We all have to live on this planet, but are we really doing everything that we can to make this planet better? You can probably guess the answer even if you aren’t an environmental expert. If you guessed “no,” then the experts agree with you: Far too many of us, experts say, are living wasteful and harming our planet.

When we talk about “waste” in the environmental sense, we’re talking about a few different things. Most obviously, we’re talking about the junk and material waste that each of us produces—things like candy wrappers, papers, and even old photographs. Then there’s the energy that we waste when we leave a light on, the gas that we waste when we drive recklessly or in an old clunker, and so much more. If you want to do your part to limit your waste and create a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle, then you’ll need to tackle all of these different types and sources of waste.

Your Energy Use

The people on our planet use a lot of energy. Tragically, much of it is wasted—and those of us who live here in the United States of American bear much of the blame. American energy waste is staggering!

There are a lot of reasons behind this, and some are easier to patch up than others. Americans have large homes and are often all but forced to commute by car, which doesn’t help things. But there are easier ways to cut down on waste than to sell your home or your car. For instance, you could make sure that your attic is insulated. Statistically speaking, your home’s attic and roof are the biggest culprits when it comes to HVAC-related energy waste. You should also consider upgrading old appliances for more energy-efficient alternatives.

You can also make simple changes, like remembering to turn off lights when you leave a room or putting certain electronics on timers that turn them off when they’re not likely to be in use.

Want to go to the next level? Then consider investing in solar energy, recommend the experts at Vision Solar. Some families with residential solar panels are even able to sell energy back to the electric company!

Paper and Other Sources of Waste

With all of the talk of the crisis of global warming, older environmental concerns may appear almost forgotten. They shouldn’t be, of course! Limiting waste and litter is still crucially important. So is maximizing recycling and other great alternatives to landfills and litter.

Thankfully, it has never been easy to cut down on your use of things like paper. We’re living in the digital age, after all! Why not store your photos on a cloud photo manager instead of in a photo album? You can still print out a few favorites, of course, but a cloud photo manager will keep digital photos safely stored in the cloud—meaning that losing your computer’s hard drive or your favorite photo album won’t result in the loss of all of your photos. Plus, cloud storage solutions make it easy to share photos with family and friends in a way that is far more secure than social media. Printing out fewer photos can save photo paper!

You can and should look for other ways to digitize. Any paperwork that stays digital helps save trees!

Earth-Friendly Habits

The little things that you do each day can make a big difference in how you impact our environment. For starters, why not look at your daily commute? The difference between the environmental impact of those who commute by car and those who commute by public transit is staggering, and you can make a huge impact by simply electing to take the train, subway, or bus to work if you are able.

You could also consider your eating habits. Food waste is a huge issue on our planet—one that impacts not only the planet but hungry people as well! Try to eat only what you need, and find ways to give away your excess food to those who need it. You may also want to consider becoming a vegetarian, which experts agree will help combat global warming.