April is Earth month, a perfect time to think about how our actions impact the environment and how we can make meaningful changes. If you are interested in making common sense life changes this (or any) month, consider the following seven ideas.

1. Don’t throw away any food

About 24% of American trash is food waste, so eliminating this is one of the most impactful changes you can make. Most food can be successfully used up with ingenuity and the right tools. For instance, it can be composted, either by yourself or at a community garden. Much of it can also be fed to chickens and other pets if you have these, although you should look up any new items to make sure they are not toxic to the animal. Much of the food wasted in the US can even repurposed into another meal. I keep a container in my fridge for veggie scraps and bones, for example, and use it to make broth when it gets full.

2. Eat meatless one extra day per week

Meatless Mondays have become a tradition in many American homes but you do not need to stop there. Even omnivores can reap the health and ecological benefits of a plant-based diet by eating one more meatless meal a week than usual. This is a chance to expand your horizons and explore new cuisines while also reducing your carbon footprint.

3. Reuse all plastic

A plastic free lifestyle would be ideal for most zero waste enthusiasts but the reusable alternatives are not exactly cheap. As a result, many people feel they just do not have the time or money to stop using single use plastics. However, simply reusing any plastic that comes into your house is frugal and doable for most. If you reuse each item just once, you will roughly halve the amount you consume, which can add up quickly. In addition, this practice can help you to start identifying the plastic waste in your life which is the first step to reducing.

4. Use rags instead of paper goods and vinegar (or other homemade cleaner) instead of cleaning spray

You don’t need a complicated recipe to make a cleaner. Simple diluted soap or vinegar will clean most of the items in your home. If you swap out your usual paper towels or disposable wipes for an old rag or cut up t-shirt, you have just created a zero waste cleaning routine with almost no effort. Try this plan for the month and see if your home stays as clean as when you use conventional cleaning products (hint – it will).

5. Take a month long spending moratorium except for local or used items

Many Americans are addicted to stuff. We are surrounded by new and affordable products that promise to amuse us or otherwise enrich our lives. Living in late stage capitalism is a bummer, and spending has become the new opiate of the masses. A no spend month is a great way to break the cycle.

No spend months can be difficult for those of us who have families or careers. I tend to do an occasional low spend month instead. Although I still allow some shopping as needed, I only buy locally produced and/or used products during my low spend times. This has two benefits: it makes me break my ties to the global production system, and it helps me to save money.

6. Skip the car one day a week

Transportation by automobile is the default in the United States. Public transportation can feel like an ordeal to newbies, while walking and biking are not supported in our urban design. However, many of us can skip the car at least one day a week and find alternative transportation.

Until a few years ago, I had unreliable transportation and often had to find an alternative. I walked or biked, took buses and trains, and asked people who commute from past my home to pick me up on the way. As soon as I had a reliable vehicle, I stopped doing these for the most part. Now I live in a rural area where public transportation simply does not exist and most destinations are long distances away.

Although I cannot take public transportation, I definitely can opt to walk when distances are short enough. April weather is the perfect setting to make walking, biking, or other low carbon transportation part of your flow.

7. Embrace dark, cold nights

There is nothing as cozy as an evening or night spent curled up with a blanket and a candle or lamp. We have gotten so used to artificial light and heat that we forget that not only can we do without, in some cases we might actually prefer it. Darkness and cold actually improve sleep so you might even find that you wake up more refreshed.