Store coffee beans in a cool, dark spot to keep them fresh

To keep your coffee beans as fresh as possible, the National Coffee Association has some simple tips to ensure the first cup is as good as the last. The biggest enemies of coffee beans are air, moisture, heat and light. Use airtight, opaque containers and store them in a cool, dark spot — inside a cabinet away from the oven is ideal. If you buy pre-ground coffee, transfer it out of the bag and into a sealed container, and try to purchase smaller batches so it stays fresher longer. And when you’re done brewing, don’t toss those coffee grounds — used grounds are great for composting and can help enrich soil while keeping waste out of landfills.

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If you crack a lot of eggs, there’s something you can do with the shells to help our feathered friends. Because female birds are drained of calcium when they are laying eggs, they love to find eggshells and consume them for all of the nutritional benefits. The National Audubon Society suggests that before you put chicken eggshells out, they need to be rinsed and sterilized. Just rinse and bake them at 250 degrees on a cookie tray until dry. Then cool and sprinkle the shells near a birdfeeder or a place where birds drink water.

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Do you have wireless internet streaming all over the house 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Make the pledge to turn off your wireless router each and every night to cut down on electricity use and to help preserve the life of your router. Need one more reason? Many health experts believe wireless signals can also emit potentially harmful electronic magnetic fields. Connecting your router to an electrical strip can make it easy to turn on and off.

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One of the perks of traveling to and staying at seaside destinations is the wide variety of fresh, tasty seafood that is available at local restaurants. When you eat at these establishments, ask about locally caught seafood before ordering. While many restaurants have a wide variety to meet customer choices, it’s the local stuff that’s traveled the least; it’s the freshest, and it has the smallest carbon footprint.

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Who knew? Time magazine reported that meal kits that are delivered to your home may not be as bad for the environment as you think. These kits significantly cut down on food waste, since they are designed to use every ingredient in the package to make the meals. The trick is to find a meal kit brand that uses recyclable and biodegradable materials versus single-use plastics, in addition to organic and sustainable ingredients. Of course, buying local and making your own is the greenest, but if you’re short on time, don’t feel bad opting for a green meal kit.

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When you’re making a big pot of pasta, is it better to reach for a glass jar or a tin can of sauce? While both are recyclable, metal is the better choice. Metal containers are lighter to transport, less prone to breakage and more easily recycled, giving them a smaller environmental footprint overall. In the past, canned goods were often avoided because of BPA-lined interiors — a known endocrine disruptor — but most manufacturers now use BPA-free cans.

After a heavy snowfall, where should all that plowed snow go? The best place to pile snow is on areas with grass and other vegetation so that as it melts, the water can be absorbed naturally into the ground. Avoid piling snow near storm drains, wetlands or streams, since residual road salt and other chemicals can wash into waterways and create pollution issues.

Through his best-selling books, television programs, products and syndicated column, environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo shares the creative ideas that have made him America’s leading authority on modern, eco-friendly living.