre Imus, from Dr. Oz's Oprah Radio show Health and the Environment

"Mothers believe we are responsible for our children from the womb to the grave. We are connected by the longing to protect them after they leave our bodies, so the impetus for making this planet safe for them lies with us. Mark my words: It's the soccer moms who will change the world."

Kyra Sedgwick, from O, The Oprah Magazine July 2008

"I am passionate about buying sustainable [and] creating an organic lifestyle for people. … Ten years from now, when this is all over and [the green movement] is a way of life, when people ask, 'How did this start?' … I'm hoping that my name gets mentioned."

Robert Craymer, from Nate Berkus' Oprah Radio show Eco-Friendly Designer Robert Craymer

"I ran for mayor because I wanted to help transform and improve Moss Point's economy. We used to be known as an industrial city, but the last big plant closed in 2001. These businesses damaged our environment—we're still learning how much. I vowed to create an economy that didn't have such a negative environmental impact. I think the area's greatest asset is its natural beauty."

Xavier Bishop, from O, The Oprah Magazine April 2009

"Once we [ask our representatives to lower income taxes and raise taxes on gasoline and coal-fired power plants], the market will begin to steer the economy in an environmentally sustainable direction, and it will steer the economy away from coal-fired power plants toward wind farms and solar collectors."

Lester Brown, from Dr. Oz's Oprah Radio show Saving the Environment

"I realized that I could make things I loved, not just racks of products that were disposable after one season."

John Patrick, the designer of Organic, from O, The Oprah Magazine March 2008

"There are some things that are going to save you time and money, so if the recycling is overwhelming to you, think about purchasing products that you won't ultimately need to recycle—such as buying your own water bottle and filling it up. … It's a positive cycle that keeps going. For the majority of us, we just want those fun, short ideas that are going to help us on the path."

Jennifer Boulden, from Gayle King's Oprah Radio show Living a Green Life

"For many of these green upgrades you can make 10, 15 or 20 percent savings on your energy bills each year—making higher returns than if you invested in the stock market."

Jessica Jensen, from Nate Berkus' Oprah Radio show Low-Impact Living

"I am all for reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, but you shouldn't move forward unless you are absolutely sure you can handle it financially. You get no extra points for taking on debt for an eco-friendly project if in fact it puts you, your family and your house at risk."

Suze Orman, from O, The Oprah Magazine April 2009

"Most of the energy in the United States comes from coal-fired plants. What we're doing when we run inefficient products is we're burning a lot more coal, and we're putting a lot more carbon into the environment."

Simran Sethi, from the show Going Green 101: What Your Family Can Do Today!

"I first became interested in going green when I read an article that said the world supply of seafood could collapse by 2048. I thought: 'How is this possible? This is in my lifetime.' Once we began looking at how we live, we began making small changes that anyone can do."

Karen Dunne, from the show Oprah's Earth Day Event

"The question now is no longer about the old polarity between nature and culture. The effects of nature and culture on us are intertwined. Each lends something to the other; together they sustain us. The better question is: Where from here? How do we react so smartly to the complex social and natural threats before us that a stranger to our planet, looking back at our history, will be moved to call us a just, courageous and reverent people?"

Barry Lopez, from O, The Oprah Magazine April 2009

"Transporting goods locally uses fewer fossil fuels than shipping them from around the world. Plus, buying local supports your community."

Rachel Mount, from O, The Oprah Magazine April 2009

"Some of the leading scientists are now saying we may have as little as 10 years before we cross a kind of point of no return, beyond which it's much more difficult to save the habitability of the planet in the future."

Al Gore, from the show Oprah's Earth Day Event

"We're all contributing to this problem every day when you turn on a light or drink from a plastic water bottle. There are things the government has to do, but individual citizens also need to be part of the solution."

Laurie David, from O, The Oprah Magazine February 2008

"In our every deliberation, we should consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations. …Vegetables are a renewable energy resource that we can grow right here in the United States. We don't need to import petroleum from the Middle East to make dish detergent."

Peter Walsh, from his Oprah Radio show Organizing for the Environment

"For me, green isn't extreme. There's shades of green. … You pick your shade."

Sophie Uliano, from the show Oprah's Earth Day Event

"In honor of our earth, I love her, I'm asking all of you today to implement just one green idea to help the fight against global warming."

Oprah, from the show Going Green 101: What Your Family Can Do Today!

"What we need is ecological intelligence, so we become a mass of shoppers who care, driving companies to do the right thing."

Daniel Goleman, from O, The Oprah Magazine April 2009

"I got rid of half my [beauty products]. When you look at the ingredients and you can't pronounce them? That's a really strong indication that you don't want to put it on your lips."

Julia Roberts, from the show Oprah's Earth Day Event

"There are no disposable resources. There are no disposable species."

Van Jones, from O, The Oprah Magazine April 2009

"She [my mother] recycled everything—nothing was bought and disposed of. It's astounding to me now more than it ever was when I was a kid."

Sandra Bullock, from the show Oprah's Earth Day Event

"Reap what you mow. Using a gas-powered lawn mower for an hour can produce nearly the same amount of pollution as driving a car 100 miles. When you cut grass, get a workout with a manual mower, and leave the clippings—free fertilizer!—on the lawn."

Louisa Thomas, from O, The Oprah Magazine May 2008

"Every day we make dozens of food choices. Make smarter ones and you can have an immediate impact on the planet and your health."

Kate Geagan, MS, RD, from O, The Oprah Magazine April 2009

"A few eco-friendly changes inside your home can make a global impact—and save you money on utility bills as well. … Plenty of small, affordable changes will reduce energy consumption in your home, and you'll see payback in less than a year. Besides, the psychic satisfaction of knowing you are doing your part to help our environment is priceless."

Suze Orman, from O at Home Fall 2007

"You can turn your waste into gold—literally brown gold. It's the most nutritious thing that you can put in your garden."

Sophie Uliano, from the show Oprah's Earth Day Event