Gas-powered landscape tools, such as mowers and trimmers, generate more than 5 percent of urban air pollution. A manual push mower emits zero emissions, makes less noise, and helps you burn calories

A 1/8-inch gap along the front door's threshhold is the draft equivalent of having a two-inch hole in the wall. Home sealing (weather stripping windows and doors) can reduce your energy bill by 10 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Yard waste, including bagged grass and clippings, eats up a full 20 percent of our diminishing landfill space. After you mow your lawn, leave the clippings behind -- they'll nourish the soil and help keep moisture from evaporating, reducing waste, water use, and the need for fertilizer.

Beyond wasting fuel, excessive idling (more than 30 seconds) strains cylinders, spark plugs, exhaust systems, and engines, which work best in motion -- not in neutral. The best way to warm up the car? Drive it.

Just two ounces of the standard ethylene-glycol antifreeze can kill a dog. Propylene glycol is a less toxic alternative. Keep in mind, though, that both kinds pick up hazardous heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and chromium during use, so recycle spent antifreeze to minimize impact. Find out where at Earth 911.

Good fertilizers help ensure that your soil stays healthy. Yet applying too much, especially at the wrong time of year, will cause runoff, leading to groundwater pollution. Additionally, nitrate-based fertilizers (which are synthetic) often contain a high salt index that can cause root burning and dehydration. The alternative is to use organic gardening products judiciously. (To gardeners, the terms "organic" and "natural" mean products derived from a plant, animal, or mineral source, not those containing USDA-certified organic materials.) Organic fertilizers won't dry or burn your soil; they will rehabilitate soil quality and improve the general health of your garden. Even better, start composting and make your own compost tea to fertilize with.

Most lawns need as little as an inch of water each week, including rainfall. To determine how long you need to run your sprinkler or soaker hose, arrange several empty cans on the lawn (if you use a soaker hose, drape it over the cans). Then turn on the water and time how long it takes for an inch to accumulate in each.

Keep your car sparkling clean without using a drop of water. These three "waterless" plant-based cleaners save up to 100 gallons of H2O per typical driveway sudsing and prevent pollutants from entering streams and groundwater supplies.

Birds of all kinds, even your typical backyard varieties, are in need of a little shelter. Do your part to help protect local feathered friends.

Curbside pickup for recycling is available to half of Americans, but many first-timers don't know how to sign up for the service. Find the waste department's number from the government section of the Yellow Pages.

Essential oils that have pungent, spicy, or woodsy odors repel insects by masking our natural scent; cedarwood, citronella, eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary, and tea tree oils are among the most effective.

According to the EPA, home construction projects annually produce 58 million tons of waste, 90 percent of which could be reused. If you're looking to renovate, consider donating your discarded material -- from doors and sinks to light fixtures and tile -- to one of the "reuse centers" cropping up across the country. Donations are tax deductible, and the proceeds from resale often go to community charities. Many centers also sell donated home supplies to the public at a discount, so while you're there dropping off your unwanted bathroom sink, look around for what you need to complete your kitchen upgrade -- and save some cash.

Knowing even the basics behind green gardening can put you on the right path -- or plot. But keep in mind that gardening takes a trial-and-error approach, and the more information you have, the better.

Take a Ball jar and bury it in the soil so that its mouth is at the same level, or only slightly above, the level of the soil.

How to Apply
Fill the jar with beer (preferably dark ale) up to about 1/2 to 1 inch from the top of the jar.

Why It Works
Slugs are attracted to beer. If the trap is properly set up, the slugs will come for the beer and get stuck in the Ball jar.