Being different isn't just about buying differently, it's also about living differently. Here are some ideas:

Buy a reusable water bottle. Every day, people in the United States alone throw away millions of bottled water containers. Don't go with that crowd. Instead, keep refilling your water bottle until it wears out. Don't like the idea of filling your bottle with tap water? Then get a water filter (you'll save tons of money), or at least recycle your empty water bottles instead of throwing them away.

Tell your favorite magazine to use recycled paper. Some magazines are printed on paper that’s been made with a high percentage of post-consumer waste (Post-consumer waste [PCW] is paper that has already been used by people at schools, offices and homes).

Other magazines use much less PCW, and many use none at all. The magazines that are printed on paper made from trees result in more than 35 million trees being cut down each year. To find out what your favorite magazine is up to, look inside the page where the editors are listed. If you don’t see a notice that says it’s been printed on at least 30% PCW recycled paper, send a note and ask them to do better.

How do you send a message to your favorite magazine? The pre-paid subscription cards that fall out every time you open a magazine can be put to good use. Write “Please print on post-consumer waste recycled paper” and drop the card in the mail.

Make your cell phone last. Cell phone use in the United States has exploded, with the total number of subscribers reaching more than 128 million in 2001. And by 2005, up to 130 million cell phones may be thrown away in the United States each year! When dumped in a landfill or burnt in an incinerator, these phones will release toxic chemicals into your environment, polluting your air and your water.

But it doesn't have to be that way—if you and others decide to do two simple things: 1. Use your cell phone as long as possible before buying another one. (Yeah, the newest models will always be tempting, but are they worth the environmental costs?) 2. When you do have to replace your phone, donate it to a good cause.

Skip a car trip. Americans make up only 5% of the world's population, but we consume 40% of the world's gasoline. That's right, we're gas hogs. But we can all be a little less piggish by skipping one unnecessary car trip each week. Think of it this way: Skipping a 20-mile trip can cut the amount of carbon dioxide spewed into the air by more than 18 pounds. That's 18 pounds of CO² that won't be polluting our air and messing up our climate.

Stop junk mail. We Americans are also paper hogs. That same 5% of the world's population is also consuming 30% of the world's paper. And our paper use is increasing every year. A big part of that use is for "junk mail"—the catalogs, ads, and other stuff in your mailbox that you haven't asked for but get anyway. This mail adds up to 5.2 million tons each year, and since less than 20% is recycled, more than 4 million tons end up in landfills. That's 340,000 garbage trucks filled to the brim with nothing but junk mail!

You can help stop this waste by asking that your name be taken off businesses' mailing lists. You can fill out the forms to get off the lists online or send a letter or a postcard: include the date, your name, address, and signature, and write "Please register my name with the Mail Preference Service." Then send it to:

   Mail Preference Service
   c/o Direct Marketing Association
   P.O. Box 643
   Carmel, NY 10512

Move that thermostat. Heating and cooling your house make up the biggest chunk of home energy use. They also do the most the mess up our climate. The average single family home costs over $600 to heat and cool each year and creates nearly 13,000 pounds of carbon dioxide in the process.

Just by turning the thermostat down three degrees in the winter and up three degrees in the summer, you can save more than $50 and cut back on nearly 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

Buy Different for the Holidays. Holidays are some of the best times of the year-no school, an unusual amount of sweets in the house, seeing all your cousins... and, of course, the presents! We all love giving and getting presents. But did you know that the gifts you give can make a big difference to the planet?

Whether you're buying things that are eco-friendly or making something creative for a friend, you can save money, reduce stress, and do something good for the environment.

Want to find out more? Check out our Buy Different Holiday Guide for tips that you can use year round for making a big difference for the environment.