1. Recycle: aluminum and steel cans, glass jars and bottles, plastics labeled #1or #2, corrugated and unwaxed cardboard, paper, including newspaper, junk mail, catalogs, magazines, and out-of-date phone books.

2. Remove: your name from mailing lists that generate unwanted mail.

3. Reduce: the amount of trash you discard by avoiding products with excessive amounts of packaging, including individual servings of foods.

4. Reuse: use cloth tote bags for groceries (not paper or plastic), insulated lunch bags, jars with lids for rice or other dried peas or beans bought in bulk—use your imagination!

5. Buy local (and organic): when produce and meat are shipped long distances you, the amount of energy used is huge. Support local farmers, and encourage them to “grow organic.”

6. Shed new light: on everything in your home. Buy fluorescent bulbs that use less energy and last many times longer than old incandescent bulbs. New shapes and warmer light make fluorescent lighting have made these bulbs a pleasure to use, and your electric bill will shrink!

7. Plant a tree, or two, or three: deciduous trees planted on the sunny sides of your house offer shade in the summer, but shed their leaves so the sun can provide warmth during colder seasons. An added benefit—trees utilize carbon dioxide and add oxygen to the air!

8. Plug the gaps: around the windows, under outside doors—anywhere that drafts get in and heat and cool escape. Weather stripping and extra insulation in your attic and around hot water pipes can shrink your energy use and bills.

9. Think big, buy small: smaller houses and vehicles take less energy to maintain. When you need a new car, consider a fuel-efficient hybrid; when you need new appliances, look for “Energy Star” on the label. You won’t be giving up safety, comfort, or quality.

10. On the sunny side: dry clothes outside (or inside) on a clothes line. You will have the benefits of a natural bleaching agent (the sun), no energy use (except your own), and in the winter, a little extra moisture in the air to keep your skin in better condition.

11. Green clean: use baking soda or vinegar as household cleaners, and when you buy commercial soaps, get concentrated varieties so there is less packaging waste.

12. Buy recycled: paper towels, toilet paper, computer paper, especially those that are unbleached and have post-consumer waste content. Or be really radical and use cloth napkins and cloths instead of paper.

13. Unplug yourself: unplug electronics when not in use, including computers, printers, DVD players, and cell phone chargers—at work and at home.

14. Get poison off the menu (and out of your house): don’t use pesticides on your lawn, use low-VOC paint, and take hazardous waste to a recycling center that can dispose of it safely.

15. Buy less: get a library card, swap for what you need through eBay.com, craigslist.org, freecycle.org, and paperbackswap.com.

16. Don’t be a drip: upgrade your toilet and showerhead to low-flush and low-flow models; fix leaky faucets, take shorter showers, and don’t let the faucet run when you brush your teeth or wash dishes.

17. Take the bus: or the train or share rides with friends and co-workers.

18. Become a champ: walk or bike to work, use a push (reel) mower, plant a garden or work with a local farmer to share the harvest, skip the elevator and take the stairs.

19. Home economics: wash clothes in cold water, cover pots on the stove to conserve energy, and turn off the drying cycle on the dishwasher.

20. Stay in tune: tune up your car, drive 60 mph or less, unload your trunk, and check the air pressure in your tires to minimize gasoline use.