Whether it's through rallies, fundraisers, awareness campaigns, or campus-wide recycling programs, college students across the country are making a concerted effort to lighten their load on the environment.

But you don't need to buy a Prius or single-handedly lead a recycling revolution to do your part to combat climate change. There are small steps you can take that could add up to a big difference.

Here are 10 simple, inexpensive things you can do to go green on campus and reduce your carbon footprint.

1) Buy recycled notebooks (and recycle them when you're done)

Every year, thousands of trees are cut down to make the paper that winds up in the notebooks that throngs of students buy in the back-to-school rush. Save a few trees this year and go with recycled notebooks instead. You can find affordable recycled notebooks and other green supplies online at The Green Office or Green Earth Office Supply.

2) Buy used textbooks instead of new (and sell them back at the end of the year)

Even more trees are cut down to make those 1,500-page, five-pound college textbooks that cost you hundreds of dollars each year. Kill two birds with one stone by buying used whenever you can - you'll save trees and money.

3) Replace your light bulbs with CFLs (and turn them off when you don't need them)

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. Although CFLs can sometimes cost a little more initially than standard bulbs (starting at about $2.00 each), you'll save money in the long run: A single 18-watt CFL used in place of a 75-watt incandescent will save about 570 kWh over its lifetime - at 8 cents a kWh, that adds up to a $45 savings per bulb.

Not paying for your own electricity in your dorm? Then think about the environmental benefits instead: According to ENERGY STAR, the joint program of the U.S. Department of Energy and the EPA, "If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR-qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars."

4) Set up recycling bins in your dorm or apartment

College dorms can be havens of waste and excess, strewn with empty soda cans, pizza boxes, and glass and plastic bottles, all of which can end up in the trash instead of the recycling bin.

Let's face it: Not everyone is going to make an effort or go out of their way to be green. Even if your school has a recycling program set up on campus, recyclables may end up in the trash if the recycling containers are too much of a trek from the dorms.

So make it easy for your roommates and dormmates: Talk to your school about putting recycling bins in the dorms. If you live in an apartment off-campus, ask the leasing office about setting up recycling canisters next to the trash bins. The more convenient recycling becomes, the more likely people are to recycle.

5) Invest in a bicycle (and save on gas)

This is another one of those two-for-one deals where you can help the environment and yourself. By ditching that smog-spewing car or truck for a bicycle whenever your destination's in biking distance, you'll be polluting less and saving on gas at the same time - and with gas at $3.50 a gallon and rising, those savings will add up fast.

Not only that, but when you start biking, you'll be getting a great workout and doing your body a world of good.

6) Think Craigslist, not the mall

Of course it's fun to splurge on new stuff for yourself every once in a while, whether it's a new game for your Wii or a new outfit for Friday night. But every time you buy new, you're adding to your carbon footprint - all the energy and materials that went into manufacturing, packing, and shipping your new purchase produced greenhouse gases.

When you re-use by buying secondhand instead, you'll be cutting down on carbon costs and saving money in the process.

The next time you're looking to treat yourself to something "new," skip the mall and browse Craigslist. If you can't find what you're looking for there, try eBay. Someone else's "used" can still be new-to-you and earth-friendly too.

7) Install low-flow showerheads

Depending on your current showerhead, making the switch to a low-flow model could save you two to four gallons of water each minute you're in the shower.

If you live in the dorms, ask your school's facilities department about installing low-flow showerheads - your school could save big on its water bill, so the move works out to your school's advantage. If you're living off-campus, call your leasing office or utility company. Some utility companies even give away low-flow showerheads for free, so make sure you ask about any incentives or discounts.

8) Don't buy bottled water

That bottle of water may be convenient and portable and healthier than a can of Coke, but think about all the energy it takes to make that plastic bottle, ship it from the mountain springs of New Zealand, Fiji, or Norway, and then recycle it.

Just supplying Americans with plastic water bottles for one year consumes more than 47 million gallons of oil, according to the Container Recycling Institute - enough to take 100,000 cars off the road and 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere!

And each year, more than 1 billion plastic water bottles end up in the trash in California alone, taking 1,000 years to biodegrade.

Not to mention how much you're paying per ounce for that convenience of a bottle of water. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, bottled water costs 240 to 10,000 times more than tap water.

To have your water on hand, buy a re-usable bottle and fill it with water right from your tap. You'll get your water fix and save money without contributing to bottled-water waste.

Hate the taste of tap water? We don't blame you. Buy a Brita filter for your faucet to remove taste-killing impurities, and you'll get that great-tasting water you're looking for.

9) Unplug idle electronics or chargers

Think your cell phone charger isn't sucking electricity just because your cell phone isn't on it? Think again. Chargers, power strips, laptops, toasters, TVs, and just about anything else that plugs into the wall can and do suck power whether they're being used or not.

"Vampire" appliances in standby mode can drain as much as half the power they use when they're on. Cornell University energy expert Mark Pierce estimates that vampire appliances cost consumers $3 billion a year, or about $200 per household.

Just by unplugging your appliances when you're not using them, you'll be saving money on your electric bill, wasting less electricity, and cutting down on your carbon emissions.

10) Buy from farmers markets (and eat more veggies)

If you can forgo meat just once a week, you could make a significant dent in your carbon footprint. The environmental cost associated with meat is huge: According to the bestselling book Diet for a Small Planet, each calorie of animal protein requires 78 calories of fossil fuels to produce, and irrigation directly associated with livestock production (including feeds) amounts to about half of all the consumed water in the United States.

Loading up on veggies is a great way to go green - and eat healthy - but where you buy your produce matters. If you're shopping at a chain grocery store, you may be an accomplice to loads of greenhouse emissions and waste.

According to the non-profit group Sustainable Table, the typical carrot travels 1,838 miles before it ends up in your kitchen. "That's a lot of food miles, and a tremendous amount of wasted fossil fuels and packaging," write the folks at Lighter Footstep.

The solution? Buy your produce at local farmers markets instead. Your fruits and veggies will be fresher, taste better, and won't have traveled thousands of miles to reach your kitchen. And you can feel good knowing you're supporting local growers.