One of the biggest energy hogs at work or in your home office is your desktop computer. When buying a new computer, a laptop is more energy-efficient than a desktop. But for practicality, sometimes a desktop is the only choice that can work. One way to reduce the energy usage of a desktop computer is to be selective about the monitor size. By choosing a screen and then going down 2 inches, you reduce the energy consumption of the monitor by 30 percent. That's just one easy step to save energy -- and you'll hardly notice a difference.

If you buy only one fruit or vegetable organic, make sure it's this: apples. Year after year, the nonprofit Environmental Working Group has listed apples as the No. 1 most contaminated produce. Eighty percent of apples sampled by the USDA tested positive for a chemical called DPA (or diphenylamine), which farmers use to prevent the skin from darkening. While it extends the shelf life of apples, it has the potential to be a serious carcinogen. And since the DPA is sprayed on apples after they are harvested, its concentration is highest when consumers buy them. Buy organic, or at the very least, wash apples thoroughly and peel them before eating.

It may be sold in some health food stores, but be wary of burning incense sticks inside your home. Recent studies have shown that burning incense can be just as harmful to your health as smoking cigarettes. Of the 64 toxins identified in incense sticks, two of them have been found to be "highly toxic," according to the journal Environmental Chemistry Letters. Since incense sticks are unregulated, there's no way of really knowing what's in that package when you buy them. If you want to scent your home, consider all-natural methods like essential oil-based sprays or simply opening a window.