(VNF) - Going green is easier than you think. There are little things you can do every day to help reduce greenhouse gases and make a less harmful impact on the environment wherever you are. Please look at some tips recommended by How stuff work and Real Simple.

Pay attention to how you use water

The little things can make a big difference. Every time you turn off the water while you're brushing your teeth, you're doing something good. Try drinking tap water instead of bottled water, so you aren't wasting all that packaging as well.

In addition, reduce the use of washing machine. Standard washing machines use 40 gallons of water per load. If your clothes don’t stink, don’t wash them―and save a load a week. If American households were more judicious about laundry, each year they would save enough water to fill more than 7 million swimming pools. When you do wash, put full loads (saving 3,400 gallons of water a year) in cold water.

Leave your car/motorbike at home

If you can stay off the road just two days a week, you'll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds (721 kilograms) per year. Instead, walk or cycle to work, school and anywhere you can.

You can reduce greenhouse gases while burning some calories and improving your health. If you can't walk or bike, use mass transit or carpool. Every car not on the road makes a difference.

If you drive, don’t idle.

Pausing somewhere? Shut down your engine: Idling for any length of time burns more gas than it takes to restart the car.

Meat production―especially in mass-produced beef―is extremely resource-intensive. It can take seven or more pounds of grain to produce one pound of beef, and livestock consumes 70 percent of America’s grain. Eat less of it and choose pasture-fed, sustainably raised beef whenever you can. If you alone gave it up once every seven days, you would save the 840 gallons of fresh water it takes to produce a single serving.

Reuse everything

Change your mind-set and think twice before throwing anything out. Resealable plastic bags that held carrots today can hold crayons tomorrow. Coffee-cup cardboard sleeves from this morning’s brew can be tucked in a purse pocket to be used again at 4 p.m.

Plug in a laptop, not a desktop

In the market for a new computer? A laptop uses about half the energy of its desktop counterpart. Choose a model with the federal government’s Energy Star rating and use 70 percent less energy than a noncertified model.

Curtail junk mail. It takes some legwork, but in the end, you’ll save trees, water, and emissions, too. If everyone in the United States reduced the junk mail he receives every week, 100 million trees would be spared each year. In US, people are recommended to go to optoutprescreen.com to stop receiving pre-approved credit card offers and sign up on catalogchoice.org to reduce the amount of unsolicited catalogs sent to users.

Clean up your dishwasher

Switch to a dishwashing powder that’s biodegradable and plant-based (try Ecover Ecological or Trader Joe’s powders). These cleansers cut through grime, but they do it without the bleach and phosphates that threaten river and marine life and leave chemical residue on your dishes.

Your last meal may have traveled 1,500 miles to get to your table. Find food near you. Green markets, farm stands, and conscientious supermarkets all offer locally grown produce. Buy it and you’ll conserve fuel, reduce pollution, and enjoy fresher food.

Bring your own bags to the market

In an average year, U.S. households use about 100 billion plastic bags, 99 percent of which are never recycled. Stash some canvas bags in your car or buy a pair of Acme Workhorse 1500 bags (reusablebags.com)./.

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