1. Bring Your Own Bags

One of the best ways to go green is to bring your own bags to the supermarket, instead of opting for plastic or paper bags. If you’re like me, you’ve probably got way too many plastic grocery bags you don’t even use. Bring your own bags each trip and automatically become a bit more eco-friendly!

2. Reuse Your Bags

If you forget to bring your own bags to the store, at least reuse the ones that the supermarket gives you. You can reuse plastic bags to line trash cans in a pinch, or even donate them to a food pantry that might be able to use them to hand out canned foods to people.

3. Stop Burning Candles

Candles might seem like a better green choice in exchange for lightbulbs, but candles emit certain toxic chemicals into the air that are actually quite harmful. Instead, opt for energy efficient light bulbs, which may cost more but last longer.

4. Drink More Water

By just drinking more water you naturally reduce waste since you won’t be throwing away cartons or beverage containers from other beverage choices. Even if you just opt to drink your water from a filtered pitcher at home, it’s better than buying bottled waters or soda. Remember, doing what you can, when you can is what counts!

5. Say No to Styrofoam

Many restaurants still use Styrofoam products for their beverages, and it’s one of the only non-biodegradable products still used today. Be sure you ask for a plastic or glass containers to reduce waste even when out in public.

6. Use Cloth Napkins

Rather than buying paper napkins, use cloth instead! I like them better anyway since they’re larger, absorb liquids better, and they’re simple enough to clean in your washing machine.

7. Use Hand Towels

Get rid of the paper towels at your sinks and use hand towels instead. This is a really easy trick we can all take advantage of, and they’re a bit more decorative as another advantage as well!

8. Turn off the Water

When you brush your teeth or wash your face, try turning off the water when you're not using it to run your toothbrush or wash cloth under it. This will help reduce water waste dramatically, which helps out the environment and your wallet!

9. Turn off the Lights

It’s easy to leave the lamps or overhead lights on in a room, then walk out and forget about them. Make it a rule to turn them off each time you leave a room. This will immediately cut down on electricity and your bill in one easy step.

Going green really isn’t about buying a hybrid car or composting all your food. Sure those things are great if you can do them, but when it comes down to it, the simple day-to-day stuff is really what counts. Do you have a trick to go green?