hybrid car | Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies | Christopher Silas Neal | energy

The words green and guilt go well together.  In a 2007 nationwide poll sponsored by the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, 81 percent of Americans said they felt a personal responsibility to do something about global warming.  For them, and for you, we offer this gide to guilt-free environmentalism.   • Illustration by Christopher Silas Neal                   

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Everyday Choices

Being green tends to cost green. And oftentimes, the environmental responsibility that individuals tend to take on seems closely tied to their ability - and their willingness - to spend. Thus, you may see that dual-income, no-kids couple down the street commuting to work in their $25,000 hybrid car or read about celebrities writing checks for carbon credits to cover their energy- hogging mansions. But there are moves you can make that don't cost much - or even anything - and that will help reduce greenhouse gases, keep recyclable materials out of landfills, and otherwise help the earth continue to support life.

Conservation International, a nonprofit headquartered near Washington, D.C., recommends that anyone wanting a greener lifestyle to do without a car or, failing that, to drive less. Walk, bicycle, or take public transit, which doesn't cost much at all. And if you do have a car, keeping the engine tuned and the tires properly inflated will reduce pollution and save you gas money.