Wrap your Water Heater

An electric blanket for your hot water heater can make a big difference at the end of the year.

Hot water heaters use a lot of energy and generate a lot of CO2. A blanket costs less than $18 and can cut your home's CO2 emissions by nearly 4 1/2 percent.

Change Your Filters

Changing the air filters in your heating and cooling systems regularly can cut 2 percent off of your CO2 output every year.

Plus, it can make a big difference during allergy season, and is just plain good for your safety as buildup can be a fire hazard.

Turn down that thermostat!

A great upgrade to any environmentally friendly home is a programmable thermostat.

Setting your thermostat to a little cooler in the winter and a little warmer in the summer, especially when you're not in the house, can make a big difference; 2 degrees can reduce a home's CO2 emissions by up to 9 percent over the course of the year.

Solar Power Your Garden

Outdoor solar lighting is one of the easiest, environmentally-friendly home products you can purchase when working on the landscaping. They are cheap (less than $20), don't burn electricity (which saves you money), and don't produce any CO2. On top of all of that, they come in a variety of styles, which makes them the best outdoor lighting option.

Beef. It's not what's for dinner.

I’ve always been an environmentally conscious gal. I was raised in a rural area, so I always had an appreciation for the plants and animals around me. My motivation for being environmentally friendly is purely selfish; I like this earth we live on. I'm sad when I see littered paths and the ever-constant condo construction sites. I want to share with you why it’s important to save the earth that sustains us. Kurt Vonnegut once said that humans are a disease on the earth. I think he’s right, but I also think it’s not too late for us to turn that around.

Beef. Just two pounds of beef is responsible for more greenhouse gasses than driving for three hours while leaving all of the lights on back at home. Seriously. Beef = bad. Greenhouse gasses from beef make up 18% of emissions, more than vehicles. And this is only counting the methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide released from the cow’s digestive system, not the raising and transporting of it. But, don't worry, you really don't have to cut beef out of your diet for good; cutting your consumption in half can greatly reduce the amount of emissions released. And when you are in the mood for red meat, try going organic. Organic beef raised on grass instead of concentrated food uses 40% less greenhouse grasses and 85% less energy. And when you’re in the mood for a burger, try something different and go vegetarian. Veggie burgers are really good and environmentally friendly. Plus they're better for you!