15 Super Easy Things You Can Do Right Now to Help the Planet

We all start Earth Day with high hopes and big dreams. We remember to pack our reusable bags, feel vaguely heroic for skipping a plastic straw and promise to make some big changes to our lives. But once the insanity of our normal day kicks in, it either feels overwhelming or we simply forget, and those thoughts of switching to solar and organizing community projects end up in the compost heap of good intentions.

Well, we have some good news for you: Being more environmentally responsible doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, there are a bunch of simple ways to do a little better for the planet—and we’re making it even easier for you by listing 15 of them right here. These small actions don’t require a lifestyle overhaul, but they make a big difference, and you can easily fit them into your day, whether that’s Earth Day or any other day of the year.

Read on for easy wins that feel good, do good and might just stick long after Earth Day is over.

Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more sustainability, fun facts, humor, cleaning, travel and tech all week long.

Easy ways to help the planet

Switch your laundry cycle to cold water.
This might sound too simple to work, but trust us, it does—mostly because around 90% of a washing machine’s energy use comes from heating the water. This one switch alone can significantly cut household energy use without changing anything else about your routine.
Walk or bike short distances.
If it’s a quick trip, skip the car. Changing how you travel can help cut fuel use and air pollution. In fact, a single walking or cycling trip can save 0.4 to 0.5 kg of carbon dioxide, compared to driving. Better yet, it’s usually faster than dealing with parking.
Support local businesses.
Local goods don’t travel as far, which translates to fewer transportation emissions. You’re also keeping money in your community, which is a nice bonus.
Pick up trash when you see it.
This takes only a few minutes to do. While one piece might not feel like much, if more people picked up trash regularly, it would make a visible difference in public spaces and waterways.
Choose digital tickets and receipts instead of paper.
This Earth-saving hack saves paper (obviously), but it also reduces the energy and water used in paper production. According to a Green America report, receipts in the United States consume more than 3 million trees and roughly 9 billion gallons of water annually. It’s an easy choice that adds up across millions of people.
Switch to LED light bulbs.
LEDs use up to about 75% to 80% less energy than traditional bulbs and last way longer. That means less electricity used and fewer bulbs ending up in landfills.
Air-dry your clothes instead of using the dryer.
Dryers use a lot of energy—around 3,000 watts (3 kW) per hour, to be more specific. Tumble dryers are one of the most energy-intensive home appliances, so skipping even a few loads a week can noticeably reduce electricity use and emissions over time.
Take shorter showers.
We know long, hot showers are basically a daily reset button for life, but they also use a lot of water. A typical shower uses around 2.5 gallons (9 to 10 liters) per minute, so cutting just two to three minutes can save 20 to 30 liters each time.
Bring a reusable bag, and actually remember to use it.
Plastic bags are used for minutes, but they can stick around in the environment for hundreds of years. And with billions used annually, this is one of those “small habit, huge scale” situations. Keeping a reusable one on you can remove a surprising amount of waste from the system.
Carry a reusable water bottle or coffee cup.
Single-use cups and bottles feel harmless in the moment … until you see how many add up in a week. According to the Earth Day Network, using a reusable bottle can save an average of 156 plastic bottles every year, per person. Plus, you’re reducing the energy used to constantly produce and transport disposables.
Swap one meat-based meal for a plant-based one each week.
No need to overhaul your whole diet—even just one meal swap helps! Food systems are a major source of global emissions, so reducing your meat intake, even by a little, can lower your overall footprint over time.
Unplug devices you’re not using.
Even when they’re “off,” many devices still quietly sip electricity. This standby or “phantom energy” can make up around 5% to 10% of household electricity use. Unplugging is basically cutting off the sneaky background drain.
Buy less, but buy better.
Most of a product’s environmental impact happens before you even buy it, aka during manufacturing and transport. Choosing fewer, longer-lasting items can reduce waste and emissions without changing your lifestyle.
Stop wasting food at home.
Remember the days when your parents made you sit at the kitchen table and finish everything on your plate? You might not have understood it at the time, but about one-third of all food produced globally gets wasted. That means all the water, energy and emissions that went into making it are wasted too. Using what you buy is one of the easiest ways to shrink your footprint without changing what you eat.
Spring clean your phone storage.
Deleting old photos and duplicate images from your camera roll is weirdly satisfying, and it’s also a small win for the planet! All that data you keep stored lives on servers in massive data centers, which already account for about 1% to 2% of global electricity use, and it adds up: Storing just 1 terabyte of data can require anywhere from 40 to 300 kWh of energy each year. Every time you free up space, you’re helping cut down on the energy needed to keep all that extra data alive behind the scenes.

Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

Cleaning Institute: “Cold Water Saves”
World Health Organization: “Cycling and Walking Can Help Reduce Physical Inactivity and Air Pollution, Save Lives and Mitigate Climate Change”
Green America: “Skip the Slips, The Big Impacts of Paper Receipts”
U.S. Department of Energy: “LED Lighting”
Energy Sage: “How Much Electricity Does a Dryer Use?”
Earth Day Network: “Fact Sheet: Single Use Plastics”
Time: “Why You Should Declutter Your Digital Life”
MIT Sloan School of Management: “AI Has High Data Center Energy Costs—but There Are Solutions”