Conservation Guardians of Northwest Illinois

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Energy 12-Step Plan
Fall 2009 Newsletter

Everyone seems to have a favorite 12 Step Program. The Guardians have one, too! An energy plan which is designed to reduce your carbon footprint and help fight global warming. Take your time. Take one step each month for the next year. Remember that you have all month to get into the swing of things.

The 12 Steps.

1. Replace all of your incandescent light bulbs with CFLs. Do it now. Don't wait until they burn out. Replacing them all at once might seem costly, but it has a bigger environmental punch than replacing them one at a time over the next couple of years, and in the long run it will save you money. Ask Jake and Lu Bleveans, just one Guardian couple that did it.

2. Stop using disposable plates, eating utensils and drinking cups. Use all those old dishes, classes and silverware that have been taking up room in the back of the cupboards. Switch from paper napkins to cloth. Again, all those old napkins in the hutch that are too good to throw out but too ugly for company are perfect for everyday use. Switch from paper towels to dish clothes. Again all those old ones will clean up the spills just fine. A little bit of work having to wash them, but think of the tree.

3. No more bottled water. that's a no brainer - enough said.

4. Winter's coming. Install a programmable thermostat and then don't touch that dial. We're still doing the Arlo and Janis thing - but we're getting better.

5. Lower the setting on the new thermostat to the lowest possible number. Arlo says 66 and Janice says 68. The Midlocks say 65 degrees.

6. Right now there is a good month left to the growing season. Start visiting your Farmers' Market or visit more often. This winter visit the Dubuque Winter Farmers' Market. And then plan your meals around what was available at the market. A new adventure. This is also the time to join a CSA for next year. Oodles of Guardians belong to a CSA. Just ask one of us. You'll love the mystery veggie in every box.

7. Next year, grow some veggies. If nothing else, a couple of tomatoes in a patio pot. Ask Steve Freeman about his upside-down tomatoes. It's amazing how many Guardians are gardeners.

8. Switch from plastic shopping bags to totes. We now have lots of totes. Too often, however, they're still in the car at check out time, but we're getting better.

9. Use surge protectors to really turn off your appliances at night. Fight phantom loads. It takes a few nights to get into the habit and then it soon becomes second nature.

10. Eat less meat or at least eat Tom Arnold's local meat. It tastes better and it's better for you and the environment.

11. Take the Jo-Carroll Home Energy Audit, visit www.jocarroll.com. Visit your local library and borrow their watt meter and check out your appliances and replace the energy hogs.

12. Jeff Wright reminds us that we must become more mindful. We might want to consider, really consider, for the first time how the four Rs could affect our lives and the planet. And we might want to think about the difference between what we need and what we want.

—Chuck Wemstrom