GIVE YOUR CAR A BREAK

      You may not be able to retire your car completely, but try to opt for public transportation, carpooling, walking, or biking when you can, and you'll save both money and carbon emissions.  For each gallon of gas you save, you keep 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the environment and nearly $2 in your pocket.

INFLATE YOUR TIRES 

     Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every pound drop in pressure of all four tires. So keep 'em pumped!

GET RID OF THE LEAD FOOT

      According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), quick acceleration and heavy braking reduce fuel economy by as much as 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent around town.  Give the lead foot a rest to improve your fuel efficiency and your passenger's ride.

STOP IDLING

      Although most of us grew up needing to let the car "warm up," any car built after 1990 doesn't need the warm-up, so go ahead and get a move on.

GO FOR DOUBLE-PANED WINDOWS

      According to the DOE, the typical U.S. family spends $1300.00 a year on home energy bills.  If your windows are letting air in or out, some of that money is being wasted, as is the energy it's paying for.  Double-paned windows are up to 40 percent more energy-efficient than standard windows, and could shave 10 percent to 25 percent off your heating or cooling bill, on top of saving five tons of carbon dioxide emissions per household per year.

CAULKING DOORS AND WINDOWS

      To improve insulation, seal up any leaks or gaps around doors and windows with caulking and weather stripping.

PLANT TREES

      On top of soaking up carbon dioxide, trees that surround your house can provide shading in the summertime, keeping your house cool and requiring less energy-intensive air conditioning.

SWAP YOUR A/C FOR A CEILING FAN

      Ceiling fans are remarkably effective in cooling and uses far less energy (or chemicals) than air conditioning.  If you still need a little A/C, consider running it on low, and using ceiling fans to effectively circulate the cool air.

GET YOUR DUCTS IN A ROW

      In addition to increasing your electricity bills and your carbon footprint, faulty duct work can cause serious, life-threatening carbon monoxide problems in the home.  Check your ducts for air leaks.  First, look for sections that should be joined but have separated, and then look for obvious holes.  If you use tape to seal your ducts, use mastic, butyl tape, foil tape, or other heat-approved tapes (look for tape with the Underwriters Laboratories logo).  Be sure a well-sealed vapor barrier exists on the outside of the insulation on cooling ducts to prevent moisture buildup.

BE REASONABLE WITH THE THERMOSTAT

      You don't have to be uncomfortable in your home to save energy or reduce emissions, but try to keep it as warm as you can stand it in the summer, and turn it down to 68 or below in the winter.

GET RID OF FOIL, PLASTIC WRAP, AND TUPPERWARE

      It's best to avoid plastic when possible.  Plastic is made from petroleum, just like gas, a resource we're running out of, and it's next to impossible to recycle.  It also tends to leech harmful chemicals into foods.  Opt instead for recycled foil, glass Pyrex containers, or wax paper.

TRY A MEATLESS MONDAY

      According to the New Dream Foundation, for every 1,000 people who cut out just one beef meal a week, we'd save over 70,000 pounds of grain, 70,000 pounds of topsoil, and 40 million gallons of water each year.

BRING YOUR BAG

      Both plastic and paper grocery bags are wasteful and unnecessary.  Bring your own cloth bag to the store if you can; if you forget, be sure to reuse or recycle the bags you get at the store.

REACH FOR ORGANIC COTTON

      If cotton is the fabric of our lives, then, according to the World Wildlife Fund, our lives are full of pesticides and degraded water.  Conventional cotton production is responsible for 25 percent of global insecticide use.  According to the Organic Trade Association, choosing one organic cotton T-shirt instead of a conventional cotton T-shirt keeps one-third of a pound of chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) out of the air, land, and water.

CHANGE YOUR BULBS

      Electricity is the largest source of U.S. carbon emissions, claiming about 38 percent of the responsibility.  A switch to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can reduce emissions and energy use drastically.  Keep in mind, CFLs still contain mercury; LEDs are really the best bet, but still hard to come by for certain light fixtures.

TURN OFF AND UNPLUG

      Research conducted by the DOE shows that in the average American home, 75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off.  Unplugging seldom used appliances could shave up to $10 off your monthly electricity bill.

REACH FOR THE ENERGY STARS

      There's an ENERGY STAR version of almost every appliance these days from a computer to a fridge.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn't just hand those stars out.  They really translate to energy savings, so if you need a fridge, a light bulb, or an air conditioner, opt for the ENERGY STAR version.  According to the EPA, by choosing their ENERGY STAR-qualified products, consumers can cut energy use by 30 percent, a savings of about $450 each year.

SWITCH TO SOLAR OR WIND POWER WITHOUT BUYING YOUR OWN SYSTEM

      According to the DOE, at least 50 percent of customers have the option to purchase renewable electricity from their power supplier.  Such power is sometimes referred to as "green power" or "clean power," and costs an average of $1.25 per month extra.  In California, numerous power companies offer green power; if yours doesn't, ask them to and start a petition.

SHOWER EFFICIENTLY

      You don't need to bring an egg timer into the shower with you, but try to be conscious about how much time, and water, you're spending in there.  Even a one to two minute reduction in shower time can save up to 700 gallons of water per month.

USE THE COLD WATER

      If your Shower takes awhile to heat up, catch the cold water in a bucket and use it to water your garden or lawn.

GO NATIVE

      Using native plants in landscaping helps to drastically cut down on water use.  Native plants are acclimated to the amount of water naturally present in your area, so you don't have to do much to help them grow.  Native plants in the yard can reduce residential water use by 20 to 50 percent.

RUN A FULL LOAD

      Waiting until you've got a full load of dishes or laundry before running you dishwasher or washing machine saves 300 to 800 gallons of water per month, according to the EPA's WaterSense® study.

SCRAPE, DON'T RINSE

      Scraping food off plates rather than rinsing them before putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher could save 25 gallons of water per load, according to the EPA.


GREEN PAINTS, MATERIALS, AND ACCESSORIES

      According to the California Air Resources Board, indoor air quality in the state is worse than outdoor air quality, thanks to the toxins in paint, wood finishes, carpet, adhesives, and solvents.  In fact, air quality in new and recently renovated homes can be up to 10 times more polluted than outdoor air quality.  To cut down on indoor toxins, opt for Green Seal certified paints and solvent-free adhesives.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

      Kids have been learning it for years, but it's an important mantra to remember at home.  Reducing your garbage by 25 percent reduces CO2 emissions by 1,000 pounds per year.  In addition to keeping waste out of landfills, recycling also saves energy.  EPA estimates that our current recycling efforts save 1.48 quadrillion BTUs (equivalent to 11.9 billion gallons of gas).

DISPLACE WATER

       Put a plastic bottle or a plastic bag weighted with pebbles and filled with water in your toilet tank.  Displacing water in this manner saves 5 to 10 gallons of water a day.  That's up to 300 gallons a month, even more for larger families.

SEAL YOUR HOUSE

      The energy and money invested in heating or cooling your home can be easily wasted by gaps here and cracks there.  Visit DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy site for a printable home energy audit, check your home for cracks, and have adequate installation installed.  In addition to lower energy bills, you could receive up to $500 in federal tax credits over a two-year period.

KEEP YOUR GARDEN GREEN

      It might surprise you to learn that homeowners actually use 10 times more pesticides and fertilizers per acre than farmers, on average; 67 million pounds of the stuff are applied on lawns each year.  Opt for native plants, safer pesticides, and compost for fertilizer instead.

SAY GOODBYE TO JUNK MAIL

      Bulk mail accounts for 5.2 million tons of waste each year.  Thats 100 million trees that could be removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere being cut down every year just to create junk mail in the U.S.  To stop junk mail from arriving at your door, sign up with the New American Dream (www.newdream.org) to be taken off junk mailers' list.

DITCH PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES

      Plastic water bottles and the harsh blow they've dealt to the environment have been widely publicized.  When you can, take water with you in a steel, aluminum, or recyxled glass bottle instead.