We live in a beautiful world. There are majestic landscapes, awe-inspiring landmarks and gorgeous naturally-made creations. However, with more than six billion people living on this planet; if it is not taken care of, that beauty is going to be masked by garbage, pollutants and more.

Clean Up the World Weekend is held on the third weekend in September each year. This weekend is designed for organizations, communities and families to take action by doing at least one project, big or small, to help keep our communities, countries and our world clean. Here are four ideas to help your family clean up our planet.

1. Go car-free

You can prevent unwanted and dangerous pollutants from entering the air by going car-free for the weekend. When you need to run errands, take the bus, ride your bike or walk. Or, if you must drive, carpool with other individuals. Also, do not idle your car. If you need to go through a drive-in window or are waiting for someone while she runs into the store, turn off your car. Be conscientious of the pollutants you are putting into the air.

2. Pick up trash

You can spend some time this weekend picking up trash in your neighborhood, along a nearby road, at a park or the beach. This is an easy way to help clean up our planet and make it look beautiful. Plus, it is something that family members of all ages can do.

3. Decorate reusable water bottles

Many people turn to plastic water bottles to stay hydrated while on the go. Unfortunately, only a little more than 20 percent of those bottles are recycled. The rest of the bottles are thrown away and cause a significant amount of unnecessary waste. You can eliminate this waste and still keep your family hydrated by providing each family member their own water bottle. You can let your children put their creativity to the test and decorate their own bottles. Plus, if the children are proud of their decorated bottle, they will be much more excited and willing to continually drink water throughout the day.

4. Be environmentally-conscience of products and tasks

Spend the weekend being conscientious of how the products you use affect the planet. For example, are you running your dryer all day long when you could be hanging clothes outside to dry? Are you printing off piles of paper when you could view the document on an electronic device or even make two-sided prints? Also, think about the products you use and how well you can save the planet through implementing a recycling program in your own home. By just being more cautious of the planet as you go through each day, you will be more apt to make changes to help save the beautiful world we live in.

You don't have to spend all weekend cleaning the planet. The small things you do will make a difference and help protect this wonderful world.