The fashion designer Eileen Fisher is a pioneer in the green fashion space. Recently, the company has started to accept used Eileen Fisher clothing at its Green Eileen locations, which it resells or recycles. To date, more than 200,000 items have been recycled, and the proceeds go to support women and girls' charities. For each item donated, customers are rewarded with $5 in store credit. With Americans tossing out around 70 pounds of clothing a year, this is one way to help reduce the waste and raise money for important causes.

Many of us have the ubiquitous packets of ketchup in our office or home junk drawer. If you think they are past their prime to use on fries, use them as metal polish instead. Squeeze the packets open on tarnished copper and brass cookware. Rub away with a cloth, and the brilliant color should shine through in a few minutes. Rinse and buff to finish up.

How clean is too clean when it comes to recycling? According to Waste Management, there's no need to scrub your recyclables sparking clean, especially in communities that have severe droughts. Instead, use a spatula to scrape the inside of cans and jars clean. The rule of thumb is that the recyclable container just needs to be empty. A glass jar half-full of jam is clearly not recyclable, so use it up or scrape it out before recycling. A little residual film on the inside from laundry detergent, salad dressing and even peanut butter is fine and will not contaminate a load of recyclables.