There are lots of ways to help reduce waste when you're packing a lunch for yourself or for your kid. To avoid using an icepack to keep things cool, try freezing a food item in the box and letting it do double duty instead. One idea is to freeze cups of yogurt so they act as an icepack in your box; by lunchtime the yogurt will have thawed out enough to eat, but will still be cold. And wrap sandwiches in aluminum foil instead of plastic single-use bags; foil keeps things cool and fresh, and it's fully recyclable, too.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you're taking on a DIY painting project in your home, you may think buying a "low VOC" (which is short for volatile organic compounds) paint is the healthiest and greenest option out there. But the reality is, almost all household paints are technically "low" VOC. What you want to look for are paints marked "zero" VOC, which means they have no odor in their untinted form. Then use a brand where the tints are zero to low VOCs to make sure your color choice is as green as it can be.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Here's a quick tip to make sure you're getting the highest-quality fuel at the gas pump: If you see a tanker truck parked at your gas stop, filling up the station's reserves, drive right on by. The reason? The addition of new gasoline to the reserve tank can stir up sediment and other debris inside the tank. Those materials settle to the bottom of the tank over time, but during refills they get stirred up into the mixture again, which means they can end up in your own gas tank.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION