The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says there are anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 commercial facilities around the country that breed dogs -- you might know these places as puppy mills. Here, thousands of dogs spend their entire lives being used to breed puppies, which are then sold to pet shops through a broker and marketed to the public. If you object to puppy mills, one step you can make to help end this abuse and neglect is to not buy dogs from a pet store and also to not buy any merchandise from pet shops that sell puppies from breeders. Instead, buy supplies from stores that support the adoption of dogs and cats instead.

If shopping for humanely raised meats is important to you, consider looking for a turkey that has been raised as a "heritage" bird. Unlike factory farm-raised birds, heritage turkeys are allowed to grow slowly and develop a strong skeletal system; their life span can be from 3 to 7 years instead of as little as 5 months for factory poultry. Not only do these birds live a full, humane life, the meat is tastier and usually free of antibiotics and hormones.

Jet-setting across the country can take a major toll on the environment. Carbon emissions from flying contribute to global warming by trapping heat in our atmosphere. One round-trip flight adds about a half a ton of pollutants into the environment -- per person. But if you must fly, try to choose flights that go during the daytime. The reason is surprisingly simple: The white vapor exhaust clouds that form behind planes are trapped at night, but they're radiated by the sun during the day. It's these vapor trails that contribute to global warming.