And she has already replaced all of the regular energy-consuming light bulbs in her house with energy-saving styles.

The steps to going green in her household have been rather simple and easy for the Eastsider, who grew up around a thrifty grandmother.

"She was always very resourceful in reusing stuff," Delgado said. "She made her own tomato juice, used new pantyhose to rinse and drain things and used bath water to water her plants."

Christine Mason McCaull, founder of the online resource Web site, www.gogreenonline.com, said there are many people like Delgado who are concerned about the environment and who want to protect it for future generations.

But unlike Delgado, they may not be sure where to start to make changes in their lifestyle.

"We have all learned these habits around packaging and water and energy and it's hard to change," McCaull said in a telephone interview from Sonoma, Calif. "It can take anywhere from six weeks to six months to change a habit. And we can't do it all at once."

In a recent survey, GoGreen Online found that two of the reasons people were not changing their behaviors to go green were that it seems overwhelming and they don't know where to start.

On her Web site, McCaull tries to help people take baby steps toward better environment-friendly habitss

"We wanted it to be interactive and interesting and kind of give support," she said. "We're all kind of interested and want this to be a natural way of being, not any political statement, but just a new way to be."

For those needing a little "Go Green 101," here is a range of tips (from simple habits to more expensive alternatives) for the house from local and national experts.

Remember that energy-efficient options generally can cost more upfront but may lead to lower utility bills in the long run.

Windows, doors

An average home loses 25 percent of its energy use through windows.

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XtineM