Drink a cup of coffee, save a hummingbird.

If you're a coffee drinker, there are two tiny steps you can take each day to preserve the environment. First, use a permanent gold filter or unbleached coffee filter instead of the standard white filters. Second, switch to shade-grown coffee.

Bleached filters contain trace amounts of dioxin: bad for you and the environment. The EPA's Dioxin Reassessment found that dioxins are 300,000 times more potent a carcinogen than DDT. Because dioxins don't readily break down, they accumulate in our air, water, and soil. Click here to find out more.

In the last 20 years, the pressure to boost production has led large-scale coffee growers to switch from shade-grown to higher-producing sun-grown coffee. Shade-grown coffee preserves the habitat for wintering neo-tropical migratory birds as well as mid-sized mammal species, avifauna and insects. Due to the natural mulch on the floor of a shade-grown coffee plantation, production requires far fewer chemical herbicides and fertilizers. In Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and Colombia, shade-grown coffee plantations are the last refuge for birds that have lost their tropical forest habitats due to deforestation. According to Seattle Audubon, “One study conducted in Mexico found over 140 species of birds in the forests of shade coffee farms while sun-coffee farms contained only 5-6 species.” Click here to find out more.

Got a portable gadget habit? Use rechargeable batteries (but don't forget to recycle them).

The EPA estimates that over 2 billion batteries are sent to U.S. landfills each year. If, like most people, you own a stable of portable devices with an insatiable appetite for batteries, a simple switch to rechargeables is a better environmental choice --- and more cost-effective, to boot!

According to the EPA, batteries account for a disproportionate amount of toxic metals found in municipal solid waste. When batteries are disposed of improperly, they can leach into the environment and the water table causing human health problems. Mercury and mercury compounds in batteries are highly toxic, with health risks that run the gamut from kidney damage to genetic, neurological and psychological disorders. Cadmium, another common battery component, is a carcinogen and is poisonous when ingested or inhaled.

Keep in mind, though, that rechargeable batteries are an imperfect solution: they have a finite lifespan and like traditional batteries, they must be recycled rather than tossed in the trash. Still, if you go through four batteries a week, in a year's time you'll have kept 208 batteries out of the landfill if you switch to rechargeables. Over the course of 25 years, that's 5,200 batteries! Click here for more information.

Ditch those dryer sheets.

In scientific studies, fabric softening dryer sheets have been found to emit a laundry list of chemicals, including toluene, styrene, phenol, thymol, xylene, and trimethylbenzene. These toxins cause acute respiratory tract irritation and inflammation. Additionally, dryer sheets are one of the most persistent items in landfill. So, once you've finished poisoning your home with them, they live on for years, polluting the ground and your community's water table.

Can't live with static cling? Seventh Generation and Ecover manufacture alternative products made from vegetable based ingredients. Or, just add 2 ounces of baking soda to the wash cycle or 2 ounces of vinegar to the rinse cycle. Click here for more information.