This week is National Pollution Prevention Week -- who knew? The EPA posted some no-brainer tips on its website for reducing pollution by conserving energy and using less goods, which can also save money.

According to the EPA "each individual generates about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year – about 4.5 pounds per person, per day." Wow, that's a hefty footprint to be leaving to landfills. I'm always amazed out how many times I have to take out the trash each week.

Recycling is important, but we should be putting pressure on companies to reduce the amount of non-recyclable plastics in their products, such as what is being done by supermarket Sainsbury's has done.

Reducing the amount of plastics not only means less for the landfill, but also less consumption of the petroleum from which it is derived as well as the fuel that is burned in its manufacture.

The government's freshly minted plan for addressing global warming relies almost exclusively on technology but overlooks the equally important aspect of conservation. It's great to pledge to spend $3 billion per year on research in the hopes that technology will help to produce cleaner skies.

But the Climate Change Technology Program Strategic Plan won't spend enough to get the job done without better use of our resources. According to one researcher quoted in the Washington Post, a serious commitment to technology requires hundreds of billions of dollars per year.

Politicians are loathe to mention anything that could restrain the economy or compromise our way of living in an election year, but we can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases by being energy efficient using existing technologies. You don't have to give up travel or shiver in the cold to lower your energy bill. There are dozens of methods for conserving energy that all pay for themselves within a few years.

The President's plan should set goals and provide incentives for increasing energy efficient starting next year, and starting with the federal government. Each department should be required to reduce its energy use by 2 percent per year for the next five years, and funding should be provided for the equipment and materials to do so. By getting its house in order, the federal government would lead by example and save taxpayer dollars in the process.

The smart oil companies are investing in technologies that will sustain their revenues long after the fossil fuels dry up. Chevron gave $25 million to the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) to continue research into biofuel processing technology. The research will find new methods of taking cellulosic biomass including agricultural and forest waste such as leaves, stalks, and plant residue and turning into ethanol and biodiesel. They will also develop new plant varieties to make them better raw material as a fuel feedstock.

Chevron, which also is working with the Georgia Institute of Technology on biofuels, along with BP and Shell are all investing substantial sums so that they can be part of the transition from fossil fuels to renewable resources. That's in stark contrast to Exxon, which is not investing in its long term future.

UC Davis, which is one of the top universities in automotive and alternative fuel technologies, is part of the