When it comes to making it a difference it’s hard to know where to start, but here are 50 quick ways to help the environment:

  1. Clean air filters associated with your air conditioning system so that no energy gets wasted.
  2. Lower your water heater’s temperature to 120 degrees.
  3. Try putting an insulated blanket on top of your water heater to keep it warm.
  4. If you’ll be gone from the house for long periods of time, shut off or turn down your water heater.
  5. Make sure that the refrigerator is set between 36 and 38 degrees and that the freezer is between 0 and 5.
  6. Try to avoid opening the door of an oven in use; this wastes valuable heat energy.
  7. Clean your dryer’s lint filter regularly to avoid wasted energy.
  8. Unplug appliances that you don’t use often. This is one of the most effective ways to help the environment.
  9. Try to replace your stove and oven cooking with microwave cooking wherever possible.

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10.  Set your washing machine to use warm water or, if possible, cold.

11.  When buying big appliances, check to see if they have a label on them that reads “Energy Star.”

12.  Switch to compact energy-saving fluorescent bulbs.

13.  Set your thermostat low; keep it in the high 60’s during winter and the high 70’s during summer.

14.  Make sure your home is insulated.

15.  Shut off equipment as you leave the workplace.

16.  Plant trees around your home—they provide both shade and oxygen. People often don’t think of this when considering ways to help the environment.

17.  Install energy efficient windows.

18.  Turn off lights when you leave the room.

19.  Turn off your thermostat if you will be gone for extended periods of time.

20.  Put outdoor lights on a timer.

21.  Find a producer of green electricity for your utilities.

22.  Find alternative house cleaning chemicals that don’t involve toxic elements.

23.  Avoid pest poisons; try traps.

24.  Invest in a lawn mower that runs on electricity.

25.  Use lawn clippings as fertilizer.

26.  Mulch your garden with wood chips.

27.  Use minimal fertilizer and try to eliminate pesticides.

28.  Water grass in the morning rather than later in the day. This seems like a strange way to help the environment, but it works.

29.  Create a habitat for local wildlife in your backyard. Birds are an easy place to start.

30.  Try renting large household appliances or borrowing them from neighbors (ladders, chainsaws, decorations.)

31.  Use leaves and reasonably-sized yard debris for compost.

32.  Make a habit of double-sided printing and copying; it saves trees.

33.  One of the best ways to help the environment is to make sure your paper is recycled; also try printing with less toxic soy inks.

34.  Use ceramic dishes instead of disposable paper or plastic.

35.  Investigate flex-time and telecommuting possibilities to cut down on fuel expenditures.

36.  Recycle your office’s printer cartridges.

37.  Avoid burning things that produce fumes or large amounts of exhaust.

38.  Burn old wood instead of green wood.

39.  Try experimenting with solar power to heat your home.

40.  Try using wood stoves built after 1990 (the emissions standards were raised that year.)

41.  Try walking, riding your bike, or joining a carpool whenever possible. This is healthy for your body and a great way to help the environment.

42.  Check your home for water leaks and try to fix them promptly in order to conserve wasted water.

43.  Limit your dishwashing and clothes-washing to full loads so that you don’t waste water.

44.  Install a shower head that has a low flow and try timing yourself in the shower; hot water is extremely energy-consuming.

45.  NEVER dump into storm drains; dilution is no solution to pollution.

46.  Buy in bulk and try to select products that have minimal amounts of packaging material. We discard 33% of all consumer goods in the form of packaging material.

47.  Maintenance and a little fixing will help you get more use out of what you already have instead of consuming.

48.  Shop with fabric bags each time you go to the store.

49.  Start using rechargeable batteries. Every time you recharge a battery instead of buying a new one, that’s one less battery that ends up in a landfill.

50.  Consider settling for used furniture. The market is saturated with perfectly good previously-owned furniture and it’s a great way to help the environment.