Our culture has become as obsessed with energy saving as we have with kale and pictures of cats online. But if you’re truly committed to saving the environment, follow these eight energy saving tips.

1. Ditch your a/c and heater. The United States uses more energy than any other country in the world, which is sad considering we don’t have the largest population. Nonetheless, most of our voltage is used for heating and cooling. Rather than cranking up the air conditioning, open a window or buy a fan.

2. Keep your freezer full. With less unoccupied space, less electricity is used to keep your freezer cool. If stuffing your ice box full of frozen foods is not your style, fill the freezer with gallon water jugs.

3. Air dry your clothing. The wind and sun are a natural drying source. Pin thin-fabric clothing and sheets to taught wires in your backyard or even throughout your home. Saving your dryer for heavy fabrics, like denim, or not using it at all, can considerably cut down on your carbon footprint.

4. Put weather stripping around your doors and windows. Even the tiniest of leaks can make for a huge electricity bill. Sealing the cracks around your doors and windows can keep cool air in during the summer and hot air during the winter.

5. Walk or bike. This point has been argued since we first became aware of the harmful effects of vehicle emissions. If your town does not make walking or biking a viable option, there is always public transportation or carpooling. Anything you can do to limit the amount of cars on the road, do it.

6. Don’t pre-rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Although it may seem like you are saving your dishwashing unit some time and electricity, it doesn’t know this. It will use the same amount of water and energy to wash pre-washed dishes as it will dirty ones.

7. Don’t leave your water running while you brush your teeth. Use only what is absolutely necessary to wet your brush and rinse the sink. Of the same vein, take a shorter shower. It can become a personal challenge to see how quickly you can shower. Time yourself and find your personal best!

8. Cruise control is the ultimate energy saving method for long car rides. You can get better gas mileage when you aren’t accelerating and decelerating. Nonetheless, use cruise control with caution.