Reach for the Stars

Energy Star appliances use less energy, save you money and help protect the environment. Available products range from programmable thermostats to cordless phones. To give an example, Energy Star washing machines use 50% less energy and could reduce your utility bills by over $100 a year.

Choose Organics

Studies show that organic produce actually tastes better, but there are other reasons for it as well. If all Americans would buy just 10% organic foods, 98 million daily servings of drinking water would be free of pesticides, 20 million daily servings of milk would be produced without antibiotics and growth hormones, 53 million servings of fruits and vegetables would be free of synthetic pesticide resides (that's enough for 10 million kids to get their five-a-day) and it would eliminate the need for almost 3 billion barrels of imported oil annually (that's equal to 406,000 Olympic swimming pools).

Conserve Water, so its not H2O-No

Here's permission to skip the pre-rinse when loading your dishwasher. It can waste 20 gallons per load and according to Consumer Reports, it doesn't help.

And given that the typical American household uses 350 gallons of water a day, every little bit helps. Take quick showers, fix leaky faucets and shut off the water while you brush your teeth. That alone can save almost 2000 gallons a year.

Avoid the Phantom Draw

This is an easy one. You can reduce your consumption of electrical energy by simply unplugging electronics when they're not in use. Phone chargers draw energy all day long when they're left plugged into the wall, and electronics can use 40% of their regular running energy when plugged in on standby.

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