SHARE
15 THINGS EVERYONE CAN DO TODAY
Here's what actually moves the needle. The real climate actions – not the "greenwashing"
By Sigrid Vestergaard Frandsen, Director of Environmental Health
05/13/2026
You’ve probably been told that swapping plastic bags for canvas ones will help save the planet, and that paper straws are making a difference. They’re certainly helpful, but their impact is not as meaningful as we're led to believe. Micro-actions like switching to a canvas bag or paper straws are making us feel like we’re doing something while the real causes of the climate crisis go largely untouched.
The truth is that individual action does matter. But only when it’s aimed at the right targets. The choices that genuinely reduce our carbon footprint, cut our waste, and withdraw our financial support from the world’s largest polluters are rarely the ones on the ‘eco tips’ lists. They’re more fundamental, more inconvenient to talk about – and far more powerful.
This article is for Americans, particularly those on tighter budgets, who want to know what truly makes a difference. The good news is that most of these actions save money, too.
Top 5 things you can do daily to emit fewer greenhouse gases
01
Eat less beef and dairy – eat more veggies: This is the single highest-impact dietary change you can make. Beef production generates up to 40 times more greenhouse gas emissions per gram of protein than plant-based alternatives. You don’t have to go vegan. Cutting beef to once a week makes a real, measurable difference. Swap it for chicken, eggs, beans, or lentils to cut your dietary emissions dramatically – as well as your grocery bill and cholesterol level.
02
Drive less – walk, bike, or use public transport: Transportation is the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. You don’t need an electric vehicle to make a dent. Combining multiple errands into one trip, carpooling once a week, taking public transport, biking, or walking when available can cut your personal transport emissions significantly – and save real money on gas, especially now.
03
Let your air conditioner rest by switching to Heat Abatement Technologies (HAT): Heating and cooling account for 58% of an average home's energy use in America (7,000Kw/h equivalent to 3,000 pounds of coal burned) annually. Letting your AC rest or turning it off completely can reduce household emissions by hundreds of pounds of CO2 per year. It also cuts your energy bill significantly – 30% with HAT. That's the same as preventing emissions from 1,000 pounds of coal burnt.
04
Reduce food waste: One-third of all food produced globally is wasted. When food rots in landfills, it releases methane – a greenhouse gas 83 times more powerful than CO2 at heating the planet. In fact, 58% of landfill methane stems from food waste. Planning your meals for the week, buying only what you’ll actually eat, and using leftovers are among the most underrated climate actions available – and they reduce your grocery bill, too!
05
Save energy at home: Wash your clothes on a cold-water program and let them air-dry. About 90% of the energy used by a washing machine goes towards heating the water, and air-drying one load a day for a year instead of tumble-drying can save hundreds of pounds of CO2. Leakproofing your house by making sure your heating and cooling don't leak through your windows and walls, and no water drips from your faucets, could save you an additional 20% on your annual electricity and water bill.
Top 5 things you can do daily to create less waste
01
Consider your water waste: The average American family wastes 9,400 gallons of water annually from household leaks alone. That's 900 billion gallons lost per year from homes nationwide. Fixing leaky faucets and showers, turning the faucet off when you brush your teeth, wash your hands, or do the dishes, and running the dishwasher and laundry only when the machines are full can save you thousands of gallons per year and cut your water bill dramatically.
02
Stop buying bottled water: Americans buy around 50 billion plastic water bottles per year, and the vast majority are not recycled. Additionally, plastic in landfills releases methane and other toxic gases and chemicals when exposed to UV light over time. A reusable bottle and a basic tap filter or countertop filter dispenser are some of the most efficient ways to create less waste. It also saves you several hundred dollars a year.
03
Boycott fast fashion, buy secondhand first: The textile industry is the world’s second most polluting industry – right after oil and gas – accounting for approximately 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. In 2018, American landfills received 11.3 million tons of textile waste. Using thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace, or your local Buy Nothing groups first will have a significant positive impact on the environment and your wallet. Secondhand is cheaper, keeps items out of landfills, and doesn’t fund the industries driving that waste.
04
Compost food scraps: Up to 40% of food goes uneaten in America, and food waste is the largest component of landfills at 24%. Even without a yard or garden, food scraps can be composted and kept out of landfills – where it is responsible for 58% of landfill methane production – and, if you do garden, give you free fertilizer.
05
Reduce, refuse, reuse, repair, and recycle: A culture of disposability drives enormous waste. Learning basic skills and habits like sewing on a button, refusing unnecessary packaging, fixing a leaky faucet, and reusing glass jars extends the life of products and keeps them out of landfills. YouTube offers many tutorials on exactly these tricks, and repair costs are almost always lower than replacement costs.
Top 5 things you can do daily to withdraw support to major polluters
01
Choose independent gas stations over ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP: The oil and gas industry is the largest and most polluting industry in the world, accounting for 5.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions globally per year. If you drive and can’t avoid buying gas or changing to an electric vehicle, your choice of station matters. Independent and regional stations don’t funnel profits directly into the lobbying budgets of the world’s largest oil companies. Every dollar you keep out of your tank entirely – through fuel-efficient driving, combining trips, or walking and biking shorter distances – is also a dollar not going to them.
02
Switch your bank to a credit union or fossil-free bank: This is the most overlooked step towards climate action for the average American household. In fact, the world’s largest banks pledged $869 billion to fossil fuel firms in 2024. Moving your checking or savings account to a local credit union or to a certified fossil-free bank directly withdraws financial infrastructure from the industry.
03
Switch your electricity to a renewable energy provider: In many states, you can choose your utility grid company. Switching to a provider that sources from wind or solar costs the same – or less – and removes your monthly energy bill from funding the fossil fuel sector. Additionally, if you have an electric vehicle, consider recharging at charging stations owned by companies that source from renewable energy.
04
Reduce your online purchases: online shopping logistics networks are one of the largest single sources of retail emissions in the U.S., and these companies have repeatedly lobbied against climate regulations. Buying locally from independent retailers, farmers' markets, and hardware stores keeps money in your community and out of one of the most emissions-intensive retail models ever built. Additionally, when you must buy online, batching orders and choosing slower delivery methods cut transport emissions significantly.
05
Check and shift your retirement savings: Many Americans unknowingly invest in fossil fuel companies through their 401(k) or pension plan. Asking your HR department for ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) fund options, or switching your allocations toward them, can be one of the highest-leverage financial actions available – particularly as these funds compound over decades. You don’t have to sacrifice returns: many ESG funds now outperform their conventional counterparts.
The bottom line
None of these actions require you to be wealthy. In fact, most of them save money. What they do require is a shift in how we think about our daily choices and comfort – away from wasteful choices and over-cooling homes and toward decisions that actually reduce demand for fossil fuels, cut waste at the source, and withdraw financial support from the industries causing the most harm.
Individual action alone won’t solve the climate crisis. Policy change, corporate accountability, and systemic reform are essential. But millions of people making these choices together leads to real economic pressure and sends an unmistakable signal to the markets, the banks, and the corporations that the status quo is no longer acceptable.
Start with one list. Pick the action that fits your life right now. Then add another.