A step-by-step guide to accomplishing your bigger green goals, from upping your energy efficiency to reducing your carbon footprint.

Text by Mindy Pennybacker

School districts across the country are making the transition from processed cafeteria foods to meals based around fresh produce. If your child's isn't one of them, there are still things you can do. We have four tips to follow, and more online resources to consult, to make your school nutrition dreams a reality.

Minimizing your carbon footprint -- the amount of greenhouse gases you're responsible for releasing each year -- is a good way to reduce your impact on the health of the planet. Use an online calculator to determine your personal number -- and to get ideas for how to shrink it. 

If you're looking to save water -- a precious resource we should all conserve -- taking a shower rather than a bath is a good place to start: A typical bath takes 30 to 70 gallons of water, while the average eight-minute shower uses only 17 gallons. You can also install brand-new efficient faucets and toilets -- if you've got the cash for these major home improvements. We have three quicker, less expensive ways to use less of the wet stuffs.

The major appliances -- the refrigerator, water heater, and clothes dryer -- can together account for a big chunk of all the energy a household uses. With a few quick tune-ups, you can reduce the electricity these power-hungry amenities consume, in turn reducing your carbon footprint -- and your energy bill.

Variety is the spice of life -- and the key to getting more of the nutrients our bodies need from natural sources. Your efforts to eat a varied diet full of different fruits and vegetables also goes a long way to promoting biodiversity -- and delicious meals and snacks, too. If you need ideas for what to try when, our seasonal produce schedule can point you in the right direction, no matter the time of year.

It's no surprise that a rooftop bakes in the summer heat. What can be surprising, though, is the 20 percent you can lop off your power bills simply by using a little elbow grease -- and white paint to reflect the sun's light and heat. 

Whole Living's editor in chief, shown here, painted the roof of her Brooklyn brownstone last summer to beat the heat. (Check out behind-the-scenes photos on our blog.) Find out the simple steps you can take to make a major difference in your energy efficiency.

You can add some green to your environment, expand your living space -- and give your place plenty of curb appeal -- just by cultivating the public space around your home or block. Last summer, the Whole Living staff beautified Editor-in-chief Alex Postman's neighborhood; check out behind-the-scenes photos on our blog. 

Find out how to "adopt" the curbside turf near you, and get tips for what plants do best in this until-now-neglected no-man's land.

Aerosols, batteries, old computers, paints, pesticides -- these and other solvents and household items can accumulate in garages or spare drawers, but it is always environmentally unsound (and often illegal) to dispose of them as you would plain old trash. Find out how to get these odds and ends out of your life -- and off of your conscience.

You'd be surprised how much closet space you have -- once you purge it off the years-old power suits, bridesmaid dresses, and seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time blouses you never wore. Find out how to hold a yard sale with your neighbors, or how to sell or swap your trash for someone else's (underappreciated) treasure.

Recycling paper, CDs, bottles, and other materials in the workplace isn't just a good green idea: In many towns and cities, it's the law. Find out how to discover if your company is in compliance, and how to help your company to implement an effective recycling program.

So you're already separating your plastic, metal, and glass from your household trash for recycling. How about returning your organic refuse -- nonglossy paper, fruit and vegetable peels and scraps, clean eggshells, coffee grounds, tea leaves, and more -- back to the earth they came from? Composting is as elemental as recycling gets -- and it's easier (and less stinky) than you might think.

Take a sizeable chunk out of your summer water bill -- about 40 percent of which goes to watering your lawn and garden -- and reduce storm-water runoff by capturing rainwater to use around your yard. Get a tip on an aesthetically pleasing rain barrel, and learn the best place to position it to catch the most H20.

What eco-steps are on your list? Since putting your earth-friendly pledge in writing is half the battle, we're challenging you to tell us what you plan to do to reduce your impact and improve the environment. (Who knows? Perhaps you'll inspire others to do the same!) Post your pledge for a chance to win one of our "This Is the Year I'll ..." T-shirts.