Tips on going green this Earth Day and everyday

April 22 marks Earth Day, a yearly reminder that asks all Americans for their civic participation in conservation and green friendly practices. Here are some simple tips to help you go green, not just for Earth Day, but all year long.

Buy green power from your utility. In many states, you can opt to purchase renewable energy from your local power company for a few extra dollars a month. Visit the Green Power Network’s U.S. map at eere.energy.gov/greenpower to get started. Then rest easy knowing the light you read by comes from your wind- or methane-powered lamp.

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 non-certified model.

Curtail junk mail. If everyone in the United States reduced the junk mail they receive every week, 100 million trees would be spared each year. Go to optoutprescreen.com to stop receiving pre-approved credit card offers and sign up on catalogchoice.com to reduce the amount of unsolicited catalogs sent to you.

Don’t wash it. Standard washing machines use 40 gallons of water per load. If your clothes don’t smell, don’t wash them … and save a load a week. When you do wash, put full loads (saving 3,400 gallons of water a year) in cold water. Or, use a spritz or two of vodka to freshen up clothes in between laundry loads. Vodka kills odor-causing bacteria, but doesn’t leave a scent when dry.

Free lint bunnies. The average U.S. household spends up to $135 a year in energy costs drying clothes. A dirty lint filter can use 30 percent more energy to get the job done.

Turn off the tap. Water consumes almost one-fifth of California’s electricity use and the average faucet releases about three gallons of water a minute; so take shorter showers, turn off the water when brushing your teeth or shaving and use water-efficient landscaping.

Use a water-filter pitcher. Bottled water isn’t necessarily cleaner or better for you than tap water. Get a Brita water-filter pitcher or an in-sink faucet filter. Take advantage of what you already pay for and save the environmental cost of transporting bottled water to the grocer’s shelf.

Install a better showerhead. If you have a wrench, you can preserve the diminishing fresh-water supply and reduce expensive water-heating costs. Install faucet aerators and high-efficiency showerheads and in a year’s time you’ll save between 1,000 and 8,000 gallons of water. Bonus: The added air makes the pressure feel greater, too.

Skip red meat once a week. 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.

Clean up your dishwasher. Switch to a dishwashing powder that’s biodegradable and plant-based. 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.

Buy a package of recycled napkins. If every American household purchased one package of 100 percent recycled napkins, we would save 1 million trees. Consider buying recycled paper towels and tissues, too. Seventh Generation, found at Sonoma Market locally, and Whole Foods’ 365 label use nearly all post-consumer recycled paper.

Choose biodegradable cat litter. Most cat litter is made from bentonite clay, which is mined and never breaks down. Americans dump 2 million tons of this into landfills every year, so it’s worth rethinking what you buy.

Choose the right appliance for the job. Electric kettles use less energy than stovetop ones. A toaster oven uses up to half the energy of a conventional electric oven. An electric slow cooker makes soups and stews using less wattage than a stove. It truly pays to pick the right appliance.

Donate old cell phones. About 130 million mobile phones are retired every year, resulting in more than 65,000 tons of waste – including potentially hazardous materials, such as lead and mercury. Recycle yours with Call2Recycle.org (log on to find a drop-off location near you) or programs like collectivegood.com (a clearinghouse for nonprofit phone-recycling efforts) to benefit groups such as the American Red Cross.

Recycle wisely. The good news: Americans already recycle about a third of their trash (double what was recycled in 1990). The not-so-good news: We need to do more and save more energy. To learn which items you can leave out for curbside pickup, and how to dispose of those you can’t, log on to earth911.org for contact info for local recyclers of more than 250 materials – from cooking oil to hazardous waste (including batteries).

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.

Change your driving. Pick one day a week to walk, bike, use public transportation, or carpool when commuting to the office or running errands. When driving, make sure to follow the speed limit. Exceeding the speed limit by 5 mph on the freeway results in an average increased fuel bill of six percent.

Unplug unused electronics. Electronic appliances use electricity even when turned off, and by eliminating these electricity vampires you can save 6 to 26 percent on your average monthly electricity bill.

Change your lights. Replacing incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent lights can save $30 or more in electricity costs over the bulb’s lifetime.

Maintain your thermostat. This summer, set your thermostat to 78 degrees to save 5 to 20 percent on cooling costs.