Windows only: Freeware application HP Smart Web Printing combines clips from any number of web pages into one page, so you don't have to print five different pages of filler to get one page worth of information. The tool—which despite its HP origins works with any printer—integrates directly with both Firefox and Internet Explorer, so clipping text, images, or any part of a page is as simple as clicking a button. Before you print, you can edit, resize, and adjust all of your clippings to your liking. The result is more useful printouts and less wasted paper. If this freeware, Windows only download tickles the environmentalist in you, check out other easy ways to go green and save money with your computer.

AU - Please note that water restrictions are in place across most (if not all!) of Australia right now. These tips are about saving water when caring for your lawn, but you should check what restrictions are in place in your local area!

Spring is upon the northern hemisphere (AU - and down under we're living with water restrictions!), and with a little know-how, you can water your lawn more smarter this year. Tutorial site wikiHow offers strategies to reduce your water usage while maintaining a healthy, hearty lawn. For example:

Water deeply to encourage deep root growth. Frequent shallow waterings encourage weed germination, and they also cause the grass plants' roots to grow shallow, leaving the plant more susceptible to drought and to certain diseases. Watering only when your grass really needs it encourages the roots to grow deeper

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Not everyone can afford to install solar panels or get a new Prius this Earth Day, but there is one place you can go green without spending an arm and a leg or radically changing your lifestyle: your computer. Chances are you spend the majority of your day sitting in front of the keyboard, and a few small changes can go a long way toward reducing its negative impact on the environment. As an added bonus, doing your part for the environment will save you money, too. This Earth Day, we've rounded up a few simple ways you can go green with your computer.

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Talk about your green-friendly mashup  - mybabytree.org lets you can sponsor a tree planting through WWF (World Wildlife Fund) - and then lets you see the exact area of forest your tree is growing in, thanks to Google Earth.

Trees cost $US5.50 (about $6) each to sponsor via PayPal. The trees are being planted in Indonesia as part of a venture by WWF. Once your payment is processed, you get an email informing you that your tree will be planted in a few days: "Once that is done, we will mail you the exact location and you will be able to see your tree on Google Earth."

The Ecogeek blog pointed out that while the resolution in Google Earth isn't quite good enough to be able to make our your particular tree, "even now the context is nice". This idea is geeky, I like. :)

Buy a tree and watch it grow thanks to Google Earth [Ecogeek]

Yahoo Green covers several low-cost methods of reducing your water use at home intended to save you money and save your planet. The quality of the tips vary, but the article includes a lot of tips that anyone can implement for free. For example, to minimise appliance water consumption, the article suggests:

• Fully loaded: Dishwashers and clothes washers should be operated when full for optimum water conservation. If you must wash partial loads, adjust the water levels as appropriate.
• Scrape, don't rinse: Pre-rinsing dishes before loading the dishwasher is unnecessary. Scrape off food and then trust that bad boy to do its job.

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Avoid the waste of plastic grocery bags with the heavy-duty reusable ACME Workhorse Bags. The same size as your basic plastic grocery bag, the Workhorse Bag boasts a carrying capacity of up to 25 pounds but collapses into a very small pouch you can easily fit in your go-bag. A set of four bags will set you back $24 at ReusableBags.com, but hopefully in time the tear-proof Workhorse Bags will pay for themselves.

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Good magazine has an interesting chart in their latest issue that details how much energy your vampire devices use, and how much it costs you to keep them plugged in. The guide differentiates between devices that are in "active" (ready to leap to life) and "passive" (just plugged in) standby modes, and some items are real shockers. A plasma TV, for instance, can cost about $160 per year just to keep plugged in. That Wii you got your hands on? $25 before you even hit one virtual tennis ball. The takeaway for me, at least, is thinking about putting some devices on power strips and turning them off if I know I won't be using them for a day or more.

Want to save water and money your next visit to the loo? A simple modification to your toilet might do the trick. Web site wikiHow says that just by filling a large plastic gallon container with sand and water and placing inside the tank, your toilet will use less water with each flush. Most plumbers would recommend actually installing a low flush toilet instead of going this DIY route, so do proceed with caution, but still sounds like a common sense way to save agua and a few bucks.

Given the longterm water restrictions we're facing on the driest continent in the world, I think it was remiss of me not to post about water conservation last week in the flurry of environmental posts for Blog Action Day.

Fortunately, tipster Peggy wrote up a post on some simple ways that anyone can reduce their water usage. A couple of tips - capturing clean water from the shower while you wait for it to heat up, and capturing clean water from your washing machine - can give you ample water to water your plants or garden. Nice.

If you're interested in finding out more about low-usage shower and tap heads, grey water capturing devices, etc there are lots of resources online. But my favourite water saving tip? Shower with a friend. ;)

How to save water [psychopyko]

As a proud participant in today's mass blogging event, Blog Action Day, we're devoting our special feature to Blog Action Day's topic: the environment. Last Monday, we put out a call for your best ways to live greener, and as usual, Lifehacker readers did not disappoint. We received quite a few green hacks in our inbox, and after much winnowing down, the best 10 suggestions made it to the top. After the jump, check out some easy ways to live greener, and vote on which hack is the best of the best.

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