The outdoor gear and clothing company Patagonia has always been a pioneer in sustainability. Its new Worn Wear program is an innovative project where it buys back its used clothes (that are in good condition), like fleece, down jackets and ski pants. These items are available for sale in the Worn Wear section in the shop next to new Patagonia clothes. And if the company won’t buy your old Patagonia duds due to condition, it will recycle your clothes for free. Learn more at patagonia.com

Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases a “Dirty Dozen” list of produce that have the highest concentration of pesticides when grown conventionally. This year, EWG urge consumers to buy organic whenever possible for fruits and veggies like apples, strawberries, grapes, celery and peaches. On the other hand, they also have a “Clean 15” list of conventionally grown produce that are OK options, since they are typically grown with the least amount of chemicals. Clean veggies include sweet potatoes, cauliflower, eggplant, asparagus and onions.

Single serve coffee makers -- like the Keurig brand of machines -- are popular for their convenience to make just one cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate. But the plastic pods are an environmental nightmare; they're nearly impossible to recycle, so millions of pods and discs are landfilled. Here’s the good news: There are coffee manufacturers who have “greened” single-serve pods. You can find coffee and tea pods that are made with organic ingredients and packaged in nearly 100 percent biodegradable packaging. Just search online at sites like Amazon.com to find them.