By now, you’re well aware of global warming and the other environmental challenges we’re facing. So how can you help? Here are 20 easy lifestyle changes that will put a little more green in your life and build your family’s awareness about our planet:

Around the house:
1. Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). If every family in America changed just five of their most frequently used lamps, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by one trillion pounds.
2. Conserve energy by turning the lights out when you leave a room. Kids love this job and will become wonderfully tenacious about this responsibility.
3. Turns out your “no shoes in the house” rule is pretty green. In addition to dirt, shoes carry in pollutants – pesticides from lawns, plant allergens, lead from paint – that become part of the dust in your house. Place a doormat at every entryway, wipe off your shoes then kick ‘em off!
4. Take old magazines to a nursing home or doctor’s office where someone else can enjoy them. Or, consider donating them to your child’s school. Many classrooms can use them for collage art and other fun learning activities.
5. Make your own, less toxic cleaners using baking soda, soap and vinegar. These green alternatives mean fewer chemicals to pollute our waterways – and your lungs! 

In the kitchen:
6. Run your dishwasher only when full and don’t waste water by pre-washing dishes. Most dishwashers today are strong enough even for the not-so-clean plates.
7. Swap out your paper coffee filters in favor of reusable cone or basket filters.
8. Up the chic factor at your dinner table by using cloth napkins instead of paper.
9. Clean with reusable cloths rather than paper towels. Your hubby’s old T-shirt works great for dusting!
10. Beware the baggies! Purchase reusable containers for food storage, picnics and school lunches. And while you’re at it, try out a reusable thermos instead of reaching for that drink box or plastic water bottle.
11. Try to eat foods grown or produced within a 100-mile radius of your home. On average, a typical American dinner
has traveled 1,500 miles to reach your plate. Considering the fuel consumed and greenhouse emissions that result from that travel, eating locally is a much better choice!

In the bathroom:
12. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and shaving.
13. Collect “warm up” water from your kids’ bath and use on outdoor plants.
14. Assign one of your kids to be the “shower timer.” Limit each family member to five minutes to cut back on water usage.

In the garden:
15. Plant a tree together – a great family activity to honor birthdays! And just one tree can offset up to 1.33 tons of carbon dioxide over its life cycle.
16. Start composting. Turn your vegetable trimmings and other food scraps into valuable organic fertilizer.
17. Collect rainwater and reuse on indoor plants and flower beds instead of using the hose, which can lead to wasteful watering.

In the home office:
18. Print on both sides of the paper and print only what you absolutely need. Recycle what you have printed. Your kids can use the opposite side to create their masterpieces. Or, you can cut these sheets and use them for all your teacher notes.
19. If you’ve upgraded a PC, monitor, keyboard, etc. and don’t know what to do with this type of “technotrash,” check out greendisk.com for your disposal needs.
20. Shop and pay bills online as much as possible. You’ll save time, postage, paper and gas.


New life for old shoes  
Every year, millions of pairs of athletic shoes are thrown away, clogging landfills and wasting lots of good material. Now, thanks to a few eco-conscious companies, there are some green alternatives to ensure that our shoes live on and on: 

RecycledRunners.com
Whether your shoes are given to the less fortunate in town or to runners on the East Coast, these folks will find a new home for them.

Nike Reuse-a-Shoe
Worn-out athletic shoes are collected, processed and recycled into material used in sports surfaces, such as basketball and tennis courts, and playgrounds for kids. Nike has recycled more than 21 million pairs of athletic shoes. Check it out at letmeplay.com.


Solution of the month: a green Halloween
If the idea of making your Halloween environmentally friendly seems too overwhelming, try these simple ideas:
> Remember the pillowcases you used as a child for trick-or-treating? Let your kids use them or your reusable grocery totes, and you’ll be keeping the plastic pumpkin patch out of business.
> Check out the recycling pile for creative costumes. Old boxes, toilet paper tubes and other scraps can make a great robot or knight.
> If you’re planning a party, send your invitation electronically and save the postage, paper and gas spent on delivery.
> Buy your pumpkin and party foods (apples, cider, squash) at the local farmer’s market or pumpkin patch.
> Turn out the lights and read ghost stories by candlelight or use LED lights.
> Nothing is worse than a slumping pumpkin. Compost any organic waste, including your jack-o-lantern shell, pumpkin seeds and fall leaves.


Raising earth-friendly kids
Kids are absorbing everything going on around them, so if they’re watching you separate plastics, papers and glass each week, they’re starting to wonder why you’re doing it. Here are some helpful ways you can continue to build awareness at home:
> Check the library for books that teach about global warming in a fun and engaging way, like “The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming,” by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon. 
> Use current events as a springboard to discussions. When the news reports on gas prices, talk about what this means to your family.
> Put big ideas into kid terms. If your son runs to watch the garbage and recycling trucks each week, talk to him about what it means to throw things away, where that garbage is going and why we should recycle.
> Buy only what you need. For staples like soap and toilet paper, buy in bulk to avoid excess packaging.
> Walk the walk. Set an example for your kids. Turn out lights when you exit a room, carpool, bring your own bags to the market, etc. Your kids will copy your good habits, and soon it will be second nature!  n

Maria Bailey is a contributing writer and author of the best-selling book “Trillion-Dollar Moms.”