General

1. Ban plastic bags from your life. Always carry at least one reusable bag with you and it will soon be as routine as grabbing your keys when you head out.

2. Switch your monthly bills to e-billing. Even if you print them out at home, you'll eliminate the postage carbon footprint and reduce paper use (no envelopes and annoying "special offer" inserts).

3. Before you throw anything away, ask yourself if you can use it in a new way or if someone else could use it.

4. Recycle anything and everything you can. Even if you have to drive items to a depot once a month, it's worth it to save raw materials.

Home

5. Start composting -- it's simple and you get free fertilizer.

6. Install a gray water system.

7. Paint only with no-VOC formulas.

8. Switch to an electric kettle for boiling water. Electric kettles use less energy than their stove-top counterparts, and there are stainless steel options available if you're wary about boiling water in plastic.

9. If you're replacing appliances in 2010, pay a little more for the most efficient Energy Star models -- they'll save you money in the long run.

10. Build a rain barrel to get free water for your garden and plants. (Tip: In the winter, collect snow, scoop it into a pail, and bring it inside so it can melt and be used for watering indoor plants.)

Transportation

11. Walk more, particularly if your destination is less than 30 minutes on foot. It's good for your health and the environment.

12. Take public transit. Students often have a transit pass included in their fees, and some cities even have free public transit, so use it!

13. If you can live without a car, do it. In most cities, the cost of a transit pass is still less than you'd shell out for insurance, gas, and maintenance or car payments.

14. If you must take a taxi, call the company that has a fleet of hybrids or electric cars.

15. In the market for a new car? Choose a green hybrid or electric.

16. Buy a bike, or build one at your local bike shop. While other people are stuck in the snarl of rush hour traffic, you'll breeze by and be home much more quickly.

Food

17. Go vegetarian one day a week. The livestock industry is a huge greenhouse gas emitter.

18. Eat organic -- it may not be nutritionally superior, but it's a lot better for the planet.

19. Refuse to buy foods that are unnecessarily packaged, such as fruits and vegetables.

20. Annoyed by excessive food packaging? Tell your grocer or the manufacturer. Fire off an e-mail or write a formal letter expressing your concern. (As a rule, every letter a company receives represents about 50 people of a like mind.)

21. Grow your own fruits, veggies, and herbs.

Fashion & Beauty

22. Commit to buying green fashions -- think organic cotton, bamboo, hemp and other sustainable, natural fibers, as well as recycled fabrics.

23. Switch to all-natural cosmetics. A good rule: If the ingredients list looks like a lesson in chemistry, steer clear; if you're stumbling over Latin, you're looking at the names of plants.

24. Switch to a nail polish brand that is made without toluene, DBP, and formaldehyde. (Piggy Paint, London, and American Apparel Nail Lacquer are a few options.)

25. Shop at secondhand and charity shops before hitting the mall or your favorite boutiques. You can usually find some great gems.

26. Never buy bottled water again

Trade your bottled water habit for an at-home filtering pitcher and you can help make a dent in the 1.5 million barrels of oil used to make plastic water bottles each year; pair it with a reusable bottle (like one made of glass, aluminum, or recycled plastic), and you'll always be prepared to tackle your thirst. Bonus: With bottled water no longer on your shopping list, you could save as much as $1,400 this year.

27.  Brew your own Fair Trade coffee
Carrying your own coffee in an insulated travel mug helps you reduce waste from cardboard cups and carrying sleeves -- which are thrown away at a staggering rate of 58 billion each year. For greener at-home brewing, choose a Fair Trade blend that supports farmers; add organic milk instead of artificial creamers; and try a French press (instead of a traditional brewer) to save electricity.

28. Remember your reusable bags
 With more than 1 million plastic bags ending up in the trash every minute, taking reusable bags to the store is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce your carbon footprint -- but the hardest part about using them is simply remembering to take them with you. A set like this one from Blue Avocado is almost impossible to forget: It comes with six different bags, sized for everything from frozen goods to fresh fruit, and the entire collection folds down into a slim packet for easy transport.

29. Cut back on paper towels
If you're grabbing a paper towel for everything from wiping up spills and cleaning your counter to scrubbing the bathroom and keeping your hands clean at dinner, it's time to make a change. Instead, invest in a few cotton cloths and some fabric napkins; then drop them in the wash when you run a load of laundry. Using the cloth alternatives is just as easy as using the paper versions, and you only need to buy them once -- plus you can help eliminate the 3,000 tons of paper towels that end up landfills every day.

30. Use a bike for short trips
It takes a certain amount of dedication to permanently give up a car in favor of a bike, but even an eco-slacker can make it work for short trips that don't require hauling a lot of stuff: picking up milk at the local grocery store, after-dinner ice cream at your favorite dessert spot, your morning yoga class, brunch with friends at the coffee shop. Ride your bike for trips shorter than 2 miles and you could cut your carbon footprint significantly, save money on gasoline and car maintenance, and increase your fitness level -- all at the same time.

31.Order from your local CSA
 Going to the farmer's market always sounds like such a great idea -- until Saturday morning rolls around and you realize you have to get up early, have enough cash, and fight other customers for the best strawberries. Instead, have your local CSA program do the hard part for you by putting together a box of their best produce each week -- and, if you're really feeling lazy, have it delivered right to your door so you get fresh, local fruits and vegetables without giving up your lazy coffee-and-crossword mornings.

32. Eliminate phantom power
 It takes approximately one second to unplug the charger for your cell phone, mp3 player, e-reader, or iPad -- but if you really can't be bothered, then let nifty, energy-efficient gadgets do the work for you. Use power strips to turn off all your appliances at once; put your television, DVD player, game system, and stereo on a timer so they automatically shut off overnight; and invest in chargers that stop drawing current when the device's battery is full. You could cut your energy bill by as much as 10 percent annually -- without lifting a finger.

33.  Switch to green power
Switching your home to run on green power sounds like a big job -- installing solar panels, geothermal energy, or a tankless hot water heater is not a job for the construction-impaired. But you can also make this happen without getting out of your chair: Call your local energy company and see if they offer renewable options (most do). You might see a small jump in your bill, but it's an easy way to make a big change.

34. Replace your lightbulbs
Replacing your lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lights may be the ultimate change for the eco-slacker. Despite all the jokes, it takes only one person to change a lightbulb -- and since CFLs last longer than traditional bulbs, you'll be saving time for years down the road while cutting your energy use by as much as 80 percent. Can't even face the hardware store? Order your bulbs online and have them come straight to your door.

These are just a few of the ways you can commit to going green in the new year. Just remember: It can be a challenge as you adjust to a new way of thinking, but it's worth sticking with it.