(Cartoon by Mike Lester, courtesy of www.caglecartoons.com)

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Apparently, there is this new fad going around called “Going Green.” It’s pretty slick, as it ranges from clothing lines to really popular celebrities telling us common folks that we are screwing up the environment.

All this time, I thought I was doing well to walk around town instead of drive, turn off the lights when I leave a room, and not leave my faucet running when I brush my teeth.

I must have it all wrong. I need a private jet to take me from Kansas City to St. Louis when I visit my aunt, a Hummer to drive back and forth from Bi-Lo, and I just have to leave my lights on so everyone can see how extravagantly I live.

Give me a break.

I find it sad to think that most people are going to listen to what someone from Hollywood is saying about the environment, when the homes they live use as much energy as a small town.

Maybe it’s the way I was brought up, but I’ve always been under the impression that if you are wasting something, you are probably paying for it.

Going Green should not be a fad, but rather, a lifestyle change that all of us can and should make.

We don’t need to go for broke and switch to hemp clothing, grow out dreadlocks and wear second-hand store clothing. Then, we’d just look like your average Seattle teen trying to rebel.

It’s the little things that count, like turning off lights when you leave a room or not leaving the faucet on when brushing your teeth. This stuff actually helps out the environment and saves money, and all of us could use some extra green in our pockets.

To help in this endeavor, I’ve looked at a few resources on the Web to see what they are saying about making homes more eco-friendly and reducing global warming.

—Reduce, reuse, recycle. I know it’s sounds corny and a little cliché, but it works. An added bonus for those of you in Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts: if your troop can start a recycling program with a church affiliate, you can pay your camp fees in a year.

—Change your light bulbs. Thanks to wonderful advances in technology, compact fluorescent light bulbs are much more efficient than standard 60-watt incandescent bulbs. Also, for every incandescent you replace with the new CFL bulbs you save $30, and they last about 10 times longer.

—Drive less. Listen up. I’m just as lazy as the next person, but my family has a history of heart disease. If I walk to half of the places I go in town, I get a workout and I’m not wasting gas to go three blocks. I’m getting healthier without spending money. It’s a brilliant concept.

There are a ton of other things that all of us can do to help clean this planet up. One of my favorites is just planting trees. They provide shade to homes, and they just look nice in yards.

In short, this whole “going green” thing should not be a fad. It’s something all of us can do to help turn things around for the good of our planet.