Let’s face it… Green is the future. In fact, if we don’t become less wasteful and find new sources of clean, sustainable energy, then our kids are going to have to colonize space real fast. So short of building a bunch of space ships and inventing faster than light speed travel, here are some easy ways to do your part, and even save some money in the process.

Get a Ride.

This is an easy one folks, and one that’s been around for years. Carpool or use public transportation. If everyone would carpool one day out of the week, we’d lower carbon emissions by 149 million tons.

Another easy solution is to walk or ride your bike. (Might help your waistline out too)

Forty percent of all car trips in the U.S. are less than two miles.

Walking also gives you important time to breathe and think good thoughts. It puts you outdoors and lets you get some one on one time with your planet.

Maintain Your Vehicle

If you do have to drive, then make sure your car or truck or SUV is properly maintained.

Make sure your tires are properly inflated. This can increase your mpg by up to 3 percent, which would save you up to 10 cents per gallon of gas.

Slow it down. Braking and Accelerating aggressively wastes fuel. Driving over 60 mph can cost you 20 cents per gallon of gas for every 5 mph increase.

Change Your Lightbulbs

Change out your regular energy wasting incandescent light bulbs with CFLs (compact fluorescent lightbulbs). CFLs use 75 percent less electricity and last up to 10 times longer.

Turn It Up Or Down

Adjusting your thermostat up or down by just Three Degrees Fahrenheit year round will save you about $114 on a 1,500 square foot home, and will keep two and a half tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

Power Down Your PCs

If every U.S. computer and monitor were turned off at night, the country could shut down 8 large power stations and avoid emitting 7 million tons of carbon dioxide every year.

Whether at work, or at home, if you aren’t using it when you’re sleeping, then shut it down.

Install A Low Flow Shower Head

Yes, water is cheap. But although 70 percent of the globe is covered in water, less than One percent of that water is available for human use.

Eat Less Meat

Not only will your health improve, but the environment will too. A pound of beef requires 30 times more water to produce than a pound of wheat, and 200 times more than a pound of potatoes.

Producing 1 calorie of animal protein uses 10 times as much fossil fuels as producing 1 calorie of vegetable protein. And guess which is better for your body?

Start by skipping meat for one day a week.

For more info check out The Case Against Meat

Pay Your Bills Online

It will save you time and money. If all U.S. households received electronic statements instead of paper, and paid their bills online, we’d save 18.5 million trees every year, 2.2 billion tons of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, and 1.7 billion pounds of solid waste.

Bring Your Lunch To Work

Not only could you save around $2,000 a year, but take-out food packaging creates 1.8 million tons of trash in the U.S. every year. Guess how much of that trash is bio-degradable…

and finally…

Stop Drinking Bottled Water

I know you think it’s “better for you”, but you’re wrong

In the U.S. in 2006, it’s reported that we spent $15 billion on bottled water. Did you know that you could run 100,000 cars for a year on the amount of oil it takes to produce plastic for these bottles? And then 9 out of 10 of these bottles are then just thrown away.

The really crazy part, 24 percent of the bottled water consumed is just filtered tap water!

Buy a reusable water bottle from mySigg.com or KleanKanteen.com, and if you’re really concerned about the quality of your water than filter it yourself, at home. You’ll save thousands of dollars a year.

Well that’s it for today, let me know if you’ve found this enlightening, I know I did when I first came across the info.