Have an old fur coat in the closet? You can put it to good use to help wild animals in need. The nonprofit animal advocacy organization Born Free runs the Fur for the Animals Campaign, which uses old fur coats (and hats and blankets) to help orphaned and injured wild animals. The items are sent to wildlife rehabilitation centers around the United States, where they are used to give warmth and comfort to animals like coyote pups, possums, foxes and bobcats.

One of the biggest culprits of carbon emissions during the holiday season is all of the long car rides to get to Grandma's house. If you must drive, consider finding someone to carpool with who is heading in the same direction, to cut your emissions in half. Carpoolworld.com lets you register where you're going and helps you find others who are going the same route. While the eco-savings are huge, you also split the costs of fuel and tolls. The website has calculated they've taken over 173,000 cars off the road and saved 99 million gallons of gas.

Sick houseplant? Make it a healthy cocktail. Try pouring a little carbonated water instead of regular tap water when watering unhealthy plants. The reason? The bubbly water has something called macronutrients, which include carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, phosphorous, potassium, sulfur and sodium. These are all nutrients that plants need, and when done through water, they absorb it quickly and can heal themselves -- and also grow at a faster rate. Even if you just have a little leftover club soda, give it to your plants, and say "cheers!"