These days, living green is taking root not only across the country, but right here in western Wisconsin.

And experts say your efforts to go green don’t have to stop once you leave your house. In fact, there are some simple ways you can green up your yard and the way you get around town.

If you’d like to make some eco-friendly changes outside your front door, experts say you can start with the way you maintain the green in your yard by using organic fertilizers.

"Much less energy is used in the production of the fertilizer, it's healthier for the yard, it's good for your gardens and that which escapes is not going to have nearly the environmental footprint as the commercial fertilizers,” Jon Tulman with Eau Claire County’s Recycling Program said.

And according to local landscaping expert, Rob Drew, organic fertilizers feature a list of ingredients straight from the earth.

"The sources for the material range from anything from a corn gluten, feather meal, products that are soil bio-stimulants that are seaweed and kelp-based,” Drew said.

But, Drew says going organic takes a little more work, and a lot more patience.

"You may even have to kind of re-define what a lawn is to you. It may not be that perfectly manicured, you know, crew-cut lawn that's, you know, a little green square out in front of somebody's house."

If you’re looking for an eco-friendly way to reduce your need for lawn fertilizers, experts say you should compost.

It’s also an eco-friendly way to get rid of grass clippings, leaves and kitchen waste.

Crispin and Becky Pierce live in Eau Claire and say they’ve been getting rid of their leftovers through composting for years.

"We take table scraps and even bits of paper, put them here and turn them over to try to get good air circulation for aerobic digestion,” Crispin Pierce said.

Pierce says the resulting material helps feed the native grasses growing in his backyard.

But going green doesn’t have to stop at the end of your driveway. In fact, you can continue your efforts while cruising down the road by greening up your own vehicle.

Mechanics say the best way to keep your car or truck running efficiently is to keep up with the maintenance.

"Stay up on your tune ups,” Adam Nawrocki with CAR-X Auto Service in Eau Claire said. “Air pressure in tires is huge.”

And lose the extra junk in your trunk.

"If you reduce weight, you reduce drag and get better gas mileage. If you own a truck, leave the tailgate up,” Nawrocki said. “Try not to replace it with an air net because that causes excessive drag, which will also reduce your gas mileage."

But how much efficiency do you really lost by falling behind on this to-do list? Nawrocki says you might be surprised.

"You can lose as much as 20%. A dirty air filter alone and you can lose 10, just on a $10 air filter."

But what if you’re looking to green-up your daily commute in a big way? In that case, experts suggest you drive a hybrid.

These eco-friendly vehicles run on a combination of both fuel and electricity.

"The idea of a good hybrid is one that will utilize the electric motor as much as possible to minimize the use of the gas engine,” Jay Bouley with Markquart Toyota in Eau Claire said. “Plus, that gas engine is optimized for the best gas economy too."

But don’t go searching for your garage’s most-convenient electricity outlet just yet.

"The current hybrids do not have a plug-in system,” Bouley said. "They regenerate power by breaking and coasting."

And according to Bouley, more western Wisconsin drivers are now sitting behind the wheel of a hybrid, thanks to more awareness.

"Whether it's word-or mouth from present hybrid owners to seeing things online. The, just the daily note of what the gas price is, more and more people are thinking maybe this is the way I ought to look at something in the future."

Bouley says, thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, hybrid drivers can also claim a federal tax deduction. For more information, visit the IRS web site and search “hybrid deduction”. Just click on featured links at the top of your page to get connected.

If you’re thinking about making some of the eco-friendly changes we’ve mentioned during our going green series, be aware. Jon Tulman with Eau Claire County’s Recycling Program says going green usually means a change in your lifestyle and sometimes, more work.