Going green is the talk of the town right now and articles are popping up everywhere with tips on how we can change our lives to save the planet. The problem I have with so many of these articles is that most of the suggestions are simply impractical for the majority of readers. I can’t ride my bike to work because I simply live too far away.

It is far too easy to make excuses why I can’t go green. I am admittedly not someone that focuses a lot of attention on my own habits regarding my effects on the planet–it is time to change that. I recently took a step back and thought about some of my own patterns of consumption and came up with my own ways to go green. Without further ado, here are some very easy ways I have made changes:

Turn Off Computer At Night

I used to leave my PC on all night or throughout the day while I was at work. It is embarrassing to even admit I was this wasteful but the change has been easy. My PC, even in sleep mode, was wasting a ton of power that is now being saved by simply turning the machine off when I go to bed.

Change The Thermostat To Appropriate Levels

My air conditioner is almost always on as a Florida resident. I would keep my thermostat set at around 74 degrees which made my house feel like an icebox to most. I have since raised the thermostat two degrees. My air conditioner runs far less with such a small change but my electric bill has dropped considerably! It did take a couple of weeks to get used to the new temperature but now it just feels normal. For those of you in a more seasonal climate–change your thermostat to two degrees warmer in the summer months and two degrees cooler in the winter months.

Bring Your Own Coffee Mug To Work

It hit me one day that my inexcusable waste came in the form of four empty Styrofoam cups each day in my office. I could have reused the same cup each day but that would still be a great deal of preventable waste. I now bring my own coffee mug to work with me and I’ve cut out my dependence on Styrofoam cups to zero.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Make Sense

I took a trip to the local Home Depot and replaced every light bulb in my home (and the one outside my front door) to CFL’s. These light bulbs are definitely not cheap but they last a lot longer than traditional bulbs. The electricity savings is phenomenal so although I’ve shelled out a good sum of cash for them, I should hopefully earn it back in the form of lower electric bills.

Sign Up To Receive Bills Online

This one is a no-brainer. Each month, all of my bills came in the postal mail and I’d open them and immediately pay them online. Why even have them come? Most of the companies I do business with offer electronic only billing. Now I receive an email letting me know that my bill is available online and I can follow the link to pay it. This is eliminating a lot of paper waste (and fuel from the delivery) and I find it more convenient anyhow.

Buy A Set Of Canvas Grocery Bags

“Paper or plastic? Neither?” I purchased a set of canvas grocery bags from a local store here and I carry them with me when I go grocery shopping. The great part about these bags is that they’re extremely durable and much easier to carry when full of groceries. If something spills, simply throw them in the washing machine next time you do laundry and you’re good-to-go.

Visit Your Local Farmer’s Market

I used to buy 100% of my fruits and vegetables from the local grocery store. Now I’ve found that there’s a great farmer’s market about five minutes from my home. I take a trip there a couple times a week for produce and the results are great. Everything tastes a lot better and I don’t have all of that packaging waste that comes along with grocery store produce. Not only that but the produce in your grocery store is shipped a long way and results in lots of excess fuel use. By supporting the local farmers, I help myself and the planet.

Lump Multiple Trips Together And Save

I really hate shopping for anything and as a result, I used to limit my trips to one or two stops. I have changed that to now make one big trip to all of the stores I need to visit at once. Instead of going to the grocery store one day, Home Depot the next and Target on a third day, I take a couple of hours and visit all three in the same trip. This has cut out a lot of fuel usage since I’m not going back and forth and it has also eliminated a lot of stress! I now get everything done quickly and have a lot of extra time for myself since I’m not spending it in the car!

Visit Your Local Library

I’m a self-admitted, recovering Barnes & Noble-aholic. I do a lot of reading and I used to buy most of my books. I now have switched to only using the public library. The best part is that our library allows me to go online and reserve a book. I can walk right in and my reading is waiting for me at the front counter. I’ve helped the planet by not creating all of that paper waste in the process. I may be harming authors a bit but I still feel good doing it!

Are you helping the planet? How are you accomplishing that?

I feel so much better about myself now that I’ve made these extremely small changes. I’m not a full-fledged Treehugger but these steps have helped both myself and the planet. I’d love to do more so if you have some additional changes that don’t require me to ride a bicycle 50 miles a week or swear off electricity then please share them in the comments section!