Switch from traditional incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs (C.F.L.). If every American household replaced one regular light bulb with a C.F.L., the pollution reduction would be equivalent to removing one million cars from the road.

Made from polyethylene, plastic bags are not biodegradable and are making their way into our oceans and waterways. Invest in strong, re-usable bags, and avoid plastic bags whenever possible.

Glass takes more than one million years to decompose. Glass produced from recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20 percent and related water pollution by 50 percent. Go to earth911.org for local recycling information.

By skipping the wash before the wash, you can save up to 20 gallons of water per dish load. At one load a day, that’s 7,300 gallons over the course of the year.

By leaving the water running while you brush your teeth, you can waste 150 gallons of water per month- that’s 1,800 gallons a year! Turning the water off while you brush can save several gallons of water per minute.

Heating and cooling make up 50 to 70 percent of energy use in the average American home. Also, replace old windows and be sure to seal holes and cracks in your house with weather stripping or caulk.

If you turn your thermostat down by one degree, your heating costs will decrease by about 3 percent.

If you are careful when opening letters, you can use the envelopes again by simply putting a label over the original address. This saves money and trees, while reducing waste.

Ignore cookbooks! It is usually unnecessary to pre-heat your oven before cooking, except when baking bread or pastries. Just turn on the oven at the same time you put the dish in.