If you're ditching winter weather to get away and spend a few days at the beach, one green thing you can do is to walk on beach walkovers, which are bridges erected over delicate sand dunes. Using the cross bridges helps avoid erosion and destruction of these sensitive land formations. While it may take an extra minute or two to get to a walkover, they are built to protect dune vegetation and to allow for natural recovery of areas that are damaged or naturally eroded.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Do you have a small collection of gift cards for use at retail stores, national chain restaurants, pharmacies or online shops? Turns out even if you have a small balance left on those cards, you can use those few cents and dollars for good. Many nonprofits work in partnership with companies like Cardcash to help you simply redeem what's left online and give the remainder to the charity. It only takes a few minutes and it can go a long way to support your favorite nonprofit.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Many of us know that a No. 1 or No. 2 symbol on the bottom of a plastic container means it is easily recyclable. But be sure the container did not hold any poisonous or toxic substances. Containers that held pesticides, conventional cleaning products and bleach need to be rinsed out thoroughly before recycling. If in doubt, it is better to throw the container away with regular trash than to place the contaminated plastic in the recycling bin.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION