Happy Earth Day!

In honor of Earth Day, we thought we’d offer a few culturally minded ways to celebrate everyone’s favorite Mother Earth. 

1.  Diamonds are valued not only for their intrinsic beauty, but for the fundamental information locked within them. Research at the Carnegie Institution is illuminating the earth's history through diamonds.

2.  Spring has sprung, and green thumbs are getting grounded in sustainable gardens. The goal of sustainable gardening is to create a self-reliant growth system -- a process that is better for your wallet and gentler on the planet. Ready to dig in? Check out Chicago's Sustainable Backyards Program and Windy City Harvest to learn more.

3.  Refresh your spring wardrobe with sustainable designer clothing.  Shop Lucky Magazine's Best Eco Shops In America, including Chicago-based Frei Designs and Lara Miller.

4.  Watch A Fierce Green Fire, the latest installment of PBS’s American Masters series. This one-hour documentary explores 50 years of grassroots and global activism and connects the major causes of environmentalism, from conservation to climate change. Narrated by Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Ashley Judd, Van Jones and Isabel Allende, the film premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and has won worldwide acclaim.

5.  Kiehl’s Rare Earth Cleansing Masque has long term beauty benefits for you and Mother Earth. In honor of Earth Day, Kiehl's is donating 100 percent of the proceeds of this mask (up to $50,000) to the nonprofit Recycle Across America .

6.  Expand your world and travel the earth. Gili Lankanfushi Maldives recently made my travel bucket list. Set on a private island in a clear, turquoise lagoon, this 5-star resort is as serious about luxury as it is about eco-consciousness.