It starts out small, Derek Miller says.

Very small.

Filling a reusable cup, instead of a disposable one. Scrubbing with green cleaning substances.

Alone, it's not much.

But if thousands of individuals - and large organizations - make the same change, it saves a little portion of planet.

"Not everything is huge. We don't have to go out and save everything all at once," Miller said. "Little actions we do add up."

Miller, chairman of the Green Team at Kootenai Health, has seen this first hand.

Key speaker at the 12th annual Earth Day Luncheon at the North Idaho College campus on Tuesday, Miller discussed how Kootenai Health has made huge strides in conservation by tweaking mundane operations.

Like mops.

Kootenai Health cleaning crews have converted to only micro-fiber mops and rags, Miller said, which absorb bacteria and viruses while using minimal water and zero cleaning chemicals.

The super soakers have spared 50,000 gallons of water a year.

"That's 50,000 gallons we're not even using," Miller said. "That's not recycling, that's up front savings."

Laundry services at Kootenai Health stepped up, too, by switching the kinds of linens used, resulting in 300 gallons of water saved per load.

"That may not seem like a lot," Miller said. "But Kootenai Health does over 2.1 million loads of laundry a year."

That's more than halved the cost of doing each load, he added.

The efforts don't end there. By putting out more than 60 paper recycling bins in Kootenai Health facilities, the organization prevents 46,000 pounds of paper from entering the landfill each month.

The Green Team, charged with improving the organization's conservation practices, has also distributed plastic mugs to all employees to replace disposable cups.

This has prevented 600,000 cups from heading to the landfill each year, he said.

It's also saved Kootenai Health about $50,000 in cup costs.

"That doesn't even include the cardboard, don't-burn-your-hand sleeve," Miller said. "Daily actions can lead to big savings."

The team has also implemented a carpooling system, he added, where company vans pick up employees along routes in local cities.

Folks save on gas money, Miller pointed out, while helping reduce pollution.

"Not only are employees saving themselves money, but they're saving each and every one of us," he said.

The luncheon, hosted by Earth Day Coeur d'Alene Committee and the Kootenai County Solid Waste Department, also included an update of single stream recycling in the county.

"We can proudly report to you that the program is running beautifully," said Laureen Chaffin with Solid Waste.

In 2010, the program allowing for several recyclable materials in one bin garnered 341,757 pounds of material in Coeur d'Alene. In 2011, that rose to 937,324 pounds.

"That's a 174 percent increase," Chaffin said. "I think Coeur d'Alene residents should give themselves a big pat on the back."

She awarded a Recycler of the Year Award to John Tietz of Kootenai Lawn and Garden, which salvages and repairs lawn equipment disposed at the transfer station.

Rod Eldevik, operations manager with Coeur d'Alene Garbage and Post Falls Sanitation, said the examples at the lecture made him more aware of how to recycle everyday.

"It makes you want to do it a little more," Eldevik said.