Environmentalists talk about the three 'Rs': Reduce, reuse,recycle. Read on for Breakfast's top 20 tips on saving the planet.

Squatters in Soweto drink from a communal tap

• 1. Drink tap or filtered water instead of buying expensive bottles

• 2. Use heavy curtains not blinds in winter. These help to conserve heat and save money

• 3. Take a shower instead of a bath to save water

• 4. Walk to work - you'll get fit and save fuel

• 5. Set up a car-share scheme and give colleagues a lift

• 6. Travel by rail instead of air which produces three times more carbon dioxide

• 7. Take your annual holiday in Britain

• 8. Wash your housemate's clothes with yours

• 9. Buy your own composter and recycle food waste

Rubbish on the bank of the polluted Tiete river in Brazil

• 10. Buy energy efficient white appliances

• 11. Buy your food at local shops - better still, grow your own

• 12. Find out about your local authority's recycling facilities

• 13. Cook for friends - large quantities of food use less packaging

• 14. Use a china mug in the office which saves on paper and polystyrene cups

• 15. Ask your boss to provide a recycling bin for waste paper

• 16. Switch of computer base units and monitors when you leave work

• 17. Make sure you use the power saving settings on your computer

Homeless people keeping warm in Johannesburg

• 18. Move in with your partner so you don't have to light and heat two houses

• 19. Insulate your home and cut heat loss by 60%

• 20. Get a bike and cycle instead of driving