It seems to me that we have reached the point where we can no longer try to ignore our global environment problem. For me, it has really sunk in the past year. (I can thank NPR  for that!)

"Should I be driving a hybrid?  Am I recycling  enough? How can we avoid paper waste at the office? Am I doing everything I can to help?"

Well, I know I'm not. But with today being Earth Day , I feel inspired to find ways in which I can help.

One thing I'm happy to be doing already is working for a company that has been doing much to try to tackle this environment issue. Even from the early years of the company, and especially in the last 40 years, Wells Fargo has been dedicated to conservation and environmental efforts.

In the 1910s, reminder tags were hung in express offices asking staff to turn off lights when not in use to save electricity. In 1917, Wells Fargo General Supply Agent A.G. Brandenburg told fellow employees that "every Wells Fargo man can help check the American habit of wastefulness…by practicing economy in the use of supplies himself and by urging others to do so."

In more recent years, the company has taken many different actions: from converting hundreds of ATMs to paper-saving Envelope-Free^SM ATMs, to starting a "worm ranch" where worms not only help dispose of garbage, but also provide fertilizer through their waste.

This year marks the 38th anniversary of Earth Day, and I encourage you to make this the year you will start making a difference . It can be as simple as making sure those bottles and cans are getting recycled; or searching the web for local environmental activities in your community.

Whatever it is you do, keep in mind that every little bit helps.