Today is Earth Day, and to celebrate we're highlighting a handful of ways you can go green with your computer, your home, and your life.
We've covered tons of ways to conserve energy and help the environment here at Lifehacker, so this is just a very quick look at a few of our favorites. For more, take a gander at our Environment and Conservation tag pages.
The Green Computer
Last year I highlighted several ways to go green with your computer, but we've covered several new tools since then. Our favorite: previously mentioned Edison, a free system tray app that tweaks your PC's power settings on a user-defined schedule—giving you more control over you power use than your default control panel settings.
Your PC itself isn't the only culprit in the fight against waste. Think of the peripherals! To that end, check out our smart and easy tips for reducing printing costs, and remember that your printer may be wasting a lot of ink if you believe everything it tells you.
Going Green Around the House
Whether you're installing some DIY, no-electricity lighting (see video), saying no to the giant wastes of paper that are the Yellow Pages, or simply reducing your water use all around the house, there's so many small changes you can make around your home to save energy and improve the environment.
If you're willing to make a few changes to your home on the outside, your roof has all kinds of potential for both saving and creating a little clean energy. For example, painting your roof white could save the planet, according to UC Berkeley. If you're willing to go a step further, web site RoofRay helps you determine the solar potential of your roof (see video) so you've got a clear idea of what kind of benefits you could reap by installing solar panels on your home.
A Greener Green Thumb
Nothing says "green" like a little gardening, and there are a ton of ways you can go above and beyond in your garden to save some energy and reap the benefits of fresh veggies. To begin with, you can save serious cash by converting a portion of your lawn into a garden. (Though if you're not up for a garden, you can still water your lawn more efficiently.) If you're a set-it-and-forget it type—and as a result have never been great at remembering to water your garden—you can create your own self-watering tomato planters from storage containers. If you're feeling especially adventurous, building a self-watering garden with recycled water is a great DIY.
Last, improve your home environment with three plants that give you better indoor air.
Got your own methods of greening up your life? Let's hear them in the comments.