Want to be more environmentally friendly and don't know how? It's easier to be green than you think.

Read the "Eco-tips" below and learn how you can make a difference:

TRANSPORTATION

Fact: 51 percent of our car miles are non-commuting trips.
Eco-Tip: Eliminate one trip a week. Driving less is scientists' No. 1 tip for improving the environment.

Fact: In Wisconsin, transportation accounts for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Eco-Tip: Make your next car a hybrid-electric one.

Fact: For every mile we drive, our cars emit 1 pound of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Eco-Tip: Sign up to go car-free for a day, a week, a month, at www.carfreechallenge.com.

Fact: Nationally, transportation is the second highest household expense.
Eco-Tip: Sell your second car and use Community Car, an hourly car-rental organization.

Fact: Burning one gallon of gas emits 20 pounds of CO2.
Eco-Tip: Walk or bike your kids to school. Bring them with you to run errands on foot or by bicycle. The key is to build healthy habits at an early age.

WATER & ENERGY USE

Fact: Our community’s groundwater is being used 25 percent faster than it's replaced.
Eco-Tip: Use rain barrels to collect rain and use it to water lawns.

Fact: Madison residents use an average of 82 gallons of water per person, per day.
Eco-Tip: Take shorter showers. Buy low-flow faucets and dual-flush toilets.

Fact: The top three water users are showers/baths, toilets and lawn watering.
Eco-Tip: Fix a leaky toilet. It can save up to 5,000 gallons of water per year.

Fact: The average U.S. home is 2,349 square feet versus 815 in the U.K.
Eco-Tip: Live in a smaller, smarter space. You can save money, spend less time cleaning, and live closer to stores and entertainment.

Fact: A U.S. home, on average, consumes 11,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year versus 4,667 in the U.K.
Eco-Tip: Cut back on air conditioning use. Replace appliances with those that have Energy Star ratings.

Fact: Decreasing your home temperature by two degrees in winter reduces CO2 emissions by 400 pounds per year.
Eco-Tip: Program your thermostat -- set it lower at night and when you're gone.

FOOD

Fact: Food waste is the third-largest waste category in our state, after construction and paper waste.
Eco-Tip: Manage your food waste -- buy less food and start a compost pile. Experts also recommend making a shopping list to avoid impulse purchases.

Fact: Food takes up 16 percent of Wisconsin's landfills.
Eco-Tip: Eat less meat -- it's cheaper, healthier and scientists' No. 2 tip for helping the environment. Start slow by substituting one vegetarian meal a week.

Fact: The Dane County Farmers' Market is more than 30-years-old. It's the largest producers-only market in the U.S.
Eco-Tip: Support local farms and decrease the distance your food travels.

Fact: More than 15 million tons of Styrofoam is made each year, but less than 1 percent is recycled, according to the Web site, www.idealbite.com.
Eco-Tip: Order less take out; if you do order out, skip getting the plastic silverware and paper napkins. Dine in at restaurants or cook at home.

Fact: Our food typically travels 1,500 to 2,500 miles from farm to plate.
Eco-Tip: The creators of www.idealbite.com suggest joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm or shop at local farmers’ markets.

Fact: One cup of coffee purchased every day in a disposable container contributes about 22.75 pounds of waste per year, according to www.idealbite.com.
Eco-Tip: Use your own reusable mug. Some companies will offer incentives to customers who bring their own mugs to the coffee shop.

RECYCLE

Fact: It’s estimated, Americans exchange 7 billion greeting cards each year.
Eco-Tip: Buy cards made with recyclable paper. Consider sending e-cards.

Fact: The average person receives 10.8 pieces of junk mail each week. According to www.idealbite.com, if everyone reduced all their junk mail, we could save nearly 100 million trees each year.
Eco-Tip: Get your name off lists by using sites like www.junkbusters.com and www.optoutprescreen.com . Stop companies from sending catalogues.

Fact: The average home uses 1,000 plastic bags per year -- and they could take 1,000 years to decompose.
Eco-Tip: Bring your own canvas bag while shopping. Store leftovers & lunches in reusable containers.

Fact: In 2000, each Wisconsin resident generated an average of 2.5 pounds of residential trash per day and recycled 0.9 pounds.
Eco-Tip: Buy products with less packaging and more recycled content.

Fact: It takes four trees to off-set the amount of carbon dioxide the average person generates each month. Experts also say planting three trees strategically around your home can reduce energy use by as much as 50 percent.
Eco-Tip: Plant a tree or donate $1 to www.americanforests.org.

Fact: Hotels that implement linen card programs save (on average) 5 percent on their utility bill, according to www.idealbite.com.
Eco-Tip: When traveling, inquire about sheet and towel exchange policies. We don’t change or wash our own bed linens and towels every day, so why do it when traveling?

TOXINS

Fact: An hour of automobile idling burns approximately 1/5 of a gallon of gas and releases nearly 4 pounds of CO2 into the air.
Eco-Tip: Turn your engine off! The group www.enginesoff.org suggests asking your child’s school or other parents to implement a no-idling policy. In winter, warm engines up for only 30 seconds.

Fact: Flushing unused medication sends it through the sewage plant and into surface waters, disturbing fish and the eco-system.
Eco-Tip: Take advantage of safe, drug-disposal programs. Dane County’s safe disposal day is set for Saturday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the city transfer station on Olin Avenue. Visit www.meddropdane.org for more information.

Fact: Many common household products are hazardous, and reach waterways when washed down the drain.
Eco-Tip: Reduce household chemical use, try nontoxic alternatives and dispose materials safely.

Fact: It takes three quarts of oil to make a brand-new ink cartridge, according to National Geographic’s online "Green Guide," www.thegreenguide.com.
Eco-Tip: Recycle spent printer cartridges. Some stores, like Staples, offer incentive programs to return old cartridges; also, check with your county recycling program for e-waste policies.

Fact: Autos are the single-largest source of air pollution in the country.
Eco-Tip: Bike to work or shopping store once every two weeks. Doing so could prevent the pollution of close to one billion gallons of gasoline from entering the atmosphere every year, according to the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, www.bfw.org.