By now we all know by what's meant by the term "going green." It means becoming conscious of what we're outwardly doing to clean up the air and the environment, and to otherwise honor planet Earth. It means making a conscious effort to support sustainable energy that will meet the needs of future generations. Going green is all about outer action.

But it's also about inner action. What we do inwardly not only affects our own spirit but the spirit of all living things including other human beings, plants, animals, and the Earth herself. Our inner life is our spiritual life. It is how we think, feel and believe. If everything is energy, then why wouldn't the energy of our attitudes, intentions and beliefs enhance our outer efforts at making this world a better place? Why wouldn't love and compassion have an effect upon our behavior and the actions we take?

To me, going green spiritually means cleaning up our inner environment. Throw out the garbage of fear! Deposit resentment and anger in the recycle bin of forgiveness! Trash the gossip, clean up the sarcasm, and stop making bad investments in critical judgment! Going green spiritually means to generate sustainable energy from inside our hearts and minds so that we restore unity of purpose and compassion for each other as well as the earth. It means constantly recycling gestures of love, cultivating soul-ar power to energize our motives, and coming to know what sustainable inner peace feels like.

The condition of our world and environment today is the result of mindless materialism, selfish motives, empty greed, ignorance – all of which start on the inside. When we stop generating inner poisons that pollute our thinking, feelings, beliefs and actions, we will stop interfering with the attainment and sustainability of a constructive, life-supporting, ecological balance. And we will live as healthy, happy human beings in a world at peace. Could it be that the cosmic 2 x 4 now beating us over the head with the threat of self-destruction is telling us that we've been doing it backwards – not only with respect to our outer world – but with respect to our very spirit and soul?

May the rest of your summer be spent noticing the goodness inside you, and inside everyone you meet. May you be mindful of every thought you think, feeling you feel, belief you sustain and action you take. May we all radiate a renewable, sustainable energy from inside ourselves that moves through our every choice and blesses the Earth. Thank you for joining me in going green spiritually.