The greenest option when it comes to eating outdoors is to bring your own reusable plates with you. But the reality is, sometimes that can be a cumbersome option. If you must use disposable plates, opt for compostable paper plates instead of plastic, foam or even regular paper plates. Compostable paper plates, which you can buy at the supermarket and have a composting symbol on the packaging, can literally be put into a household compost bin and turned into beneficial mulch. To speed up the composting process, you can soak the used plates with water before putting into the compost bin.

We all know that eating fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the easiest ways to live healthier and feel better. But have you thought about using beets instead of refined sugar to sweeten your cookies or other sweet treats? Beets, which have high natural sugar content, have been proven to be good for us, with benefits like the ability to lower blood pressure, boost stamina and even detoxify our bodies. Organic beet crystals are hitting the marketplace and are made from pure beets, but they act like sugar. According to beet sugar crystal brand Salus, you can drink it straight up, too: Just put 1 tablespoon into a large glass of filtered water before a meal to reap all the benefits of beets.

Leftover latex paint is one of the hardest items to recycle; many paint-recycling programs have been suspended since water-based paints are not considered a household hazardous waste. But that doesn't make it safe to pour paint down the drain or put half-empty cans in the trash (which is still illegal in most communities). Instead, all you have to do is let it dry out. Mix in something called "paint hardener," which you can find at any hardware store. It will take a few hours to dry out and harden; toss the disc of paint into the trash and the empty paint cans can go right into the recycling bin.