Going "green" seems to be the hot phrase these days.   Many people are spreading the word about protecting the planet by being environmentally friendly.     We think it's a good message.

Over the course of the next year we're going to bring you stories about the simple things we can all do to make a difference.

These days it seems everything is tinged green.   Schools are being built to specific environmental standards.   Weddings are being thrown with mother earth in mind.

And, reduce, reuse and recycle is really starting to mean something.

Anyone who works at a television station can tell you, putting on several newscasts a day takes a lot of paper.  We felt that if we were to deliver the green message, we should practice what we preach.   So, instead of tossing newspapers, scripts and press releases in the trash, they have a new home in the recycling bin.

Television stations do use a lot of paper, but we aren't alone.

Americans use 50 million tons of paper annually.

That's the equivalent of 850 million trees.

Conserving energy is also part of the process.  Here at News 8 Now and Fox Rochester we are replacing old light bulbs with new, energy efficient ones.   And at end of the day, computers should be shut-down, and lights switched off.  We think that if we all do the little things, we can make a big difference.

In the coming weeks we'll introduce you to a variety of green trends.

We'll talk about everything from eco-tourism to wind energy.

We'll also show you how to incorporate what's environmentally hot into your everyday life.