It can be a bit overwhelming to think about all the things that you can do to make your life a bit greener. We’ve put together a list to help you consider some of the steps you can take to do your part for the planet. Keep in mind you don’t have to do everything, but this list can give you a great starting place. These tips are not only great for the planet, but many of them will put some extra green in your wallet as well!

Transportation:

• Biking or walking to work or school saves on average $1,560 a year. Plus you don’t put out any CO2 emissions from driving your car.
• Carpooling may be a bit tedious but you’ll save an average of $780 a year.
• Keep up the tune up. A poorly tuned car can lose 2% fuel economy.
• You aren’t Richard Petty, so don’t drive like him. Rapid acceleration burns through your gas and reduces your fuel economy by 5%

Recycling

• Learn about recycling in your community, and become an active recycler. Read about what other highly populated countries like the UK are doing to limit waste.
• Give your junk away. You can donate it, host a garage sale or even pay somebody to take it off your hands. Either way, keeping it out of landfills keeps things that aren’t decomposable out of the Earth
• When making a purchase, ask yourself if the item or the item’s container is recyclable. If it isn’t see if there is another brand you can buy that is.

Food

• It takes1.5 million barrels of oil to support America’s demand for bottled water. Using filtered tap water will not only save you money, but it is also a greener option than drinking from a bottle.
• By purchasing food in glass containers, and reusing those containers, you reduce your dependency on non-biodegradable plastics.

Water

• Visit your local waste water treatment facility and figure out how much water your city wastes on a daily basis. Then work to make others in your area more conscientious about how much water they use every day.
• Only wash when you have a full load, both clothes and dishes
• Washing your clothes in cold water saves 90% of the energy it takes to do a wash in hot water.
• Reduce your water heater temperature to 120° F. There is no need to have it any hotter than that.

Energy

• Learn how energy works. Once you know how it works you’ll be able to identify places in your life where you can back off your energy consumption
• Seal your house. Make sure that all your doors and windows are well sealed. This prevents air from coming and going on its own, reducing the amount you spend on heating or cooling your house.
• Wrap up in the winter and unwrap in the summer. Instead of adjusting the thermostat, put on more clothes or change into something lighter if you’re uncomfortable with your household temperature.
• Purchase low watt light bulbs. They work just as well as high watt ones do, only they don’t get nearly as hot and they don’t burn through as much energy.

Cleaning

• You can use household products like baking soda, soap and vinegar to make your own household cleaners. This helps keep the toxins in those cleaners out of the environment.
• Spot clean rather than washing an entire object. If you can get away with spot cleaning instead of mopping, save the water and the cleaning products and do it.