One of the best things you can do for the planet, your pocketbook and your self is also one of the easiest. Walk. According to a recent piece by The You Docs, if everyone in the Canada and the US walked an hour a day instead of driving that distance, our oil consumption would be cut by 38%! That’s more than what’s pouring into the Gulf right now by a long shot. To sweeten the deal, you’d save all that gas money, and burn enough calories to take off 26 pounds a year. Not to mention better cardiovascular health, and reduced blood pressure, less chance of arthritis, cancer and other ailments.

If we all walked more, we’d also cut our health care costs, and could invest that in renewable energy or education. If the cost savings were used to eliminate waste carbon, we could cut waste CO2 emissions by up to 35%.

Other things to reduce your costs, your planetary footprint and boost your health include using natural home cleaning products- like baking soda and vinegar instead of harsh chemicals, drinking tap water, and hanging the dry cleaning you just have to do outside before bringing it into your home.

All that fitness may extend your time on the planet, so make sure your life is a green one. 30 minutes of exercise daily gets you about 9 more quality years on average. A fit guy in his 50s (like me, ladies) is twice as likely to celebrate an 85th birthday as a couch potato. And if time is an issue, try having walking meetings instead sit down ones, mop or sweep your floor with some passion, hoe the garden or mow the grass with vigor and use a reel type mower to save the fresh air and sweet sound of the outdoors while you break a sweat.

People used to be in better shape because they worked their bodies more. What creative (and legal) ways can you discover to use your body to save money and the planet?