Are you wondering what you can do to help protect the planet? This list provides 10 sustainable items that have been recommended by various environmental web pages.

1. A reusable straw. Americans use 500 million plastic straws a day! Plastic takes over 1,000 years to decompose and animals often consume this plastic once it is discarded.

2. Reusable lunch containers. The less you throw away, the better!

3. Reusable grocery bags. Over 100,000 marine animals die every year due to entanglement in plastic.

4. A pair of walking/running shoes. The more time you spend in nature, the more you will want to save the planet.

5. A wardrobe of thrifted items. The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing each year. It takes 2,700 liters of water to create one shirt. Therefore, it is better to buy clothing that has already been used than to buy new clothes that leave a big environmental footprint.

6. Stainless Steel Water Bottles. Americans have used 51 billion plastic water bottles within the past year. Save money and the environment! Invest in a reusable water bottle.

7. Recycled paper notebook. Save trees by investing in reused paper.

8. A bamboo toothbrush. Bamboo is biodegradable.

9. LED light bulbs. They require less wattage than CFL bulbs and therefore are more efficient and save energy.

10. The book Green to Gold by Daniel C. Etsy. It explains that there really are economic benefits of sustainability!