Be a green teen

From the Editors of Girl World Daily

Being a BFF (best friend forever) to the environment isn't always about rallying for big global changes. You can tweak simple things in your day-to-day drill to help save the environment. Get with the green routine!

Good morning, sunshine!

• When you wake up, don't reach for the light switch. Let the sunlight in.
• Don't linger in the shower. Cutting just two minutes saves gallons of water, plus the fuel it takes to heat the H₂O.
• Don't scrimp on brushing your teeth, but shut the water off while you're doing it
• Is your school close (and safe) enough to bike or walk there? Good exercise and kind to the planet.

The lunch brunch

• After your lunch is perfectly prepped, put it in an eco-friendly reusable bag.
• While you're at it, ditch the sandwich baggies. They don't biodegrade, so try a plastic container you can use again and again.
• Toss used cans or bottles into a recycling bin. No recycling program in your school? Make it happen!

After-school cool

• Homework? Use scrap paper when possible before you recycle it. It's perfect for working out math problems or printing your history rough draft on the unused side.
• When your computer is at rest, nix the screensaver, which is an energy waster.
• No. 1 rule? If you're aren't using it, shut it off. Do you really need three lights on and the TV as background noise?

What's for dinner?

• Go veggie once week. Turns out, the meat-producing process is tough on the environment.
• Switch to cloth napkins - classy.
• Don't run the dishwasher unless it's full. If yours has an energy-saver mode, use it.
• You do dishes the old-fashioned way? Don't leave the water running while you're washing. Fill the basin, scrub away the ick, then rinse.

Into the night

• If you like to read before bed, use a fluorescent bulb. It lasts 10 times longer than a regular bulb and uses 65% less energy.
• Shut off your computer, TV and radio. Better yet, unplug all electronics. Standby mode uses up lots of unnecessary energy.
• Layer up so you can turn down the heat. Lights out!

(Health24, September 2010)