By now, we all know it's sensible to shun plastic bags at the checkout, get our lofts insulated and turn off the TV at the plug rather than leave it on standby.

From recycling newspapers and buying organic vegetables to switching to renewable energy suppliers and fretting about our carbon footprint, 2008 was the year we started to really care about the world we live in. Hopefully, 2009 will turn out to be just as green.

To start the year as you mean to carry on, here are 10 easy ways to help you save money, energy and the planet. Even if you only manage to carry out one of the actions listed below, you'll be doing your bit to look after the environment.

1. Save money

Saving money and being green go hand in hand. By only boiling the water you need, cooking with the lids on saucepans and not leaving anything on standby, you can save a small fortune in fuel costs. Likewise, switching to energy-efficient light bulbs, using a clothes horse instead of a tumble dryer and turning your central heating down by a couple of degrees can save you pounds as well as significantly reducing your carbon footprint.

2. Say no to ready meals

Our appetite for ready meals shows no signs of going away, but what's the point of buying something that's been cooked twice, is swathed in unnecessary packaging and uses the cheapest possible ingredients? Surely it's a far better option to cook something from scratch, using fresh, local ingredients that haven't been flown halfway round the world. In the same time it takes to reheat a ready meal you can cook a delicious stir fry, without any of the excess salt, flavourings or preservatives. I know which one I'd prefer.

3. Share your tools

Does every household need a hedge trimmer, lawnmower or power drill? Of course they don't. Either club together with neighbours or friends to buy a communal set of tools or rent them when you need them. There's no point having a ladder taking up valuable storage space if you're only ever going to need it once a year to clean leaves from the guttering. By sharing tools with your neighbours you'll also be saving money and the resources necessary to manufacture them in the first place.

4. Visit a cobblers

More than 330 million pairs of shoes get thrown away each year. The next time you buy a new pair, vow to look after them – clean them regularly and invest in a wooden shoe trees to help retain their shape. Get them re-soled and re-heeled at a cobblers when necessary and don't treat them as a throwaway item.

5. Green your office

While most of us recycle our waste and turn lights off in rooms when they're not being used, it's a different story at work. Often there are no recycling facilities at all and lights are left on all the time, even through the night. It's a tremendous waste of resources and energy so see if you can convince your boss to do something
about it.

Even better, get people to print on both sides of a sheet of paper, file documents electronically, bring their own mugs into work for their coffee break and buy some indoor plants to help purify the air. Maybe you can even convince your manager to let you work from home once or twice a month to save money, time and carbon emissions by not having to commute. It's worth a try…


6. Put your money where your mouth is

Could your money be doing more for the environment? Why not switch your savings to an ethical account that only invests in eco-friendly businesses?

The Co-operative Bank won't lend to companies that are involved in the arms trade, the tobacco industry or animal cruelty. Similarly, the Ecology Building Society only lends money to companies that have a sustainable business plan while Triodos offers a Fairtrade savings account that invests in ethically sound projects. If you decide to invest your cash in a green fund or switch to a more ethical savings account, don't forget to tell your bank manager why you're closing your existing account.

7. Go flight free

Cheap flights to exotic locations are certainly tempting, but commercial jets spew out more than 600 million tonnes of CO2
into the atmosphere every year. One long-haul flight can undo all your energy-saving deeds for the year, so why not holiday closer to home in 2009? Travel by train to a part of the British Isles you've never been to before or get to know your local area really well. Cutting out air travel is one of the simplest ways to cut down your contribution to global warming and will make sure your next holiday is a breather for the planet as well as your family.


8. Compost your food waste

Instead of chucking leftover food in the bin, start a compost heap in your back garden. In no time at all you'll be generating nutrient rich material that will condition your soil and nourish your plants. If space is limited, opt for a wormery instead. A bag of compost bought from a garden centre can cost £5 or more, while a compost heap in your back garden cost nothing at all. You can compost a wide variety of organic matter, ranging from fruit, vegetables and tea bags to dead leaves, vacuum waste, eggshells, cardboard and wool.


9. Get back to nature

Escape the nine-to-five grind and enjoy a walk in a local park, arboretum or nearby wood. Take the time to enjoy the passing seasons instead of stirring at your monitor or TV all day. Get out of the office at lunchtime and go and explore nature or, at the very least, eat your sandwich outside. England's green and pleasant lands might have been replaced by car parks and tower blocks, but there are little tiny oasis in even the most miserable inner city areas.

10. Ditch the car

More than two thirds of journeys are less than five miles, so leave the car at home and walk the kids to school, cycle to the shops or catch the bus or train to work. Road transport is responsible for almost a fifth of all UK CO2 emissions, so leaving your petrol-guzzling behemoth parked in the garage is not only good for your wallet but it's great for the environment too.