1. Stop food waste.
Using food before it spoils, measuring carefully and saving leftovers can save you money and lessen your amount of trash. Even if you only save 25 grams per day (about the weight of a slice of bread), you can save twenty pounds of food annually. For a bigger impact compost. Composting keeps a lot of waste out of the landfill and gives you great soil for your garden.

2. Take off your shoes.
Take off your shoes as soon as you get in your house and you will keep a lot of dirt, bacteria and allergens out of your home. You won’t have to vacuum as much and everyone can breathe a little better. For a bigger impact ditch the carpet for natural hardwood (sustainably harvested of course) or a natural carpet, like wool.

3. Ditch the VOCs.
When painting choose low or no VOC paints. They are vegetable or milk based instead of petroleum. For a bigger impact make sure the dyes used in the paint are VOC free. A good choice is Freshaire Choice.

4. Clean your microwave.
Keeping your microwave clean helps maximize its energy so you use less electricity and save money and time. For a bigger impact, unplug your microwave when it’s not in use. Anything plugged in uses power even when turned off.

5. Chlorine is not good for your baby’s butt.
Chlorine is bad for us and the environment. If it’s toxic to adults do you really want it on the most sensitive part of your babies’ skin? Diapers contain chlorine, kind of scary right? Companies like Seventh Generation make chlorine free diapers. For a bigger impact, switch to cloth. Cloth diapers help stop diaper rash. Cloth diapers will end up saving you money and make a big impact on the environment. Right now disposable diapers cause roughly 2 billion tons of plastic, paper, urine and feces are dumped in landfills each year.

6. Don’t put pesticides on your pets.
When you use anything that kills fleas it contains pesticides. They rub off on you, your kids, and everything the pet touches. Cloves and eucalyptus oil rubbed on your dog will help repel fleas. You can also find natural repellants for your pet at most pet stores. For a bigger impact get your pet a collar made of a material like hemp. They are better for the environment and are easier on your pets.

7. Don’t burn petroleum candles.
Paraffin is a petroleum by-product and is what most candles are made of. Burning them puts soot in the air, which you then breathe. Switching to soy, veggie or beeswax candles will stop this problem. For a bigger impact buy candles scented with essential oils.

8. Kill the dust bunnies.
We all know dust bunnies are bad for allergies but did you know they are bad for the environment too? They often contain chemicals like phthalates, pesticides, and flame retardants. They get them from all the synthetic products in our homes. Reducing clutter, dust, and vacuuming with a HEPA filter vacuum once a week will help. For a bigger impact remove carpet to cut down even more on the dust bunnies and harmful chemicals.

9. Don’t brush with pesticides.
Did you know your toothpaste likely contains triclosan, which is a registered pesticide? Even if you rinse well you will ingest some. Next time you buy toothpaste read the label. For a bigger impact buy a natural toothpaste with no triclosan or sodium lauryl sulfate.

10. Buy plastic smart.
Find out what plastic your town recycles and try to only buy that kind of plastic. Plastic will have a number on it and that tells you how to recycle it. For a bigger impact ditch plastic all together and buy only metal and glass. Plastic is often harmful to our health and also uses a lot of petroleum.

If you want more tips on living green, check out Lisa’s blog Retro Housewife Goes Green.