Changing the world might seem like a daunting task, but Julie Fisher-McGarry breaks it down in her book to 365 simple tasks. By tackling one a day, you can make the world a better place for yourself and the planet.

Julie begins in January, Awaking to the New Year suggesting low impact lifestyle changes such as January 4th, that you give yourself a purpose in life by calling elderly neighbor or single mom and see if they need anything, to smile, to be there for them; or volunteer at nursing home or animal shelter. On January 6th, she suggest you take the first step to better health by going for a brisk walk every morning. By the thirteenth of the month she is recommending you return to the library and return to reading, for free.

In February, Kindness Does Matter, Julie provides us with ideas for making Valentines Day special. By the 24th, she is educating us to the fact that more beef equals less trees. She says, “Over five million acres of South and Central American rainforest are cleared each year for cattle to graze on. The locals don’t eat this meat—it is exported to make the $1 hamburger and a cheap barbeque meal.” In March, Celebrate all Life she provides us with a way to celebrate a fat free Fat Tuesday with her Creole Mardi Gras Jambalaya recipe. On March 10th, she reminds us to take care of ourselves at work. To take our lunch, eat healthy food and go for a walk; taking a moment to look up the sky, down at the grass and flowers, relaxing our shoulders and our mind.

In April, Nature Renewed, Julie reminds us it is National Soybean Month, and provides us with lots of tips for incorporating healthy soy into our diet. She reminds us on April 10th, to be conscientious when comes to safety, leaving a note for the sitter as to where the fire extinguisher is, to have a flashlight and first kit handy, and to make sure your sitter knows CPR. On April 12th, she suggests we replace our cleaning products with earth friendly cleaning products before beginning our spring cleaning. On the sixteenth, she suggests a garden to grow our own salad. I can taste those tomatoes now. In May Myself in Nature, she suggests a butterfly garden and on the twenty-seventh she educates us to the preciousness of water. She says that, “One cup of water cost five times as much in a Nairobi slum as in an American city…Three gallons of water weighs 25 pounds. Women in Africa and Asia carry, on average, carry this amount of water over four miles each and every day…6,000 children each day die from unsafe water and sanitation: that is the equivalent of twenty jumbo jets filled with children crashing everyday.”

In June Love is in the Little Things, Julie informs us it is the ASCPA’s Adopt a Shelter Cat Month and educates us as to what we need to know before we adopt a cat. On the tenth, she suggests we introduce nature’s pest control to our gardens with ladybugs. On June 25th, she suggests you contact the Surfrider foundation for their brochure on 20 ways to cleaner oceans and beaches. In July Summers Inspiration, she reminds us to buy food in season and grown locally, better for ourselves and better for the environment. On the fifteenth, she provides us with a healthy treat, her recipe for Italian dipping oil. In August Go Where Your Heart Draws You, she educates us on habitat destruction. September Honor and Respect the Creatures, she introduces us to a health drink, tisane, a brew of herbs, spices, fruits and flowers, but contain no tea. These healthful concoctions are derived from old medicinal remedies, but are also healthful refreshing drinks.

In October Harmonious Balance, Julie reminds us, it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and provides many tips for staying healthy, including the health benefits of eating pumpkin. In November Appreciation she reminds us to take a nap. She educates us on where our coffee comes from and explains how the Fair Trade Network assures farmers receive a fair price for their product. On the 27th of November, she reminds us to turn off the TV and turn back on our brains. In December Peace and Reflection she reminds us it is World’s AIDS Day, and what we can do to do our part. On December 9th she lets us know it is Human Right Day and what we can do to end violence in the world. On December 19th and 20th, she suggests that we have a less consumer Christmas and remember that donating is good Karma. She ends the year by reminding us that today is the first day of the rest of your life.

With it years worth of recipes, tips and ideas for caring for yourself, for others, and for the world we live in; you will find yourself picking up this book everyday. Following Julie’s easy advice, by the year you will live in a better world. Julie Fisher-McGarry’s book, Be The change You Want to See in The World, is a book I will be keeping on my desk throughout the year.