10 Planet-Saving Websites

In the time it takes to replace the incandescent bulb in your nightstand lamp with an energy-efficient one, over 80 new blogs will have been created — assuming it takes a minute to update your lighting. And that's based on data from last April. In short, the mind reels at the amount of information out there. To help you stay on top of it all, we bring you this shortlist of the 10 best sites that help you help the earth.

Mostly we looked for sites that offer targeted advice on making specific everyday choices, such as buying groceries or picking stocks, and we aimed for a wide range of publications: some of our picks are popular and backed by major organizations; others, small and homegrown.

1. Walk Score 
www.walkscore.com

Their pitch: Find a great neighborhood.

What we like: How the concept — calculating a neighborhood's walkability using an algorithm and Google Maps — makes a general idea visually compelling. When I type in my Brooklyn address, I find that my neighborhood—crammed with brownstones, bodegas, and shoe cobblers—nabs a score of 97. Spots scoring between 90 and 100 are dubbed a "walkers' paradise." In contrast, my childhood home in Rio Rancho, N.M., flunks with a nine — "driving only." While the site helps buyers and renters identify communities where they can realistically ditch their cars, it's also a reminder of the importance of smart urban planning.

Do something: Moving? Search for a 'hood with a high score. And, no, that doesn't mean you have to leg it to Seattle or New York City; one of the charms of the site is discovering that walkable neighborhoods flourish in unlikely places, like Clinton, Iowa — "very walkable" with a 75.

2. The Nature Conservancy
www.nature.org

Their pitch: Protecting nature. Preserving life.

What we like: This non-profit has heft, employing over 700 scientists and working in 30 countries to defend natural habitats, such as coral reefs, from foes like industrial waste. One of many projects (which sounds like the plot of a bad 1950s horror flick) is preventing the 7-foot-long pythons who recently swam from the Florida Everglades to the Keys from devouring endangered species. An example of how the Conservancy partners with corporations: it has recruited FedEx and UPS drivers to keep an eye out for the snaky invaders while driving.

Do something: On the site's home page, click on "volunteer" under "how you can help." In Tucson, volunteers give talks on rainwater harvesting, while Indianans will don their weeding gloves in May to yank too-aggressive garlic-mustard plants out of the ground.