When shopping for a new sofa, be sure to look beyond just the style and size; inquire about what kind of fire retardants were used on the sofa. Many are made with polyurethane-based foam, which is a synthetic material treated with the fire retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDE. This chemical has been linked to endocrine disruption, according to the Environmental Working Group, and should be avoided at all costs. When shopping, ask for PBDE-free or -- better yet -- upholstered furniture that has zero fire retardants. Instead, opt for sofas filled with cotton, wool or a feather blend.

Love to drink a cup of delicious, hot black tea? Don't toss the used tea bags when you're done. There are myriad uses for the natural powers of tea for your kitchen. If you have stubborn, baked-on messes in your casserole dish, soak it overnight in water with some old tea bags; the tannins help break down the greasy mess. And does your fridge smell? Place old tea bags in a cup in the back of the fridge. The bags will absorb odors and help leave a fresh, clean smell.

When shopping for holiday gifts online, opt to have the packages sent to your office or place of work instead of your home. If you don't normally have packages sent to your house, it means delivery services like FedEx and UPS have to make an unscheduled stop to bring the items to your house. That means more fuel and more greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere. By having the items shipped to your place of work -- which already gets daily visits from these carriers -- you reduce the wasted fuel by removing the additional stop. To be even greener? Opt for ground service instead of overnight. It's cheaper, and it uses fuel-efficient trucks instead of planes.