With the coming of a new year, we have the chance to better our lives & turn over a new leaf. Why not start by living a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Clip this list of green alternatives & see how many you can apply to your daily life. You may be surprised at just how green you can be with very little effort, & who knows, maybe it will be contagious.

Water your garden with a rain barrel. Hook up a rain barrel to your downspout or attach a fancy copper water catcher & start storing water for all those hot summer days. Your barrel will weigh over 400 lbs when full, so ensure you find a level place to store it… One ¼ inch of rain will yield 200 gallons of water.

Gather your neighbors & start a community garden to grow your own vegetables. This is a great idea especially for people with limited yard space or apartment dwellers.

Set up a composter & treat your garden to free compost. Fill it up with any non-meat food scraps, vegetable peelings coffee grounds, leaves & grass cuttings. Your plants will love it & you'll be purchasing less garbage bags.

Plant a tree. Build your own forest by planting trees & seedlings. They look beautiful, provide shade & habitats for animals & birds. They'll even do their part to improve air quality by filtering out pollution & boosting oxygen.

Find alternatives to insecticides. Fight garden pests with organic means, such as dish detergent & water. Take some Ivory Liquid detergent mixed with water at a ratio of one to two percent & spray your plants to coat bugs & suffocate them.

Use solar power to light your walkway. Save money on bulbs & electricity with solar powered garden lights. You'll love the wire-free installation. Where solar isn't practical switch to low voltage or LED lighting.

When landscaping, focus on using native species of plants to help stop the spread of invasive, non-native vegetation.

Make a habitat. Help support our feathered friends by hanging feeders or bird houses, set up a bird bath & plant shrubs that bear fruit.

Let nature take care of mosquitoes naturally. Build a backyard bat box & let them feast on between 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes per hour. That sure beats spraying bug repellent.

Remember push mowers? They've become all the rage as an eco-alternative to gas mowers for cutting your lawn. They save money, mess & you get additional exercise.

Don't forget the mulch. Adding mulch to your garden in the winter protects your plants from the cold & in the summer months keeps the soil cool, prevents water loss & helps to control weeds.

Reduce, reuse & recycle every chance you get. It may take some time, but just by being aware you will increase your practice of the 3 "R's". The next time you go to throw out that old piece of lumber, fencing, or light fixture, stop yourself & take a load to the local reuse store. You may also find that reclaimed lumber fits the bill for your next building project.