So you want to make a difference? You want to start “saving the earth?” But you might be confused, or intimidated by the scale of the problem. Well there are a lot of very simple things you can start doing to make a large difference. Not everyone will be able to do everything, but if you pick a few that you are able to do you will still be making a positive change.

Eat local: when you eat food that has been produced within 100 miles of where you live you dramatically cut down on the amount of oil that is used to get that food to your plate.

Eat organic: food made without oil based chemical fertilizer use less oil, if you can eat local and organic you will be doing the most good.

Drive slower: for every 5 miles per hour above 65 that you drive your car adds about 10 cents per gallon for gas. Avoid aggressive driving and quick starts and stops, by making a constant speed and driving sensibly, you could save as much as 50 cents a gallon.

Live close to where you work: less travel time = less oil used, if you live close enough you can also walk/ride your bike. Less travel time also equals less time spent sitting in traffic during the commute.

Walk/run/ride: many trips taken in a car are less than 5 miles, if its a nice day go take a walk, or a run, or ride your bike.

Carpool: meet some new friends, travel in the HOV lane, use less oil.

Take public transport: if you can ride that bus, take that train.

Buy a more fuel efficient car: trade in that huge SUV, for a sleek new hybrid, or a smaller car.

Vote: let our leaders know what you think about there plans for protecting our environment, vote against people that do not take global warming, and environmental issues seriously.

Change your lights: switching the light bulbs in your house from the old fashion incandescent, to the high tech CFL (compact fluorescent light bulb) can save you money and oil. CFL’s use 66% less energy and last 10 times longer. Replacing a 100-watt incandescent with a 32-watt CFL can save you at least 30$ in energy costs over the life of the bulb. They are also safer, burning at a tenth of the heat of an old fashion light.

Buy energy efficient products: when that old fridge gives up the ghost buy the most energy efficient one you can, even if it costs more, it will save you money in the long run and use less oil/coal/gas used to create that energy.

Install renewable energy systems: power your home with solar panels, wind turbines, solar thermal systems, or any other renewable energy system. A power source that does not use a fossil fuel, will be cheaper in the long run, and will not add to the problem of global warming. Support large scale renewable energy projects.

Turn your lights off: make sure you turn all the lights in your home off at night, save energy, and money.

Turn your thermostat down: a one or two degree downward turn in the winter will save you a lot of money, and a lot of energy.

Build green: create homes that use the natural power of the sun, and are best suited to include renewable energy systems. Use as much recycled materials in your home. Build a well insulated home to save money and energy on heating and cooling.

Volunteer: give some of your time back to the community. They will appreciate it, and you will feel great about doing it.

Reduce, and reuse, then if you have too, recycle: reducing is the best way to prevent waste, then reuse what you can not reduce, then as a final resort recycle anything you can not reduce or reuse. Save space, save energy, and save money.

Compost: most of the organic waste you throw away can be composted and used to help your lawn or garden grow green without using a lot of chemical fertilizer.

Fix that leak: leaky pipes cost money, and waste energy. Save both by fixing that leak. In the same way old leaky windows cost you a lot of money and energy on heating and cooling costs.

Find the vampire loads: a lot of your appliances use energy when they are “off” find out what ones they are and plug them into a plug strip, turning the plug strip off will keep the “energy vampires” from stealing your money and energy while you are not using that appliance.

These are but a few ways to help. You will not need to do them all at once, faze in change. Get in the habit of recycling before you try and start reducing. Carpool before you take the bus. Walk before run. When you have significantly reduced your personal impact on the world you will feel a lot better and the earth will be better off.