11 Things You Didn't Know Were Green

We all know that household items such as baking soda, hemp and houseplants are staples of the eco-conscious consumer. But there are other earth-friendly items — like the change in your pocket or that list that you keep on your fridge — that might not even be on Ed Begley, Jr.'s eco-radar. Here's our list of 11 surprisingly green things.

1. Cleaning your plate

We're not suggesting you overeat — just create less food waste. Although President Harry S. Truman started the Clean Plate Club in an attempt to conserve limited post-war resources, our goal today should be to put a stop to our insane amount of waste. Food-waste disposal alone costs the United States $1 billion a year. Plus, rotting food releases methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. All the more reason to cook and eat only what you need.

2. Cheapskates

Sure, it irked you when your dad nudged you about shutting off the lights back when you were a kid, but he set a great eco-example. Last year, 2.2 million Australians turned off their lights for one hour, a small move that prompted a reduction in greenhouse gases. And, if those same people shut their lights for a year, they would have done the energy-reducing good deed of removing 50,000 cars from the highway. Visit Earth Hour and prepare to turn your lights off for an hour this coming spring. Invite your neighbors over for a candlelight game of Trivial Pursuit. Make it a party!

3. The local milkman

For the past 75 years, the lucky folks in the Boston-metro area have been able to count on milkmen who deliver fresh, ice-cold milk from Crescent Ridge Farms in environmentally friendly glass bottles. All of its milk comes from cows that are never treated with growth hormones. Best of all, this farm supports many local co-ops and just added 150 other items to their to-go list, so families don't have to waste gas driving to the grocery store. Find your own local dairy farm on LocalHarvest.org.

4. Hand-me-downs

For parents, hand-me-downs are a boondoggle. Free clothes! Fewer trips to purchase made-in-China-by-underage-kids clothing! For children, on the other hand, hand-me-downs can be traumatizing. But take heart, junior, hand-me-downs can be hip. Just the other day Zahara Jolie-Pitt was photographed wearing a Black Sabbath T-shirt once worn by her older brother Maddox (thanks for the tip, Celebrity Baby Blog). See, even gazillionaires see the value in "vintage"!