Recent reports of global warming have made environmentalism a hot topic. People everywhere are looking for ways to be more friendly to the Earth.

The keys are using less energy and creating less waste.

You know that cars burn gasoline and send carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is thought to lead to global warming. But power plants also emit large amounts of carbon dioxide by burning coal, gas or other fossil fuels. So using less energy in the home means burning less fuel.

As the Union of Concerned Scientists explains on ClimateChoices.org, just about every product depends on burning fossil fuels, either in the manufacturing process or in shipping it to stores. When we waste less, we consume less, and that means fewer greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

You can hardly give up consuming things. But we can all reduce our consumption of both energy and products. Most of the steps you can take save money and don't require big changes to your life.

Buy Energy Star Appliances

Energy Star is a government program that supports especially energy-efficient appliances. The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy work together to maintain very high standards for the products they endorse.

Everything from clothes washers to dehumidifiers are among the approved products, and using them can save a substantial amount of energy and expense. According to Energystar.gov, Americans saved $12 billion in energy costs in 2005. The certified products also kept enough gases out of the atmosphere to equal elimination of emissions from 23 million cars.

Change Your Bulbs

Fluorescent light bulbs have been around for decades. They use much less energy and last much longer than conventional incandescent bulbs.

But fluorescent bulbs tend to give off a depressing, sickly light. Technology has changed over the years, and there are many newer fluorescent bulbs that provide warmer light.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs are available in a variety of styles, including warmer light for living spaces and more traditional fluorescent light for work spaces.

CFLs fit in standard lamps and come in many shapes, ranging from ones that look like traditional bulbs to "squiggly" models that take traditional fluorescent tubes and bend them into spiral shapes.

Compact fluorescent lights are more expensive -- at first. They cost around $4 to $15 per bulb, while standard incandescent will cost about $2.50. But Energy Star-endorsed light bulbs last up to 10 times longer than conventional bulbs.

Perhaps most importantly, the CFLs use two-thirds the energy of incandescent bulbs in the same amount of time. This means energy savings for your family and about 300 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, according to ClimateCrisis.net, the Web site associated with the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."

Unplug

Even when TVs, computers and other electronic appliances are off, they use energy. According to ClimateCrisis, 5 percent of all domestic energy use is wasted this way. That translates to 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year.

Unplugging appliances when they are not in use can save you money in energy bills, especially if you have many appliances.

Look For Efficient Cars

You have probably heard about this one. Simply having a car with better gas mileage is a major boon to the environment. ClimateCrisis puts it into numerical terms: Improving gas mileage only 3 miles per gallon saves about 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released each year.

If you are in the market for a new car, there are several types available that use fuel-efficient technology. Hybrids that have gasoline engines and electric motors are the most popular, because they tend to get the best gas mileage and are widely available.

Buying a hybrid probably won't save you money, however. The Kelley Blue Book puts most hybrid sedans at $20,000 to $25,000, while comparable nonhybrids often cost around $15,000 to $20,000. You might get some of that money back in savings on gas, but probably not all.

For many families, the size of hybrid cars has been a concern. The two most popular and fuel-efficient hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid, can each fit only four people comfortably.

But there are alternatives. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid seats 7 passengers and is rated at 32 miles per gallon on the highway and 27 in the city. That's nothing compared to the 51/60 mpg found in the Toyota Prius, but much better than SUVs of comparable size.

Reuse Your Food

If you have a garden, unused food and leftover food products can be a great resource. You can collect them in a pot indoors and then empty the pot into a compost bin each night.

Composting not only reduces the food waste you have to throw out, it also makes for nutrient-rich soil, which means you will have to buy less soil for your garden.

Bring That Bag Back

This idea is pretty simple. Instead of choosing paper or plastic at the grocery store, bring your own tote bag. That way, you don't have to use and then throw away quite so many disposable bags.

And when you see other shoppers' flimsy plastic and paper bags break away under the weight of their groceries, you'll be glad to have yours in a sturdy satchel.