One of the most important ways we can invest in creating a less polluted planet, or a clean external environment, is by cleaning up our internal environments. Once we ourselves reach a level of “purity” for lack of a better word ;) we will be much more sensitive both on the chemical, physical, and psychological level of the pollution in our air, the chemicals added to our foods, and the general disregard for the planet all around us.

For this journey of self-awareness I have several suggestions -- for starters the basic elimination cleanse:

Drop alcohol and coffee off your shopping list. Leave sodas and sugar drinks at the store. Lower/cut out dairy and increase you intake of fresh organic veggies, quinoa (high in calcium and protein) and distilled water.

Try it for a week.

If you feel your body needs to “step it up a notch” use my latest personal experiment the "Arise and Shine" full fledged, full-body cleanse.

See: http://www.ariseandshine.com/

This cleanse offers a combination of high fiber and bentonite (clay) to flush and absorb (and vice versa) toxins from the bodies intestinal tract as well as and array of herbal cleansers taken three times daily to help work through the bodies organ systems with a natural fine tooth comb. After meals, to keep your intestines in balance, they offer a pro-biotic dietary supplement so that your system is not left missing its helpful digesters.

Weeks after my first attempt at this rather intense cleanse had ended, I continued to feel its positive affects working on energetic, and emotional levels, including my basic physical digestive system. A deep deep cleanse indeed. To note I had only made it through 5 of the 7 day cleanse, while many of my colleague who were also on this cleanse (I worked at the Chopra Center in NYC at the time) were going full fledged 30 + day programs which involved much stricter dietary changes leading to a week of fasting essentially.

I must say that working in the world of alternative health for these years has proven to me that not only your external environment planetwise or your internal environment healthwise but your work environment truly affect you health. It pays to feel happy and comfortable at work. The more centered we are . . . the more aware we can be and the better we can be at assessing when and where we have contributed to pollution (verbally, physically, chemically) and when we have cleaned up the mess through our sensitive planning, speaking, and listening etc.

Let’s all work on calmly cleaning our world of that which damages life itself.

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Hannah Kent is a blogger for Shift