Putting your kitchen waste and lawn clippings to work through composting is an excellent way to live green. Not only are you making use of would-be trash, you’re creating rich, nutrient-dense soil for your garden. Although many green living advocates use simple barrels or bins for creating compost, here’s an alternative if you want a faster way to create compost.

The Tumbleweed Compost Tumbler claims to create compost in as little as four weeks. With a daily spin, the tumbling bin rotates on a center axis to allow users to spin the tumbler around, breaking down the contents of the bin, introducing more oxygen to the contents, and ultimately creating compost in a shorter period of time. I found the Tumblweed Compost Tumbler at Green Living for $199.

One of the best ways to live green is to eat locally grown foods. Here’s why:

Transportation: Have you ever thought about the amount of energy it requires to transport food (or anything else) across oceans? It’s estimated that the average food item travels more than 1,500 miles before it reaches your table. Transporting fresh produce or other items grown or packaged overseas contributes to the growing environmental problems of air pollution, carbon emissions and fossil fuel consumption.

Health: By choosing local, organic foods you’ll be eliminating a host of toxins,preservatives, and pesticides from your dinner plate, and that’s a recipe for a long and healthy life!

So, do yourself and the environment a favor- reduce carbon emissions, save energy and eat healthier by choosing locally grown foods.

Green living isn’t just for the home front… here are two easy ways to go green while at work.

The Eco Button: Here’s a fun way save energy when it comes to computer use. With a simple tap, this cool looking USB device allows you to instantly put your computer into energy saver mode. I read about the Eco Button at The Office Master, a blog all about cubicle survival.

Power Strips: Here’s another green office tip. Plug your computer and any other office equipment into a power strip so you can easily shut them off before you leave. Since computer monitors are especially known for their energy-guzzling tendencies, this is a great way to save power and live green.

Conserving energy for a green home is truly a constant battle that must be fought diligently to be effective. If you’re home doesn’t include these 2 quick and easy energy savers, you’re missing out on some simple ways to conserve power and live green.

Programmable Thermostat: A programmable thermostat for controlling the temperature setting on your heat and air conditioning will elminate the possibility of forgetting to turn the temperature down when you leave or before you go to bed, and prevent energy-guzzling fluctuations in home temperatures. Programmable thermostats begin around $40- a cost you’ll quickly recover in energy bill savings.

Water Heater Blanket: Another energy saving tip for your home is to wrap your water heater in an insulated water heater cover. These things are a snap to install- simply wrap around and tie the laces. Insulated water heater blankets help prevent the escape of heat from your water heater, allowing you to conserve energy, live green, and save money.