We've all seen the devastating effects of climate change on the news: melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and hundreds of species driven to extinction. With catastrophic wildfires from California to Australia and historic flood levels from Mississippi to New York, Earth's atmospheric warming is exacerbating extreme weather patterns and increasing the frequency of natural disasters. It seems that climate conditions only seem to worsen as we experience irregular temperatures and shifted seasons.

Although most pollution is caused by large corporate operations, we as individuals can still make small lifestyle changes that can grow to have significant environmental impacts. Here are some examples to get started:

Make sure to turn off all the lights and unplug appliances that you aren't using

This is an incredibly easy way to save energy and money. Even when turned off, most appliances still draw electricity. In fact, 23 percent of residential power consumption is from appliances turned off but left plugged in.

Limit your shower time to 5 minutes

If you cut down your shower time even by a minute or two, you can save hundreds of gallons of water each year. On average, an American shower uses 2.1 gallons of water per minute.

Air-dry your dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle

It will take less than two minutes to move your dishes to the drying rack -- but that alone can reduce your dishwasher's energy consumption by 15-50%.

Only wash full loads of laundry

Not only will this reduce your residential water and energy consumption, but it'll save you a trip to the laundry machine.

Set a timer on your thermostat according to your daily schedule

Have your heater automatically turn off when you leave for work and turn back on right before you return.

Although each of these tasks seem small (and they are!), they can save tremendous amounts of energy and water. We must not be discouraged by the daunting size of our collective energy consumption. Instead, we must realize that we have power in numbers. If everyone starts practicing some of these eco-friendly habits, we can make a change.