Take a look inside your freezer: Is it full or half-empty? If it's the latter, fill a freezer bag or two with ice. Bags of ice cubes in the freezer take up space and help keep the overall freezer temperature down. The colder the freezer, the less energy it uses to maintain the appropriate temperature. Even filling old ice cream containers with water and letting them freeze into blocks of ice can go a long way to improve your freezer's efficiency.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

The bulk bins at your local supermarket or health food store are already a great way to go green during your grocery shopping, as they reduce the waste and costs associated with packaging and marketing. But did you know you can make bulk bin shopping even greener? By bringing your own reusable food storage containers, you can eliminate the need for plastic bags or boxes at the store. The key is to find an employee who can weigh your containers before you fill them, so you are paying ONLY for the bulk item. And always make sure your containers are very clean when bringing them to the store.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Have you ever wondered what you can do with an apple core? Turns out you can help deodorize a room. One simple thing is to simmer apple cores in water and let the natural scent permeate the air and leave behind a pleasant aroma (you can also add a cinnamon stick to make it a more autumnal scent). But you can also just leave an apple core out to counteract a lingering odor. This trick works because when an apple oxidizes, it rapidly absorbs odors around it, too. Let it sit for a few hours, then toss the core in the compost bin.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION