Unless you've denounced electricity altogether and no longer use the internet, you've probably already read many of the popular green living tips today -- turn off the water when you brush your teeth, turn down your thermostat, turn off the lights, recycle, etc. But did you know you can also take those green habits to work?

Canadian Living has a few tips to get you started:

• Use fair-trade and organic coffees, and drink them out of your own, washable cup.
• Use refillable pens made from recycled plastic and pencils from sustainably-harvested wood.
• Carry your own lunch and use reusable containers and silverware.
• Put a plant on your desk to improve your office's indoor air quality.
• Turn off your computer at lunch, during meetings, and definitely at the end of the day.
  
  

The next step, getting your boss encourage green habits office-wide!

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Exchanging your old, incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescents (CFLs) is probably one of the simplest things you can do to reduce your own personal consumption of energy. CFLs are readily available, reasonably priced, and newer versions have a much warmer light than the older-style CFLs. Some people worry about their safety, however, since the bulbs contain a small amount of mercury. As this article from Slate points out, we have little to fear from CFLs in our homes. If one does break, you simply need to follow a few simple steps.

But eventually, these long-lasting light bulbs will wear out, and tossing them into the trash just isn't a good idea, environmentally. Though the bulbs only contain about 1% of the mercury found in old-fashioned thermometers, over time, millions of light bulbs in landfills translates to too much mercury. Good recycling programs aren't in place yet (though I'm hopeful that they will be in the not-too-distant future), but until then, there are a few places you can go. You can search for a local CFL recycling program at Earth911, or you can take the bulbs to your local Ikea store. Finally, you can mail them to Recycle Pak.

It's a little extra effort, but your grandchildren's grandchildren will thank you!

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I'm a fan of Subway, as the veggie delight sandwich on wheat (no condiments or oils) makes for a great lunch without a ton of calories when you're out and about.

From an ecological standpoint, the sandwich chain looks to be testing recycling bins as well as using newer napkins, cutlery and plastic cups in an effort to cut down on waste as well as contributing to recycling efforts.

If every fast food restaurant would adopt a few simple principles like these, the resources saved would be huge. I do know that many chains already used napkins made from recycled papers, and this is good. It's time, though, to do more.

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If you're into environmental sustainability, you may be teaching those good habits to your kids (let's hope so). Using recycled paper at home for those coloring and writing projects and using the insides of cereal boxes for finger painting are only a few ways to bestow eco habits to the kids.

These actions may seem odd to your child at first, but it paves the way to giving an explanation why it is everyone's job to help conserve resources in an age when we're overusing many of them.

I mean, how hard is it to toss all glass, plastic and newspaper into a recycling bin? The point is that it is not hard, and you may be showing others how to really contribute to the health of the planet.

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A week ago, I told you about a study that showed that China and Australia were found to be the greenest countries in the world, based on how serious their citizens were about taking care of the environment, how many steps they took to reduce their carbon footprint and how much they supported green companies. It got me thinking about that last point -- supporting companies who support the environment.

Do you make a special effort to purchase goods or services from companies who you know have a good, solid, eco-friendly reputation? In most ways, I try to be good to the environment, but this is one regard where I am not doing so well.I often don't think much about the companies I give my money to, and I don't look into their environmental impact. I tend to go for places that are convenient, and now that I think of it, I'm a little mad at myself for doing so.

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Yeah, I know -- recycling may not appear to be related to the topic of fitness. But in reality, it is! Maintaining a healthy, fit lifestyle not only includes the physical being, but the emotional and mental one as well. Doing small parts to help the planet definitely falls into this venue.

Where I live, some of the smaller communities have no curbside recycling. In an age of many adults being overworked and having less time that ever before, trying to mount a recycling project that requires effort by those needing to recycle can fall flat on its face.

Enter a hybrid trash collection/recycling program. Talk to your local wasts disposal authorities and find out if adding a separate recycling program onto trash trucks would make sense. Then, the only effort to get consumers to recycle is to have a bin where plastic, paper and glass products can be collected. Encourage this and get involved with the city council if necessary. One by one and little by little, the difference can be made.

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I did a little investigative reporting the other morning while walking the hills in my neighborhood. It happened to be trash morning and black cans and blue and orange recycling bins lined the streets. Call me nosy, but I made it my business to peek in those bins -- they are open-topped bins so I only had to look in their direction, no actual snooping -- and check out just what my neighbors are consuming. It was an eye-opening experience.

My neighbors seem to be drinking many of their calories -- and sugar too. Coke, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, and hoards of wine and beer bottles overflowed from the bins. Also present were empty ice cream containers, sugary cereal boxes, kiddie snack packages, and more. I did come across an occasional healthy neighbor whose trash consisted mostly of empty water bottles but for the most part what I saw was junk.

The trash truck that collects this weekly waste boasts an inspiring statistic on its side -- something about how great amounts of recycling are saving great amounts of trees. Super! Until you consider that we are saving trees at the expense of our health. How about cutting down on the crappy food. Less recycling will occur as a result. And the trees will still come out victorious. So will we.

Yes, the truth is in the trash. What do your bins say about you?

If last week's Independence Day celebrations left you feeling patriotic, then consider this: What better way to show your love for your country than by preserving it for future generations? Check out this Global Warming Survival Guide from Time Magazine that offers 51 suggestions for saving the environment. Some are big -- building a "green" house, for instance -- and some are small, like hanging your clothes on a clothesline or changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Other great ideas include:

• recycling your fleece (visit Patagonia to find out how)
• turning off your computer when not in use
• planning a clothes swap with friends to avoid buying new
• letting employees work from home (or close to home) to reduce emissions
• paying your bills online to save paper and gas
• doing an energy audit on your home
• bringing your own bag to the supermarket (an oldie but still a goodie)

Sometimes environmental issues seem overwhelming, but I think that the Global Warming Survival Guide is proof that everyone has a contribution to make, even if it's as small as turning off your computer or tucking a canvas bag in your pocket before you go shopping.

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Thanks to Al Gore, we're all getting a little more aware of CO2 emissions and global warming. But here's another threat to our earth, and it comes from the garbage dump: Methane. Methane is produced by landfills, that place where most of your garbage is probably going. And methane in the atmosphere traps more heat than CO2 -- by a lot.

If we all took steps to reduce the amount of garbage our family produces -- by recycling, re-using, composting and buying products with environmentally-friendly packaging -- I think it would be a major step towards making this earth livable for future generations. Don't you agree?

Via Fitsugar.

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Whether the 37th anniversary of Earth Day has you planting trees, working in your garden, enjoying (finally!) the arrival of spring, or just having a quiet Sunday morning, here are some tips for making this year your "greenest" yet.

If you pick just one thing off this list to change in your own life, you'll be going a long way toward improving the health of the Earth and it's citizens. For instance, did you know that if every person in America replaced just 5 conventional light bulbs in their home with compact fluorescent bulbs, it would be like taking 8 million cars off the road? (Plus, you'll save money!) Turning off the tap while you brush your teeth, combining errands into one trip, and recycling your newspapers (or switching to reading them online) are all changes you can make that won't impact your life in a big way. If you're interested in bigger changes, however, you can always look into energy alternatives or research green vehicles.

Finally, take some time today to measure your carbon footprint. This one was a shocker for me. I like to think I make a decent effort to reduce my own carbon footprint, but even so, if everyone lived like I did we'd need 4.3 planet Earth's to support us! There are some things I can't change easily (size of my house, my car's gas mileage), but there are many that I can (eat less meat, eat more local foods). Take the quiz and see how you do! Finally, here's a fun way to keep track of your progress as you make green changes to your life.

Happy Earth Day!

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