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We need to air a little dirty laundry here: Conventional washing and drying of clothes are two of the least eco-friendly activities in most households. Thankfully, however, laundry is a very easy area in which to reduce our environmental impact and at the same time lower our energy costs. If you take the following tips to heart, both the Earth and your pocketbook will thank you. Read on...

Since the first plastic bottle was recycled in 1977, the United States has steadily grown local access to recycling programs. To make it easier to recycle the maximum amount of plastics, in 1988 the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) classified the different types into seven numbered groups. The code numbers tell you which are readily recyclable in your area and what they will be recycled into.

Currently, 80% of American households have access to recycling programs, but most are unaware of which plastics their localities recycle. Three-quarters of the programs accept type #1 and #2 plastics, which account for 96% of all plastics recycled. Types 3 through 7 are not regularly accepted. You can find out which are recycled in your area by searching the Earth911 database. Read on…

If excessive consumerism goes down in history as a disease, you can bet our habit of getting rid of computers we've had for only two years or so will be considered a fairly vile symptom. All around the world landfills are overflowing with fully functional computers we've prematurely trashed. There's even an anti-environmental, underground economy of e-waste that sends our junked computers to the third world for disposal. Thankfully all of this is avoidable. Here's how to give your device a long life—and an Earth-friendly afterlife. Read on…

The sun is the source of 99.98% of all energy on Earth. Even the power in fossil fuels is just solar energy stored over the course of eons. Unfortunately, fossil fuels are costly to extract, cause global warming when burned and take the Earth millions of years to replace.

A better solution is to tap the energy in sunlight just as it reaches the Earth. Even without solar panels (which put a strain on our environment, though less so than fossil fuels), you can supply the lion’s share of your lighting and heating needs this way. Through thoughtful building design or retrofit, based on techniques known as daylighting and passive solar heating, it’s easy to save money and reduce your carbon footprint by leveraging the abundant, easily accessible and free solar energy flooding the planet daily. Read on…

By carefully selecting windows and window coverings, homeowners can minimize energy use, thus reducing both utility bills and CO₂ emissions, the prime cause of global warming. We all know to look for Energy Star labels and high efficiency ratings, but interpreting the numbers on these labels and determining which are best for our climate can be confusing. And there are myriad window-covering options—from awnings and draperies to shutters, blinds and shades. This guide should help. Read on…