When it comes to creating a greener environment, even the smallest actions count. Who says you cannot contribute towards a greener environment? Here are 16 awesome tips to start with!

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1. Change your kitchen habits
   Use reusable containers for food storage instead of wrapping food in foil or plastic wrap. Use rags to wipe up spills instead of paper towels, and use biodegradable wax paper and bags.
2. Recharge your batteries
   Batteries contain heavy metals, such as mercury and cadmium, which have become a major source of contamination in dump sites. They either break apart and are released into the soil or are incinerated and the deadly heavy metals are released into the air. Therefore, use batteries which are rechargeable, or recycle alkaline batteries if you can. They can extract the mercury and cadmium for reuse.
3. Use eco-friendly shopping bags
   Plastic bags are not biodegradable as they do not decompose fully. The ink used in the printing of plastic bags is made up of cadmium, and is highly toxic when it is released. So if your purchase is small, don't take any bag. Alternatively, you can bring a cloth or jute bag when you do your shopping.
4. Clean up your beach
   Our oceans provide the earth with most of our oxygen, moisture, and weather patterns. To keep our oceans clean we have to start with our beaches. When you go to the beach, you can help by bringing a trash bag and spend a little while picking up litter, or you can join a beach clean-up crew.
5. Use low flush toilets
   Instead of flushing pure water down the toilet, you can use small plastic bottles filled with water or stones to displace the amount of water in toilets. This will cause it to be a "low-flush toilet," or you can use a displacement bag in your tank. Both save you 1-2 gallons per flush.
6. Use fluorescent lighting
   Using a fluorescent light bulb, which doesn't flicker or hum, is much more efficient than an incandescent bulb. They last longer and use 1/4 the amount of energy. A normal incandescent bulb lasts 750 hours but a fluorescent bulb will give off the same amount of light yet last for 7,500 to 10,000 hours with 1/3 of the wattage. Also within a fluorescent lightbulb's life time it will stop 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere, if it is substituted for the traditional bulb.
7. Pop goes the balloon
   You should never release helium balloons into the Air.  Each year, countless numbers of sea turtles and whales died from imbibing balloons, causing them to suffocate or starve to death due to the blockage of the stomach or air valves. Metallic balloons can cause power outages when they get caught in power lines.
8. Water on the go
   Buy a water bottle for yourself. Refill, use it, and carry it with you at all times, so you don’t have to waste money and plastic on a disposable water bottle when you’re thirsty.
9. Eat dolphin safe tuna... or don't eat tuna at all.
10. Precycle, recycle
    Make an effort to buy products with recyclable packaging or recycled contents. By purchasing these products, you are helping to conserve natural resources, and to protect the environment.
11. Shop for durable and long-lasting products
    For example, use a metal razor instead of disposables, or a metal roasting pan instead of a disposable one.
12. Start a recycling system at home
    Make recycling easy by putting recycle bins in the rooms where you use the products. If you open the mail in your living room, keep a box nearby where you can put junk mail. If you want to save vegetable and fruit clippings for a composting pile, keep them in a container under the sink.
13. Good car habits
    Carpool or walk to reduce carbon dioxide pollution in the air. Consider a hybrid car if you are planning to buy a new car.
14. Turn off the tap
    While you're lathering in the shower, brushing your teeth, rinsing the dishes, turn the water off. Don't turn the tap of your dishwasher or clothes washer on until you have a full load. Don't hose down your driveway , use a handy broom instead.
15. Don't buy overpackaged goods
    Not only are minimally-packaged premium no-name and bulk products more environmentally friendly without sacrificing quality, they're cheaper as well. Awkward bulky packages can be repackaged at home into smaller, re-sealable containers.
16. Know your car mechanics
    Keep your car tuned, tires inflated and don't fill the tank completely full. Take your car in regularly for maintenance. If you don't know how to properly check and maintain tire inflation (80% of drivers don't), go to a non-self-serve gas bar and have them show you once, and then do it yourself first fill-up every month.

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