OK so every day we hear more and more about protecting the environment and we all know we need to do our part. Between working and family commitments though you want to know how much more time this is going to take.

Well, living green doesn't need to be time consuming, there are some simple things you can incorporate into your regular routine that will make a difference without adding an additional time burden. Some examples:

When you go to the grocery store, get paper bags instead of plastic. Granted, they're not as easy to carry, but they're far more enviromentally friendly than plastic. If you MUST have plastic bags then take them back to your local friendly grocer who will recycle them.

We all buy some type of liquids in some type of glass or plastic bottles. If you buy bottles that you get money back on and simply find you don't have the time to return them for the deposit, save them and call your local booster club, boy scout (or girl scout) troop, or your local Lions Club.

Get a lot of magazines in the mail? Instead of just throwing them away after you read them, call your local community center or senior center and see if they'd like them - if not recycle them rather than throwing in the trash.

Are all those lights really necessary?? How many of us leave every light on behind us? Turn them off! If you're not in a room for an extended period of time, turn the light off when you leave. Putting your lights on timers also gives you the flexiblity of having the lights turn on just before you're due home from work (or at dusk). Same goes for outside lights.

Did you know that old eyeglasses and hearing aids are collected by many Lions Clubs? Contact your local Lions Club to see if they in fact are involved in this and if not contact Lenscrafters - many organizations travel to underdeveloped countries to distribute eyeglasses to those in need.

Getting rid of last years wardrobe? Recycle through a consignment shop, Goodwill Industries, or other organization in your area that will either resell for a small amount (to fund administrative costs) or give them away to people who need them. This holds true for blankets and coats as well. If you can't find an organization who collects them check with your local police department and ask where a shelter is in your area that might be willing to collect them.

When purchasing food or other items at the grocery store, look for 'reduced packaging' on any item you buy. More and more manufacturers are aware of their need to contribute to bettering our environment and as a result are making products with less packaging.

So, you see there are many easy things you can do without adding a lot of extra time to your already busy schedule to help with the environment.