Think you can’t make a difference when it comes to the environment? Recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for three hours. Want to go bigger? Leaving your car at home just two days a week can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1,600 pounds per year.

Natural resources are dwindling rapidly, and with human population expanding, its is anticipated that in 2050 we will only have 25 percent of the resources per capita that we had in 1950. Nursing is all about health and wellness supporting the greater good. Here are some helpful tips to also support a healthy planet.

Unplug!

Eliminate “standby” energy loss by unplugging devices when they are not being used. This wasted energy costs consumers more than $5.8 billion annually and sends more than 87 billion pounds of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. The biggest culprits are chargers for cell phones, digital cameras and music players, as well as appliances or electronic equipment with standby capabilities, like televisions and computer monitors.

Banish Junk Mail

Each year in the U.S., 100 million trees are cut down and 28 billion gallons of water are used to create approximately 4.5 million tons of unwanted, annoying junk mail. Removing your name and address from the national mailing lists not only helps conserve natural resources, but can also reduce your risk for identity theft.

Reduce your share of junk mail by up to 90 percent in one step by purchasing a $15 kit from Green Dimes. Sign their petition and join their mission to put an end to unwanted mail for good. For every kit sold, they will plant 10 trees on your behalf. www.greendimes.com

Clean Smart

Most conventional household cleaners can create indoor air pollution and may affect the health of your family or your pets. In addition, if every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 180-sheet virgin-fiber paper towels with 100-percent recycled paper towels each year, we could save: 1.4 million trees, 3.7 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 526 million gallons of water, as well as prevent 89,400 pounds of pollution.

Seventh Generation offers a complete line of cleaning products that are all non-toxic, biodegradable, hypoallergenic, and are completely free of dyes, fragrances, phosphates, or petroleum based cleaners, and their paper towels are 100% recycled and are never whitened with chlorine. www.seventhgeneration.com

Pretty as a Daisy

Meet the superhero of lipsticks: CARGO’s PlantLove Botanical Lipstick is infused with Orchid Complex™, meadowfoam seed oil, jojoba and shea butter, and has no mineral oils or petroleums, so it’s environmentally friendly. Even better, the lipstick’s tube is made entirely out of corn, and the outer carton is made of flower paper embedded with real flower seeds. Simply moisten, plant, and wait for a bouquet of wild flowers to grow! In addition, CARGO is donating $2 from the sale of every shade to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Available at www.sephora.com.