The holidays are a time for coming together, celebrating, and reflection. This year, let’s give some thought to energy, specifically, let’s thoughtfully use less of it!

1. Buy or dig up a live, potted tree! Save a tree’s life, and improve air quality at the same time! Most importantly, when taking down your decorations this year, don’t forget to plant it! Add it to your yard, or donate your tree–either way, you can pat yourself on the back for saving energy and a lot of CO2!

Small potted trees can be purchased at many local farms, nurseries, and farmstands. Medium and large potted trees can be purchased from Sylvan Nurseries in Westport, Roseland Nursery in Acushnet, and others. Prices range from $15.50 for a one gallon, table-top Alberta Spruce, to $85 for a 5-6ft. White Pine. Remember, the tree height does not include the root ball, so it’s important to measure your space before making your selection! Place your tree in a spot in your home that gets some sun, and don’t forget to water it until you are ready to re-plant! Get the details from this recent “Energy Saving Tip” in the SouthCoastTODAY.com…

2. Deck the Halls with LED’s! This December, as you’re testing those endless strings of tiny lights, replace broken models with LED’s! A Consumer Reports study showed that LED’s cost slightly more than incandescent holiday lights, but cost far less to operate, and use a tiny fraction of the energy. The study showed that a 50 ft. string of LED’s in the C9 size used only 3 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity to produce 300 hours of light, compared with 105 kWh for incandescents of the same size, saving $11. That’s $11 saved for every string of lights you switch to LED’s! Additionally, LED’s are brighter and more durable, last longer, and operate at a cooler temperature. So this holiday season, choose wisely; choose LED’s!

3. Get Creative with your wrappings! For added energy & CO2 savings this holiday season, wrap your gifts in recycled wrappings! Wrap gifts in reusable fabric or cloth bags, or use newspapers, magazines, and/or old phone books! Reduce that post-holiday mound of discarded wrappings: reduce, reuse and recycle for very happy, and efficient holidays!

These are just a few simple actions to get you started on the path toward an efficient holiday season. But don’t forget… there is a whole new year coming, and nothing beats energy saving resolutions! Learn more at: www.SouthCoastEnergyChallenge.org

This year as you gather the elements for a delicious Thanksgiving, consider sourcing your ingredients right here on the SouthCoast! From potatoes to squash to apples for pie, we’ve got it all thanks to SouthCoast farmers. This year, take that extra step, and look local for your turkey as well!

Local, hormone and anti-biotic free turkeys from Helgar Farm available now for your Thanksgiving Feast. Located just down the road in Tiverton, RI.

$4.95/lb. for birds weighing 13-28 lbs. Act now, before they are all gone!

Call or stop by How On Earth to order your Thanksgiving bird.

Turkeys will be available for pick-up on Tuesday, November 21st.

The Bristol Community College Green Center has just announced its new and improved Fall, 2011 course roster. Green Center Director, Julia Gold recently made public 5 new course offerings, including:

•   MassGREEN Weatherization Business Development Course
•   The Green Enterprise Certificate Program
•   Menu for the Future
•   Choices for Sustainable Living
•   A World of Health: Connecting People, Place, and Planet

Click for more information on the Green Center, and the Fall 2011 Course Catalog. Learn More>>

After a long and cold winter, get out and enjoy the spring air while preparing local beaches for the summer sun. On April 23 from 10.00 am – 12.00 join the Westport River Watershed Alliance to clean up some of the shoreline areas of Westport, MA.  Clean-ups will be held at Cherry & Webb Beach, Gooseberry Island, and East Beach.  You can choose any one of the locations and someone will be there with trash pickers, trash bags, gloves, and refreshments. Visit wrwa.org to register for this event and learn more!

The 4^th annual Shrink Your Footprint Fair has teamed up with April AHA! (Art History Architecture) night, themed Sustainable Earth.  Hosted by the Ocean Explorium, the Fair will feature workshops for adults, teens, and families on how to live an economically healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

The fair will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 14, at the Ocean Explorium, 174 Union Street, New Bedford, MA, following the Earth Eve parade.

The event will feature workshops, exhibits, and vendors.  Three workshops will be held, including “Sustainability 101” by the Marion Institute and P.O.W.E.R.; “Local Food: Your Carbon Food-print” by SEMAP and the SouthCoast Energy Challenge; and “Climate Youth Leadership” by ACE (the Alliance for Climate Education).

Several local green business vendors will be at the event with items for sale, and exhibits will display information that can help attendees shrink their footprint.  There will be a free raffle for all who attend, with prizes donated by the vendors and sponsoring organizations.  Admission is free for the event.

The fair is made possible by SEEAL (Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance), a fund of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts. SEEAL partner organizations working to organize this event also include Ocean Explorium, SEMAP, UMass Dartmouth Office of Civic Engagement, Mass Audubon SouthCoast Wildlife Sanctuaries, Marion Institute, and the Alliance for Climate Education.

For more information, contact Jennifer Marshall at jmarshall@seeal.org, or  508-493-4343.