Reduce your carbon footprint by keeping as much of your shopping as possible within the Granite State. From furniture to home décor to food and beverage, the more you buy from local producers, the less waste in shipping and packaging. Log on to NHMade.com and download its “Guide to NH Products and Services.” Familiarize yourself with the state’s vast offerings and discover what area in your life can be upgraded to local-only products and services. The website is also a great resource for quick searches.

Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over 1 million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.

And paper bags aren’t free of controversy: According to www.reusablebags.com, “In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year. Paper bag production delivers a global warming double-whammy: Forests (major absorbers of greenhouse gases) have to be cut down, and then the subsequent manufacturing of bags produces greenhouse gases.”