A 2012 study by the Center for Health, Environment and Justice found that 75 percent of children's school supplies (folders, backpacks and lunchboxes) contained toxic phthalates. If you're a parent trying to avoid pthalates, there are certain steps you can take to find nontoxic school supplies. First, look for canvas, hemp or cotton backpacks; avoid shiny, plastic-looking bags that are likely made with PVC. The same goes for lunch containers: Stainless steel containers or fabric lunch sacks are better than hard plastic boxes. And go with rigid paperboard binders over plastic ones.

Have an old fur coat in the closet? You can put it to good use to help wild animals in need. The nonprofit animal advocacy organization Born Free runs the Fur for the Animals Campaign, which uses old fur coats (and hats and blankets) to help orphaned and injured wild animals. The items are sent to wildlife rehabilitation centers around the United States, where they are used to give warmth and comfort to animals like coyote pups, possums, foxes and bobcats.

One of the biggest culprits of carbon emissions during the holiday season is all of the long car rides to get to Grandma's house. If you must drive, consider finding someone to carpool with who is heading in the same direction, to cut your emissions in half. Carpoolworld.com lets you register where you're going and helps you find others who are going the same route. While the eco-savings are huge, you also split the costs of fuel and tolls. The website has calculated they've taken over 173,000 cars off the road and saved 99 million gallons of gas.