If you're having a party for a large group of people and you rent glassware, dishes and flatware from a rental company, it may seem rude to send them back dirty, but it isn't. The reality is, even if you do a thorough job in washing your rentals, the companies are required to use a commercial-grade dishwasher to fully clean and sanitize them before they go out to another party, so they are prepared to clean them anyway. Also, if you've got a sink full of dishes from a party, use the dishwasher: A loaded automatic dishwasher is much more water- and energy-efficient than washing by hand.

Do you have a backyard compost pile? In the spring, summer and fall months, composting kitchen scraps and yard waste is an ecological way to use naturally occurring microbes to break down organic matter into beneficial mulch. But in the winter months, these microbes either slow down or stop completely. To protect your compost in the cold months, you should protect it from the oversaturation of water that comes from snow and ice. By covering it with a tarp, the microbes will be protected from the elements and will still be active come spring. You can still add kitchen waste to the pile through the winter months just by lifting and replacing the tarp.

Cooler temperatures mean many of us will soon be using our fireplaces as a source of heat to keep our house warm. Before Old Man Winter is here, take the time to do a visual inspection inside your fireplace. Use a bright flashlight and look up the fireplace from inside your house. Open and close the damper and make sure it works (and seals) properly. If it appears to be off when closed, it's like having a small window open all the time in your house, and that can be a huge waste of heat and energy. When it's open, look for animal nests or anything else that might be blocking the chimney. If you see anything at fault, have a professional come and inspect and repair before using it.