The next time you go clothes shopping, think less about how you look in the new garments and more about how long you’ll wear them. It turns out that the average person in the United States tosses about 90 pounds of textiles per year into landfills or donation bins. Much of it is barely worn -- and a lot still has tags! When shopping, consider two things: Will you wear the piece at least 30 times, and is it well-made enough to stand up to 30 washings? If the answer is yes, then it’s a good investment piece. If it’s not, steer clear from buying this “disposable” fashion.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

The World Wildlife Fund is urging consumers to avoid palm oil in products because it’s grown in tropical rainforests where clear-cutting of land for palm oil plantations has led to devastating losses of critical wildlife habitat. Bio-diverse forests are lost, and endangered species like orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos are threatened. Palm oil is found in items like lipstick (it helps hold color and doesn’t have any taste), instant noodles, pizza dough, detergent, soaps and even packaged breads. Read product labels closely, and try to avoid items with palm oil.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

It may seem harmless to take a small rock or pine cone out of a national park as a souvenir, but that simple act is both illegal and harmful to the environment. When you think about the number of people who go through our parks, if even a fraction of them take “souvenirs,” the numbers would be staggering. At Petrified Forest National Park, it’s estimated over 12 tons of petrified wood is taken out every year by visitors. Instead of taking souvenirs, take pictures. The only exception to this rule is sea glass; while beautiful, this tumbled glass is technically trash, since it comes from broken bottles.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION