Many times, people who are passionate about a certain goal or ideal want to share their views with others. Individuals who have strong feelings about protecting the environment can share their enthusiasm through giving back.

Volunteerism is one of the ways to spread the message about environmental dangers and potential solutions. Here are some ideas for doing good in a green way:

- Start locally. Organize a few friends and start on a small scale, such as cleaning the streets of the neighborhood or petitioning for stronger penalties for the failure to recycle properly.

- Organize a weekly or monthly event. Beaches and waterways are areas that can quickly become fouled by trash and other debris. Water seems to be a collection point for items that wash into the system or are blown around. Schedule routine clean-up crews to clear rivers, streams and beaches of items that mar the beauty of these bodies of water.

- Hook up with an eco-friendly organization. Investigate the organizations that do their part toward protecting the environment. See if they accept volunteers to further their causes.

- Put your money where your heart is. Individuals who want to make a difference can donate funds to a specific cause. Or help solicit donations from other people to raise awareness and money.

- Educate the youth. Volunteer time at a child's school to promote a specific environmental cause. For example, children can collect the tops from milk containers or water bottles, which may not be recyclable in traditional operations, fouling up machinery. These caps can be sent to a special place for recycling.

- Organize a carpool. Get together with neighbors or coworkers to take turns driving the kids to school or adults to work.

- Host a street-wide tag sale. Encourage neighbors to pool their resources and have a weekend tag sale to get rid of unused items in a practical way. Everyone can make a little money while reducing the number of things that would end up in the trash. Whatever is left over at the end of the sale can be graciously donated to charity.