If you want to help lessen strain on the electrical grid and save money, try this: Run your dishwasher at night. You can load up your dishwasher throughout the day and after dinner, then turn it on right before you head to bed. The grid is less strained during overnight hours, and it's cheaper, too. Energy costs decrease during the hours when we're traditionally away from home, before 4 p.m. and after 9 p.m. Running appliances like the laundry machine and dishwasher at night is both economical and ecological.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Even accidentally taking a little bit of sand from the beach (like stray sand that ends up in sneakers or in the bottom of bags) can add up to significant erosion when you multiply by the number of people who visit the beach every day. To help prevent accidental sand loss, try these tips. Use a mesh tote bag so sand can easily fall through the holes. Avoid sneakers and closed-toe shoes; choose flip-flops, which can be easily shaken clean, instead. And choose a chair over a beach towel when lounging; chairs can be dipped in the water so any sand is easily washed off and returned to the beach.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When you're chopping your own firewood at home, it's typically from dead or dying trees. And often with dead trees come invasive species like the emerald ash borer, which is a highly damaging species of insect. There's a simple way you can help prevent the spread of invasive species: Don't let your firewood leave your property. Moving just a few logs to gift to others or use on a camping trip can spread invasive species farther. It takes just one infected log to have a devastating impact.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION