Have you ever wondered what you can do to help save the earth? Chip Giller of environmental magazine Grist.org offers a 7-day solution for cutting your family’s energy consumption by almost 10 percent. Try it for a week, then stick with it if you can — because every little bit helps.

1. Monday: Turn down your thermostat just 2 degrees - this will cut your energy bill by 10%. Try turning it lower when you're asleep or out of the house, and then bring it back up when you arrive home or get up in the morning.

2. Tuesday: Unplug all unused electronics and appliances. Americans waste $1 billion a year powering items like TVs and DVD players while they’re turned off. So try unplugging your microwaves, DVD players and cell phone chargers when you aren't using them.

3. Wednesday: Wash your clothes in cold water. Ninety percent of the energy used in clothes washing goes to heat the water, so washing cold is a simple way to cut energy use drastically. Also try and wash full loads so you don't waste water. Make sure to check the lint trap before each load and clean it; this will also save energy.

4. Thursday: Eat less meat! You may be surprised to find out that 18% of human-generated greenhouse-gas emissions comes from the livestock industry. You don't have to become a vegetarian, just try to include one meat-free day in your week. If every American did this, it would reduce emissions as much as taking 8 million cars off the roads.

5. Friday: Carpool or ride your bike. Vehicles consume half of the world’s oil, and spew a quarter of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions. By ditching your car just one day a week, you would be saving a lot of gas and emissions over the course of one year. Also be sure to keep your tires properly inflated when you do drive; underinflated tires can cut your gas mileage by 5 percent.

6. Saturday: Use this day for home improvement. Pick one small project you can do around the house to save energy. This might include replacing your bulbs with the energy-saving fluorescents (which use about 1/5 the energy and last 12 times longer), install a low-flow showerhead, or turn your water heater down to 120 degrees and insulate the tank.

7. Sunday: Write a letter. Sometimes the best thing you can do to help with climate control is to write a letter to business and political leaders who care about these issues. Let them know you thank them for their hard work and encourage them to do more.

You don’t have to be an expert on the issues to speak up. All you have to do is pitch in in some small way, and we can all have a positive impact on planetary change!