While it certainly doesn’t rank anywhere near favorites like Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving and National No-Pants Day, Earth Day is an annual holiday that has been gaining ground since it was first conceived. But, the Earth Day of today is a far cry from the one our bell-bottom-wearing, peace-sign-lovin’ parents knew. It’s bigger, better and out to save the environment and the economy. Started in 1970 by Sen. Gaylor Nelson, the original “green movement” got the ball rolling to raise awareness of how human practices are harmful to the natural environment. Forty years later, people are still pushing an agenda for healthier lifestyles, technologies and processes that are friendlier to the earth. Today, Earth Day is celebrated all over the globe. However, the beauty to promoting a “green” agenda today has developed into something Sen. Nelson could have only imagined. In contemporary America — particularly after the disastrous collapse of our national economy in 2009 — implementing tree-hugging ideals goes far beyond just helping mother nature stay nice and pretty. By celebrating Earth Day in 2010, millions of Americans are not only voicing a concern for more sustainable practices and policies, but their hard-earned cash will also be pumped into our limping economy. This new-age, eco-friendly approach to our lifestyles and business really is a multifaceted way to bring about some much-needed good here in the U.S. of A. For this reason, I say combine your green-thinking initiatives with some economy-healing purchasing power. This week, go out and buy a bike so you don’t have to ride in your car as the weather warms up. Go get a few reusable coffee thermoses to tote your organically brewed coffee. If your coffee isn’t organic, buy a cup just for Earth Day. Donate some money to a local conservation group, visit a national park and pay the entrance fee with joy. Invest in a solar or wind energy company to show your support for good old-fashioned American power. Carpool to your local Costco with your best buddies and hand over some cash for one of those composters that my girlfriend says are “much less gross” than keeping old food in a trashcan. Support your local free-range ranchers. Buy some seeds and grow your own vegetables, herbs, and flowers this spring. In this time of penny pinching and painful government budget setting, go wild just this once and use the almighty dollar to invest in going green, in promoting the earth, in improving your health, in saving some money in the long run. Oh, and for those of you who don’t know, National No-Pants Day is the first Friday of May, so be prepared.