There are so many things you can do to make your home and life more eco-friendly that are FREE (for example recycling all you can, composting, taking shorter showers, walking to the store, using reusable grocery bags, dining by candlelight, saying no to bottled water and the list goes on and on and on…). There are also tons of things you can do that cost very little and SAVE YOU MONEY. Check out this list– spend only $100 and you will save over $500!

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If you’re unfamiliar with the program, here’s a bit of background: Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Together, they established minimum standards for energy efficiency, above and beyond the federal standard. By purchasing Energy Star rated products, including clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, and room AC units, Americans saved $16 billion on their utility bills in 2007 alone. Those lower utility bills translate into a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 27 million cars. Talk about a positive impact!

So when you’re ready to invest in a new appliance, you should definitely look for the Energy Star label. Many states even offer rebates on Energy Star appliances (check out the Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Energy Efficiencyfor details).

Even with Energy Star models, efficiency improvements can vary so it’s important to review all of the products available to select the best one for you. On the Energy Star site, each appliance category has its own product list that provides the details on each model’s efficiency. Here are a few standouts in each category:

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“TELECOMMUTE :: See if you can work out an arrangement with your employer that you work from home for some portion of the week. Not only will you save money and gasoline, and you get to work in your pajamas!”         

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In six months of living in South Korea, any sign of clothes dryers has eluded me. So bring on the airing undies and the soggy bottoms, right? Well, despite having no — or at least relatively few — clothes dryers, Koreans are both perfectly dry and dignified, with seldom so much as a scrap of clothing hung to dry in view of the neighbors.

The idea might seem a little strange in the United States, but air drying clothes as they do in Korea is environmentally wise, economically smart, and practical too.

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Ten earth-friendly ideas to spark your imagination

Intangibles can deliver green good all year long (and reduce clutter)

1. Donate time or money to a charity in honor of the gift recipient (a gift to Environmental Defense is a good choice).

2. Buy carbon offsets in the recipient’s name. Along with cutting your own carbon emissions — and fuel bills — help your friends and family offset theirs.

3. Give a national parks pass or a membership to botanical gardens or aquariums. (For an extra-special gift, surprise with a cross-country train tour or an eco-vacation.)

Stocking stuffers can be “green”

4. Give energy-saving light bulbs. The technology in these earth-friendly bulbs has leapt ahead, and they now come in many shapes and sizes (See Environmental Defense’s bulb guide for specifics.)

5. Consider the DVD “An Inconvenient Truth“; in bookstores and video stores everywhere.

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