How can I save money, water and the environment by doing my laundry?

Did you know that the average washing machine in America uses about 41 gallons of water per load and is the second largest water user in a typical household? Between the water used for washing machines and electricity used for energy-intensive dryers, laundry accounts for a total of 847,445 million gallons of water, 241 thousand GWh of electricity, and 179 million metric tons of CO2-e emissions in the U.S. each year.
Each load of laundry produces a huge carbon footprint:
0.6 kg CO2e washed at 30°C, dried on the line0.7 kg CO2e washed at 40°C, dried on the line2.4 kg CO2e washed at 40°C, tumble-dried in a vented dryer3.3 kg CO2e washed at 60°C, dried in a combined washer-dryer