What's the best way to realistically live a greener life?

Don’t drive a car.

Look into the FIT program for getting solar panels installed.

I think one of the biggest and most impactful things “we” can do is to vote with your consumer dollar and buy the most eco-friendly packaging for what you buy and I mean “everything” you buy. Food, cars, electronics and the obvious worst offender….bottled water.

Unplugging or utilizing power strips for appliances that use trickle power if you leave them plugged in even though the item is turned off. TV,s VCR, DVD and computers are big offenders there. Our water systems are under tremendous pressures so conservation is only a small part of the problem where what we flush down our drains, put into our soils and street drains is a massive source of pollution and our water filtration systems are only just so good and cannot remove everything we are dumping tin our lakes and rivers.

Recycling our waste is such an important part of your question here and I get encouraged when I see the amount of stuff trading hands every day that would otherwise be thrown away at Freecycle. People offer up pretty much everything and almost all of it finds a new home. Yes there is a lot we can do….a lot more!

Consume less, across the board. I’m tryiiiiiiiing.

The unplugging that @Cruiser suggests works wonders. I did it for half of last month, and my electricity bills were cut IN HALF.

WHAT!?!?! Awesome. Being green and saving green at the same time.

@Cruiser Freecycle is great!!!

Buy as much of your food locally as possible- join a CSA or shop farmer’s markets. For what you cannot buy locally, try buying free-trade and organic (like sugar and chocolate) or at least from worker-owned companies (like flours from Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur.)

If you like in a city, buy a bike and some panniers and do your errands that way.

Have an energy audit done on your house- a little insulation can go a long way.

My way, in the country.

I combine errands in order to cut down on driving.
I compost, recycle and use paper for fire starters.
I keep heat to 62˚ in areas I use a lot and simply wear more clothes.
I buy most produce at the food coop, which cuts down on packaging and keeps me close to the food sources.
I don’t flush toilet every time.
I unplug what I can, including lamps, toasters, etc.
I have water savers installed on the taps in my sinks and showers. I take quick showers also.
I buy jeans, every day tops and shirts at the used clothing store.

Become a vegan, compost, grow your own food.

Yep, I am with @gailcalled

I too live in the country, keep my property free of chemicals and pesticides.

Provide a safe haven for wildlife and toss my old foods into the woods to feed whomever wanders by. lol

Combine errands to save on fuel and trips to ‘town.’

Grow some of my own produce and shop at the local community garden in summer.

Work and shop at our local community books & bargains store, warmed by a woodstove in winter.

But..I do flush, every time, and..admittedly, I like to be warm, so I keep my heat around 68–70ish on cold days, 62 at night, but..hey…I do my part. Good enough! :-)

Get a copy of the Tightwad Gazette. There are two books. They are a compilation of a newsletter that was published during the ‘90s. These people have come up with ways to be green that you’ve never imagined. http://www.thegreenestdollar.com/2009/05/frugal-tips-from-the-tightwad-gazette/

Green tip: Buy it used online.

You’re already making a lot of great green personal lifestyle decisions, which is wonderful.

The next step is to get involved in bigger picture advocacy, to help green your community, school, city, or even take action to help create change on a national level. Start by signing online petitions for a particular green issue you care about – protecting wilderness, getting the EPA to issue stronger protections for our air or water, etc. You can find great petitions to take action on the Sierra Club website or other major environmental group. The Sierra Club also has local chapters and groups that meet in almost every major city – you could get involved in local meetings. Think about what particular activities suit your skillset. If you enjoy writing, write a letter to the editor for your local paper, supporting an environmental issue you care about. If you have great phone skills, volunteer for an hour making phone calls for a local environmental group.

See if there are local efforts going to on green your kids’ school – if there are not, you can try to advocate to start a gardening project at the school, raise money for solar panels, etc.

I take action in my personal life by recycling, composting, growing some of my own veggies, walking and biking when I can, and eating a vegetarian diet. However, I’ve realized that while those personal choices are important, dedicating the same time it takes me to do personal things, and taking action at a more political level instead, can help make an impact not only for me – but to instate changes that help many more people. If everyone who could help spent just 30 minutes a week advocating for better laws to protect us from pollution and create incentives for green energy, we would have a much more engaged public and see huge improvements.

Good luck taking the next step, and thanks for everything you are doing to help make a difference.

also, if you can’t afford to buy solar panels but would be interested in having solar power for your home, there are solar leasing programs if you live in a sunny area. The company pays to install the panels, and they continue to own the panels, and you pay your electric bills directly to the solar company rather than your local utility. It can be good for consumers because the solar company gives you a locked in rate that is often the same (or slightly less) than what you pay the utility, so you pay the same amount but get to have solar energy instead. There are a number of companies that do this…one that I have heard of is
this one. solar panel leasing

Do you compost? That can significantly reduce your waste stream. Also, if you want to put in a rain barrel, you can water your garden from that instead of from city water. You could also expand the number of months you are willing to cycle to work. Invest in some really bright and big flashing lights and you can cycle when it’s dark, as well. Maybe you can get other folks in your family to bicycle, too.

In general: Don’t drive, don’t have more than one child per person.
Specifically – follow the suggestions in the reference from @snowberry

Cut down on meat.

Insulate your house.

[mod says] This is our Question of the Day!

If you are doing what you can, then you are meeting all the obligations.

That means not engaging in light pollution at night with the porch lights. That means using a pushblade mower instead of gas. That means recycling all cans, glass, paper, cardboard, metal, and #1 and #2 plastic.

That means never littering a single cigarette butt, beer can, or anything else that’s nonperishable, ever in your life.

Don’t throw away old appliances, get them fixed (but only if cost is same or cheaper). If its too expensive to fix, then donate it to a local appliance store to use as parts.

If you are able to be vegetarian without your family complaining, then that’s even more helpful. Or if that’s too hard, perhaps just cut down on meat when alternatives are available.

If you live near a busline, then use it.

Never leave lights on, in an empty room. Cut down on lights during the day and make sure the shades and curtains are open for the sun’s light and the sun’s warmth. Or if it’s raining at least it looks pretty.

All these things are free or at least easy to do.

Anything more that you do, if you can, is great. You cannot afford solar, so don’t do it. You don’t need to be a martyr for Gaia. Mother Nature provides just by you doing your best, to your own ability.

Your concern shows me you are doing your duty probably already. Every little thing and every big thing helps. I know you probably thought of every thing I listed, but I listed them anyway, just in case.

Don’t beat yourself up for starters! The green thing is mostly a scam by the world elite like the Rothchilds etc, Just have fun, enjoy God’s creations (stop and smell the roses) and help those less fortunate than you. Basically though the less your bills are the more you are succeeding at being nature friendly. Stop buying packaged foods and cook most meals from scratch. put a on/off switch on the shower and just get wet, shut off, lather up, rinse = 5–10 minutes tops and less water wasted. Use 9 watt CFL bulbs. STuff like that.