Perhaps you think that green living does not apply to you as a renter. I don't agree. Individual behavior, whether as a home owner or renter, has a major impact on sustainability.

Renting places some limitations on how you can go green. For example, buying a rain barrel or installing solar panels and wind turbines don't make sense; you would not receive enough benefits to make such purchases worthwhile. But, there is still much you can do a lot to reduce your carbon footprint as a tenant. The benefit to you is more than just the knowledge that you are living more sustainably and reducing your carbon footprint. You will save money as well.

Here are 5 things you can do as a renter to establish a greener lifestyle.

1) Go back to basics. Turn off faucets while brushing teeth or soaping hair; unplug appliances when not in use; switch to compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs; install window treatments to keep your place warm in winter and cool in summer.

2) Replace burned-out incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). CFLs use 75% less energy and last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. Some of the more recent versions of CFLs will work with dimmer switches. They also generate less heat, which will reduce your cooling costs in the summer.

3) Reduce water that goes down the toilet.Toilet flushing accounts for about 30 percent of the water consumed in an average home, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Placed a 2-liter soda bottle filled with water or a couple of bricks in your toilet tank to displace some of the water, reducing the amount used in each flush-refill cycle. This may shock some people, but you can consider not flushing as often. Depending on your, shall we say, "activities" in the bathroom, the toilet may not need to be flushed with every usage.

4) Use toilet tissue made from recycled paper.According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, if every household in the USA replaced one roll of traditional toilet paper for one made with recycled paper, the effort could save 424,000 trees. You can replace all of yours.

5) Use rags for cleaning up rather than paper towels. Rags can be laundered and reused. Laundering requires some energy and resources, to be sure, but a lot less than manufacturing new paper towels.

6) Unplug appliances and electronics when not in use.Even when they're switched off, most home appliances and electronic devices continue drawing a little bit of power as long as they're plugged in. Keeping them in a constantly warmed-up mode is what gives these devices the nice "instant on" feature. But these "vampires" account for an estimated 10 percent of residential energy use in the United States. Make it easier to shut these appliances and devices down by plugging them into a single power strip that can be switched on and off.

And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to two of my Living Green Reports when you subscribe to the Living Green and Saving Energy Newsletter at http://livinggreenandsavingenergy.com/

The newsletter brings you practical tips and information on how to create and enjoy a green lifestyle and save money. The newsletter is absolutely free!

Would you like to save up to $1000 per year for life by going green? The Ebook "6 Weeks To A Greener Lifestyle" shows you how. And "How To Take A Green Vacation" gives you all the information you need to travel in a more eco-friendly manner. Get all the details here: http://livinggreenandsavingenergy.com/ebooks