There are a lot of reasons to skip buying "pre-washed" lettuce in bags and boxes at the supermarket. Beyond the plastic waste, a tremendous amount of water is used to wash those leafy greens. Since there have been consumer concerns about the cleanliness of mixed greens, companies now "triple wash" greens using an extraordinary amount of water. The simplest thing is to skip bagged and boxed greens and go for whole heads instead. Simply soak in a bowl of water and use a salad spinner to remove the excess water.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

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