Digital music downloads (of the legal variety, of course), are convenient and cheap, and...

More than just a nature tour. This trend in traveling is about visiting natural areas responsibly, in a way that helps to conserve and promote the environment of the region and supports the indigenous populations there. Eco-friendly travel also means using the most sustainable, energy-efficient transportation possible.

Travelers' warning: Ecotourism is very popular now, and many tour companies want to climb on the bandwagon. Not all are actually green in their practices. There are no universally accepted ecotravel standards as of yet, so there's no golden stamp of approval to tell you what's what. It pays to do a little homework to see if your hotel or tour company is as good as they say-if they make efforts to conserve energy, to use sustainable, recyclable materials, to invest in the local economy-or if they're just "greenwashing." A reliable company will have plenty of information to substantiate its green claims. Also called ecotourism.

Many homeowners know very little about their heating and cooling equipment-until something goes...