Anything that qualifies as a whole (i.e., unrefined) grain — brown rice, barley, farro, quinoa — is automatically healthier for you and the environment than a processed grain like white rice. Even better is buckwheat, which can improve soil quality.

Keeping track of which plastics are safer (Nos. 2, 4, 5) and which are more likely to release toxic phthalates, styrene, or BPA when heated or warm (Nos. 3, 6, 7) can be confusing. (We have yet to come up with an easy-to-remember shorthand.) So make it a policy to use as little as possible [...]

Brands like If You Care produce unbleached paper lined with vegetable wax. Use it instead of aluminum foil or plastic wrap. It’s compostable, reusable when wiped down, and can be fastened with masking tape.

Your watchwords are “fair-trade certified” and “sustainable.” Also look for “bird-friendly” or the Rainforest Alliance label, which means the beans were grown responsibly. Brew it at home with a French press (2 tablespoons coarsely ground coffee per 6 ounces water) and you’ve started the day on a very green foot.