In honor of Earth Day 2021, we offer these easy ways to help the environment. Pick one or tap into your ambition and consider trying all 30!

1.) Use energy-efficient window treatments. Window awnings can reduce solar heat gain in the summer by up to 65% on south-facing windows, and 77% on west-facing windows.

2.) If feasible, challenge yourself by choosing one day to week to bike to work.

3.) When showering, turn off the water when applying body wash and shampoo. Put a bucket under the faucet to collect greywater and use it to water your lawn or plants.

4.) Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store to reduce plastic use.

5.) Embrace Meatless Monday.

6.) Collect rainwater and use it to water your plants.

7.) Find a buddy and carpool when possible. Not only will it reduce your commuting costs, but it will also reduce your carbon footprint

8.) Food scraps can be turned into compost, which can be used in gardens and landscaping.

9.) Reduce, reuse and recycle.

10.) When cleaning your home, opt for organic cleaning products.

11.) To save on energy costs, invest in LED lightbulbs and low-flow shower-heads.

12.) Buy organic products to reduce consumption of harmful hormones and pesticides.

13.) Opt for glass water bottles. Glass is made from naturally abundant materials—particularly sand—and won’t degrade over time.

14.) Craft creatively. Turn your empty wine bottles and beer bottles into flower vases.

15.) Turn off and unplug small electronics when you aren’t using them to save energy. Don’t forget to turn off the lights, too!

16.) Participate in planting a tree on Earth Day or Arbor Day (held April 30, 2021).

17.) Try following a fast food-less Friday: Instead of eating out at a fast-food joint, eat at home and avoid processed food.

18.) Become a locavore: Eat local foods and grow your own garden, or challenge yourself to eat food only from within a 100-mile radius of where you live.

19.) Set up your house to collect rainwater—use rainwater to water your garden, plants, etc. (TIP: Pick a weekend to make it a fun project with your kids!)

20.) Hang a bird feeder in your yard.

21.) Don’t just throw out extra medicine. Bring it to a medicine recycling event or a collection site. This keeps the medication from entering the water supply and lowers plastic waste.

22.) Skip the plastic water bottle. Six out of seven plastic bottles consumed in the U.S. are downcycled and can leach into watersheds and soil. Instead, invest in a water pitcher and reusable bottle.

23.) Make your own bird or butterfly garden.

24.) Switch to bamboo toilet paper: By switching to bamboo, you reduce deforestation, as bamboo regenerates faster than trees and also requires less water to grow.

25.) Have your children plant seeds in cups or containers indoors. Let them make it their task to take care of the plants. You can keep them inside or transfer the plants outside when they are mature enough.

26.) Go paperless! Much of the mail we receive can be avoided by choosing e-delivery.

27.) Wash your laundry with cold water rather than hot—it saves energy.

28.) Use cloth napkins instead of paper to reduce the paper waste on Earth Day and beyond.

29.) Buy in bulk to avoid single-use containers. You can transfer the bulk items into containers or bins at home (pasta, rice, beans, etc.).

30.) Use reusable silicone bags rather than single-use plastic bags for storage.

Keep up with all of Green Living‘s original content online and on social media.