Increasing environmental awareness is possible when organizations decide to collaborate. Alberta's decision to become the first province to open their arms to EcoAction shows that two heads might be better than one. The Government of Alberta and Earth Day Canada (EDC) have joined forces so that communities across this province will embrace a more sustainable way of life. EDC's EcoAction Teams (EAT) and Alberta Environment's One Simple Act (OSA) are two programs that will enable them to reach their goal by next year's Earth Day (April 22, 2009).

OSA has an online site where people can commit to embracing a sustainable lifestyle, and there is support to help you along the way. By making the commitment, you agree to pitch in and help reduce waste, conserve water and reduce energy consumption. When you know others are helping, it can motivate you to do the same. According to their site, as of Aug. 15, there have been 17,169 people involved in this program and 129,486 kg of waste has been reduced.

EAT also has a website that gives advice on how to save money by reducing consumption of energy, water, gas, etc. Their site has an online household conservation calculator that walks you through the process and shows you the potential savings you could have by living more simply. There is also a list of EcoAction tips for energy, gardening, transportation, waste and water. Or you can follow their guides for living lightly, which explain what you can do if you live in an apartment/condo or cottage and what you can do at school and in the workplace.

It's expected that over 25 cities will be involved by Earth Day next year. So if you live in Alberta, take the pledge and see what you can do to help their cause. If you don't live in Canada, still make an effort to live an eco-conscious lifestyle. With the help of OSA and EAT, you can make every aspect of your life a little greener. It will be interesting to see the achievements that will come out of the collaboration of these programs by Earth Day Canada 2009.