How to Reduce Greenhouse Gases

Basically, you'll want to use as little gas and oil as possible while on the road, and there are plenty of smart, easy ways to do that. Keeping your car in good shape will help to reduce greenhouse gases. Tune-ups, tire pressure, and other basic maintenance will save you money while also saving the atmosphere. You can also turn off the engine when idling for more than a minute or two, and try being less of a leadfoot, especially while driving around city traffic. Here are a few more tips for improving gas your mileage.

Living without a car sounds almost like a Communist plot to destroy America, but there are many good reasons to live with no car. For starters, it's safer, healthier, and costs a lot less -- the average car costs almost $10,000 each year to own and maintain. The ease of home delivery for those things you would otherwise drive to a store to buy, and the simplicity of renting a car when you absolutely need one, also make the auto-free lifestyle very attractive. And when you add in the health benefits and the social aspects of mass transit, living with no car is a pretty sweet deal.

The benefits of exercise -- even low-impact exercise like walking -- have been well-documented for years. Scientists have also discovered that the simple act of exercising (biking, running or walking) through a natural setting like a park yields even more health benefits, like reduced stress and an increased sense of well-being. You can add to these the benefit of reducing greenhouse gases. Every mile you walk or bike, whether to work or to run errands, is a mile that doesn't add carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. So go ahead, take a hike, pal.

For most people, saving energy at home means reducing the impact that cooling and heating their home has on the environment -- and on their wallet. Whether you have electric, gas or oil heat, there are dozens of smart ways to lower your heating bills, including adding insulation, plugging gaps in doors, windows and other holes, using a programmable thermostat, or just putting on a sweater. There are plenty of other ways to save energy in summer, like using ceiling fans instead of air-conditioning, dressing lightly in hot weather, cleaning or changing your AC filters, and getting an Energy-Star rated air conditioner.

If you're still lighting your home or office with old-fashioned incandescent bulbs, you're wasting a lot of energy. There are dozens of smart, economical ways to turn on a light, from compact-fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to LEDs and other new lighting innovations. Best of all, it only takes a few dollars and a matter of seconds to screw in a new light bulb.

What's the most energy-intensive part of doing laundry? Heating the water. And for years, experts have been trying to convince people that hot water isn't needed for washing even whites, but the message still isn't getting through. In addition to washing your clothes in cold water, take a look at these other easy, money-saving tips for green laundry.

What are many fertilizers and pesticides made of? I'll give you a hint: Black gold, Texas tea. Petroleum products are used in the manufacture of many products used in agriculture as well as the average homeowner's yard. But there are plenty of ways to go green in the yard, such as using compost instead of petroleum-based fertilizers, and minimizing the amount of lawn area that needs mowing. Take a look at these 8 simple, money-saving tips for keeping a green lawn and garden.

Electricity is essential to modern life, but much of the world's electricity is generated from power plants that use fossil fuels like coal or oil to generate electricity. There is, however, a smart alternative: Clean energy generated from power plants that rely on renewable energy sources like wind energy or solar power. Show your support for clean energy each time you turn on a light or power up your computer by switching to a clean energy source -- contact your local electricity provider for details.