Holiday Tips

The shopping and wrapping, decorating, entertaining and traveling of the holidays can be a big contributor to global warming. But they don't have to be! CA-CP has compiled the following tips to help keep your holidays merry and bright - and, lite on the carbon.

Looking for the perfect present? How about a better world?

Give "Important Gifts" this year: at www.importantgifts.org you can support the work of your favorite charity on behalf of a loved one. With CA-CP's featured items on that site, you can create more renewable energy resources; provide greenhouse gas accounting software to a college; sponsor workshops and teaching tools for local science educators; "green up" a community's holiday lights; or find many other climate-friendly gifts. Now there's no excuse not to finish up your holiday shopping today!

A few other thoughts on gift-giving

1. Online purchasing can save gas (and hassle) - but skip the airmail shipping.
2. Not all companies are created equal: look for great gifts from climate-friendly businesses like CA-CP's corporate partners.
3. Locally-made gifts are better for the local economy and better for the climate - plus, they are often more unique and personal.
4. Packaging and wrapping for those piles under the tree contribute to a 25% jump in trash during the holidays. Choose gifts with minimal packaging, and wrap in reusable gift bags, with fabric, or recycled wrapping paper.
5. Speaking of shipping and of packaging - combine your shipments and go easy on the packing materials whenever possible.

	Holiday Lighting Tips Replace your larger-bulb lights with mini lights. They use up to 50% less energy than larger lights and last 65% longer. Run your outdoor lights on a timer pre-set for three to five hours to save energy. Icicle lights have more lights per linear foot than regular light strands and use more energy. Instead, use mirrors or tinsel around indoor lights to heighten their effect. Light-emitting diode (LED) light strings have extremely low energy use and very long lives. Their higher initial cost is offset by energy savings and reduced hassles of bulb replacements. Buy them at http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/xmas1.htm Turn lights off when no one is around to enjoy them. When retiring for the evening, reduce costs by unplugging all lights at the wall outlet. Consider floodlights for outdoor lighting - available for standard incandescent and halogen bulbs. (Halogens give more intense light and use less energy.) Buy different colors for a festive look!

Entertaining and Travel

1. Serve local, seasonal, organic foods to your guests and your family this holiday season. Local food tastes better and is more healthy because it's fresher, and reduces the greenhouse gas pollution associated with hauling food products long distances. Organic products result in lower levels of toxins in our food, and in fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
2. A microwave oven uses up to 75% less energy than a conventional oven.
3. A slow cooker cooks a whole meal for less than 10 cents worth of electricity.
4. When using a conventional oven, don't open the door to peek at what's cooking inside. Instead, turn on the oven light and check the cooking status through the window. Opening the oven door lowers the temperature inside by as much as 25 degrees, increasing cooking time and wasting energy.
5. In an electric oven, you can turn the heat off several minutes before your food is fully cooked. As long as the oven door remains closed, enough heat will be stored inside to finish cooking your meal.
6. If you use glass or ceramic pans, you can turn your oven temperature down 25 degrees and foods will cook just as quickly.
7. When cooking on an electric range, match the size of the pan to the heating element. More heat will get to the pan; less will be lost to the surrounding air. A six-inch pan on an eight-inch burner wastes over 40% of the energy.
8. Keep your refrigerator and freezer well stocked. A full refrigerator or freezer saves energy by reducing the recovery time when the door is opened.
9. It's more true than ever during the holiday season; recycling (and composting) goes a long way toward reducing carbon pollution.
10. Gong to be hopping a plane, or on the road to other peoples' holiday gatherings this year? Offset your travel at www.nativeenergy.com!

Holiday Heating

1. Set the heating thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature - between 66°F and 68°F is recommended. For every 1°F you set your thermostat lower, you can save 1-3% on your heating costs.
2. Clean your furnace filter monthly to help your furnace run more efficiently.
3. Set your hot water heater to 120 degrees to cut water heating costs 10%.
4. Install glass doors that fit well on your fireplace. This will reduce the amount of interior air drafted up the chimney, improving efficiency up to 20 percent. If you can't afford the doors, you really can't afford to use the fireplace!
5. When using your fireplace, close off the room from rest of the house and crack open a window in the room. This will give the fireplace combustion air, without cooling off the rest of the house.

Sources:Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, Important Gifts,