Your consumer electronics are drawing power not only when in use, but in order to power those ubiquitous clock displays and provide memory backup, your electric bill continues to accumulate overnight as these devices enter standby mode. Learn more about how "vampire draw" works and how to reduce your electric bill.

35% of trees being logged are being used in paper products, so buying recycled paper products can have large impact on deforestation as well as other environmental problems.

Over 100 million printer cartridges are thrown out each year (some estimates place it as high as 300 million). With an estimated decomposition time of 450 years, that's a lot of waste that will stay in the ground for generations. Many printer companies make their money in consumables. That's why printers are often only slightly more expensive than the ink cartridges they use. However, instead of running out and buying new cartridges, you can actually reuse your old ones in different ways.

Over the years, it is inevitable that we will go through many appliance and electronics upgrades. While we put a lot of thought into carefully researching and purchasing a new device, we often overlook the importance of proper disposal for the old items. Many appliances and electronics unnecessarily hit the landfills each year instead of being recycled due to people simply not knowing what to do with them. With a little bit of research, you can do your part to keep hazardous and non-biodegradable material out of the ground.