7. A WIN-WIN APPROACH TO EATING
by Tabitha Alterman, Associate Editor

The average American meal travels 1,500 to 2,500 miles before it is consumed. It's not hard to imagine how much it would cost us to make that trip, but when the supermarket is just a few blocks away it's easy to forget about the environmental costs of all that fuel consumption. Meanwhile, I've been witnessing an encouraging grass-roots movement: The number of farmer's markets in the United States has increased more than 900 percent since the 1970s. So what's happening? People are eating locally.

By purchasing food from as close to home as possible, you can help reduce America's addiction to oil while giving the environment a much-needed break. Plus, when farmers sell directly to consumers, they are able to keep all the profits. (Typically, only about 20 percent of the money we spend on food trickles down to the farmers who actually grow it.) To find food produced near you, check out Local Harvest and enter your ZIP code.

8. SAVE WITH COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS
by Heidi Hunt, Assistant Editor

Replacing your standard incandescent light bulbs with superefficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can decrease your overall home energy use and save you money in the long run. CFLs cost a little more upfront (prices start at about $3), but use a quarter of the electricity of comparable incandescents, and last up to 13 times longer.

Replacing a standard 75-watt incandescent 'long-life' bulb (which lasts about 1,500 hours) with an equally bright 20-watt CFL (which lasts about 12,000 hours) can save you more than $50 over the eight-year life of the CFL. If you replace just five standard light bulbs with CFLs, you could save more than $250. This is one simple thing you can do for yourself and the Earth. CFLs are available almost anywhere you find standard light bulbs.

9. CLEAN OUT THE CLOSET AND REDUCE LANDFILL WASTE
by Stephanie Lingafelter, Assistant Editor

Do you have a closet full of things you no longer want, or old furniture that needs a new home? Join The Freecycle Network and convert your junk into someone else's treasure. The Internet-based network is a grass-roots, nonprofit effort started in 2003 that helps people swap items locally as a way to reduce waste that would otherwise go to landfills. More than 2 million people worldwide participate in nearly 3,500 different communities. Membership is free ? all you need to join is a valid e-mail address. Visit