Bats are a critical part of keeping our ecosystems in check. According to a published study in the journal Science, bats eat so many insects that they save the U.S. agriculture industry more than $3 billion per year as natural pest control. Unfortunately, bats are at risk, but there are things you can do to help them survive. Start by eliminating pesticides from your yard, since a single bat can eat up to 3,000 insects per night. Turn off lights at night, because a dark environment is one in which they thrive. Finally, leave dead and dying trees in place; they create habitats for bats.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you think donating your time to a charity means you need to physically be somewhere to help, think again. The rise in people working from home has also affected charities, which have come up with ways to let people donate time virtually or online. The Smithsonian, for example, has a digital volunteer program that lets people help transcribe documents and edit Wikipedia articles related to their work. Amnesty International looks to volunteers to help flag abusive tweets against women politicians in countries like India. There's so much you can do to help by offering just a few minutes a day.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Here's something to give up cold turkey today: paper towels. We use 13 billion pounds of paper towels every year, with almost all of them ending up in landfills. You'd be surprised how easy it is to live without paper towels when you have an ample supply of dish towels ready to go for spills, cleaning and everyday use in the kitchen. If you're not ready, limit your usage to a single roll a week, and opt for brown recycled paper towels, which are compostable.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION