Ask ten people what living green means, and you’re likely to get ten different answers. It’s conserving water and using renewable energy sources. Yes, and there’s recycling and buying local foods. Composting and bringing your own bags to the grocery store count, too. Each of these actions is part of an earth-friendly lifestyle.

Overall, it involves having and cultivating an interest in living an efficient, low-impact life, and developing the habits and awareness that support such a pursuit. Eco-friendly living isn’t complicated, technical, or particularly glamorous; indeed, one of the biggest impacts anyone can make is simply by consuming and utilizing less.

But taking that on in one fell swoop is, in most cases, unrealistic. It’s important to keep in mind, every effort counts. So, where do you start?

“The biggest mistake people make is leaping in too far,” says Lauren Siegel, executive director of Nevada EcoNet. “They Google ‘green living’ and find so much information. That can be really overwhelming.”

Siegel says the best way to begin leading an earth-friendly lifestyle is to start small. Make one change to your daily life, like bringing your own cup to the neighborhood coffee shop or getting a reusable water bottle.

“Once that becomes a habit,” she says, “try adding something else.”

Even little changes will add up, both for the environment and your wallet.

Something as minor as shutting down your computer at night will save you an average of ninety dollars a year on your electric bill. Even better, it’ll cut down on the amount of carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere to keep a machine on that’s not even in use. According to the United States Department of Energy, other electronics, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances, also continue to consume electricity even when they’re not in use. In the average home, twenty-five percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. So buy a few power strips and shut down completely at the end of the day, and remember to remove your cell phone, digital camera, and mp3 player chargers from outlets when they aren’t in use. See how easy that is?

“Green living is most often a win-win for both the earth and people,” says Andy Solberg, a local mechanical engineer who converted his home to use renewable energy sources. “If people understand the benefits of their actions, they’ll act.”

A big key to living a greener lifestyle is simple awareness. When people understand the positive impact they can, and sometimes already do, have on the environment, says Siegel, it’s easier to make adjustments to how you live. And a great place to start is at home.

Nearly fifty to seventy percent of the average household’s energy budget is spent on heating and cooling. Turning down your thermostat just one degree will save you between one and three percent on your heating bill. Another money—and earth—saving tip is: skip the pre-rinse when you load dishes into the dishwasher, and only run it when it’s full. You’ll conserve two hundred pounds of carbon dioxide from being released and save about forty dollars a year.

Another simple and often-heard switch is from standard incandescent light bulbs—a technology from 1928, by the way—to energy-saving compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy than the standard energy-suckers, yet they produce the same amount of light. Plus, the expected life span per bulb jumps from 750 hours to more than 10,000. And while CFLs are more expensive than incandescent bulbs, you’ll save money in the long run—potentially up to 10 percent every month on your electric bill—and you’ll reduce pollution at the same time.

There are so many examples of green living that are all-around beneficial, says Solberg. Take riding your bike to work instead of driving. “It provides exercise to the cyclist, reduces pollution, traffic and the import of energy from foreign sources,” he says. “These benefits have always seemed quite clear to me, so why not embrace them?”

If biking to work isn’t feasible, try working out a carpool. You’ll save gas and carbon emissions. And turn off the engine when you pick up your coworker—idling for more than 10 seconds wastes more gas that it takes to start the engine. In fact, studies show Americans waste 2.9 billion gallons of gas every year, just from idling.

Another big consideration for living green? Concern about the origin of your food, says Solberg. Food choices have a huge impact on the environment, from energy used to ship food to farming practices.

Are your fruits and veggies organic and locally grown? A lot of nonorganic produce is treated with toxic pesticides and petroleum-based fertilizers, which is bad for your health as well as air and soil quality. And studies show the average carrot travels more than 1,800 miles to reach the dinner table. Eating locally-grown bounty—either at home or in restaurants that source local food growers—is a delicious way to reduce the environmental cost of all that shipping. By shopping local farmers’ markets and co-ops such as the Great Basin Community Food Co-op in Reno (271 Wonder Street, at Wells Avenue) you’ll get healthy farm fresh foods while also helping the environment, our local farmers, and our local economy.

That’s one of the greatest things about living green—it’s such a mutually beneficial lifestyle. Nearly every change you make in your day to day life to positively impact the environment will positively impact your own quality of life. From eating naturally grown foods to increasing your daily exercise to reducing your energy costs, living green is living better.

Jessica Timmons is a freelance writer who’s loving life in Reno with her family.

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