You’re serious about doing your part to help the earth, and you have to admit that there’s something appealing about giving up your urban life in favor of living off the grid on a remote farm. But if you’re not quite ready to leave the comforts of city dwelling, here are some ways to minimize your impact on the environment without making huge changes to your current lifestyle. From beekeeping to wood gasification boilers, there are plenty of ways to live a greener lifestyle and satisfy your inner farmer while still keeping your day job.

Produce some of your own food.

With proper planning, you can grow much more than you may think in a small amount of ground, and if you use a new soil mixture to create the garden area and reapply compost with every harvest, the type of soil lying under the garden doesn’t matter at all. Chickens are very easy to raise and care for, and eggs that have been laid the same day you eat them are much better than any eggs available for sale at your local grocery store. Beekeeping might seem intimidating at first, but it takes no more time or work than gardening, and the bees will work in symbiosis with the plants you grow. Just imagine the satisfaction of making a cup of herbal tea with a few drops of fresh honey, using herbs and honey you harvested yourself.

Make your own compost.

You’re saving money and reusing resources at the same time when you use things like coffee grounds, tea bags, leaves, grass trimmings, egg shells, and scraps of fruit and vegetables to make your own compost. Start mentally reframing those items you probably throw away: they’re not trash to be mindlessly disposed of, but valuable objects currently storing energy that you can put to good use.

Stop buying cleaning products you don’t need.

You can save money in addition to reducing your exposure to toxins by forgoing many of the cleaning products you currently purchase. Instead, you can often replace these with simple kitchen staples: lemons, vinegar, and baking soda.

Fight phantom energy.

The name may sound spooky, but it’s actually quite simple: when you leave lights on and appliances plugged in, you’re costing yourself money and wasting energy. It’s easy to get into the habit of turning out lights you don’t need and unplugging appliances you aren’t using.

Make green upgrades to your home.

For insulation, consider using flax and reed mats which are made from renewable materials. An added benefit of these materials is that they will prevent wood-rot which is caused by condensation. Wood gasification boilers are highly efficient and employ an affordable, sustainable, and (in many areas) local source of fuel.

Be creative about reuse.

Recycling is better than consigning materials to the landfill, but it’s much better to reuse items than to send them off to be turned into something else. If you’re a crafty person, this can be fun and even become a cottage industry and source of income for you. Can you make a beautiful candle holder out of a glass jar and a few inexpensive art supplies? Do these projects seem like fun uses of your time? There may be an eco-centric Etsy shop in your future.

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Dalilah Thorne is a environmental activist who strives to help other become more eco-friendly. She frequently visits schools, shelters, and businesses to explain how others can embrace a healthier, energy-efficient lifestyle. She has been a vegan for two years and enjoys practicing yoga as well.