Do just one thing

KEEP WRAPPERS FROM PETS You may not realize it, but a wrapper that once held a chocolate bar or a piece of candy can be all too tempting to your family pet. And while a small wrapper may get eaten and easily pass through the digestive system, there is still the chance a wrapper could attach itself to the lining of your pet’s stomach. If this happens, call your veterinarian; the situation is even more emergent if the candy was chocolate or made with the sugar substitute xylitol (which can be fatal). Generally, treat wrappers as if they are dangerous items: Discard them so your pet can never, ever find them.

RENEWABLE TOOTHBRUSHES

Did you know over 1 billion plastic toothbrushes are used every year in the United States, and almost all of them end up in landfills? One way to help avoid this waste is to look for more environmentally friendly alternatives, like brushes with renewable bamboo in lieu of plastic for the handles, which are biodegradable and a much greener choice than conventional brushes. If you do have plastic brushes, consider using them around the house when they are too worn for your teeth. Save them for scrubbing hard-to-clean areas on tile grout and keyboards; you can even use them to give your jewelry and shoes a good cleaning.

RENT A CHRISTMAS TREE This holiday season, instead of choosing between a live or an artificial Christmas tree, consider renting one instead. Live balled trees can be rented from local landscaping stores, and they will often deliver the tree and take it back after the Christmas holiday. If your local store doesn’t have such a program, why not propose it and see if they’ll go for it? It’s a win-win for them: They get revenue for a tree they can’t plant now and they also get it back. If you prefer an artificial tree, local prop houses (typically used by set designers) will often rent trees to the public at a tiny fraction of the cost. The benefit? When the holiday season is over, you can return it and not deal with storing it.

NO CAR IN CITY

City dwellers who rarely use their car may want to think twice about keeping it. On average, the cost of gas, registration, insurance and payments (if the car isn’t owned outright) can add up to around $10,000 a year. A car that isn’t a daily necessity can be sold to save money; experts agree that when you do need a car, renting is the most economical and ecological way to go, since you only use it when you really, truly need it. Of course, you can always donate a car you own outright to charity and reap the tax deduction savings, too.

SEASONED FIREWOOD

It’s important to use only “seasoned” firewood when making a fire, since the excess moisture in “green” wood can make it burn inefficiently and not as clean. But how can you tell if the firewood you have is actually seasoned? Start by looking at the ends of the log: Are they dark in color and cracked? If so, it’s dry. Then lift the wood: Is it lighter than a freshly cut piece of wood around the same size? Does it make a hollow sound when you hit two pieces of firewood together? If so, it’s perfect for your fireplace or firepit.

WHAT TO DO WITH TEABAGS

If you love tea and wonder what to do with a used tea bag, here are a few upcycling ideas. Use it as a compress on a bruise, bee sting or sunburn to help provide relief and reduce inflammation. Or place a few used tea bags in a casserole dish with stuck-on food and add hot water. The residual tannins in the used tea bags will break down the grease to make cleaning up a breeze. Finally, when repotting plants, place a used tea bag at the drainage hole inside the pot. It will help retain water inside, release nutrients into the soil and degrade into beneficial mulch over time.

DONATING PRINTED BOOKS

Even in an age of digital reading, printed books are still in demand and can be donated if you’re ready to make room on your bookshelf at home. The rule of thumb for donating books is this: If the book was published less than two or three years ago, donate it to your local library, where it can be resold to raise money for the library’s valuable work. If it’s an older book, donate it to a Salvation Army or Goodwill store, where it can be resold in the store. Either way you donate them, be sure to get a receipt for tax deduction purposes.