There’s nothing to fear from going green – after all you’ll save money and energy as well as doing your part to combat climate change. That’s win, win, win.

Changing some bad habits (like leaving lights and computers on) can pay big dividends. Here are 16 lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your family’s carbon footprint:

1. Replace old fridge (at least 10 years old) with an ENERGY STAR fridge. CO2 reduction: 2,300 pounds a year.
2. Replace old clothes washer (at least 10 yrs old) with a new ENERGY STAR clothes washer. CO2 reduction: 850 pounds a year.
3. Line dry clothes in summer. CO2 reduction: 780 pounds a year. Line dry clothes all year (using indoor clothes drying rack with the added benefit of additional humidity in the winter.) CO2 reduction: 1400 pounds a year.
4. Cut standby electric loads in half. (Vampire loads account for 6% of electric usage in the US). CO2 reduction: 300 pounds a year.
5. Turn off home office equipment when not in use. CO2 reduction: 140 pounds a year.
6. Run your dishwasher only with a full load. Use the energy-saving setting to dry dishes. Don’t use heat when drying. CO2 reduction: 200 pounds a year.
7. Don’t overheat or overcool rooms. Adjust your thermostat (lower in winter, higher in summer) CO2 reduction (for each 2-degree adjustment): 500 pounds a year.
8. Install programmable thermostat to automatically adjust temperatures. CO2 reduction: 600 pounds a year.
9. Caulk and weatherstrip around doors and windows to plug air leaks. CO2 reduction: Up to 1,350 pounds a year.
10. Buy energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs for your most-used lights. CO2 reduction (by replacing one frequently used bulb): about 100 pounds a year.
11. Turn off unneeded lights. CO2 reduction: 380 pounds a year.
12. Turn down your water heater thermostat; 130 degrees to kill bacteria if you have a dishwasher, otherwise 120 degrees usually hot enough. CO2 reduction (for each 10 degree adjustment): 500 pounds a year.
13. Install low-flow shower heads to use less hot water. CO2 reduction: Up to 300 pounds a year.
14. Whenever possible walk, bike, carpool or use mass transit. CO2 reduction (for every gallon of gasoline you save): 20 pounds.
15. When you buy a car, choose one that gets good gas mileage. CO2 reduction (if your new car gets 10 mpg more than your old one): about 10,000 pounds a year.
16. Add solar hot water heating system. CO2 reduction: 1,500 pounds a year.

Not long ago the Canadian government was urging citizens to meet the one tonne challenge to reduce their personal carbon dioxide emissions. If you follow all of the above suggestions, you’ll reduce your carbon footprint by more than 9.29 tonnes. Imagine your savings!