The Monthly Newsletter of greenlight magazine

As the new year dawned, it sort of felt like a new era also was dawning as I reflected on the Holidays (too chaotic to recall in detail) and looked around my little suburban town. My son-in-law was gifted with a new Kindle e-book and already has downloaded a dozen books—and Amazon was out of stock. We saw re-usable recyclable Holiday cards and an abundance of LED outdoor lights. Soon after New Years, everyone of my neighbors' Christmas trees had been picked up for mulching. Downtown a new green dry cleaner opened for business, and new bike racks awaited bike commuters.

—Bill Marken, editor in chief, greenlight magazine

In this issue:

• 8 Ways to Save Energy this Winter
• Curl Up with some Great Organic Teas
• Q&A: Which flat screen TVs are greener?
• One Green Step at a Time

1. Make sure your walls and attic are well insulated. Effective insulation slows the rate that heat flows out of the house in winter or into the house in summer, so less energy is required to heat or cool the house.
2. Upgrade or replace windows. If your windows are old and leaky, it may be time to replace them with energy-efficient models or boost their efficiency with weather stripping and storm windows.
3. Replace an older furnace with a high-efficiency system. If your furnace was built before 1992 and has a standing pilot, it probably wastes 35 percent of the fuel it uses, and it may be near the end of its service life.
4. Improve the efficiency of your hot water system. First, turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F), particularly for fossil-fuel water heaters with their high standby losses.
5. Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). CFLs can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescents.
6. If you are thinking of buying a new refrigerator, don't leave the old one plugged in, in the basement, as a backup for party supplies and liquid refreshment. Electricity to operate the old one isn't free: figure an extra $50-150 per year to run it.
7. Plant shade trees and shrubs around your house. If your house is older, with relatively poor insulation and windows, good landscaping (particularly deciduous trees) can save energy, especially if planted on the house's west side.
8. Schedule an energy audit for more expert advice on your home as a whole. Energy auditors and raters use specialized tools and skills to evaluate your home and recommend the most cost-effective measures to improve its comfort and efficiency. Read More...

This article, from the Winter edition of greenlight, appears in longer form at greenlight online.

Warming, calming and just right for an evening in front of the fireplace: teas of the world are many and varied.  Here are just a few of the "greener" options:

1. Your purchase of (organic) Himalaya Green Tea from Choice Organic Teas sends 10 cents per box in donation to support the work of Save the Himalayan Kingdom.
2. Yogi Teas offers an astounding variety of teas for mind, body, and spirit.  Try their new Berry Antioxidant Tea which combines acai, goji and coffee berries to "help renew your energy and spirit." This tea also contains elderberry and jiao gu lan to help energize you.
3. Ten Ren Tea of San Francisco has introduced a line of certified organic teas from China.  Try the Golden Monkey Black Tea which is grown in the Yunnan region of the Fujian province, an area known for producing excellent black tea with golden buds, resulting in a sugary aroma with floral and roasted undertones when brewed.
4. Besides its purported weigh loss and antioxidant properties, this Sweet Matcha Genmai tea from rishi tea is pre-sweetened and mixed with Japanese brown rice for a special experience.
5. Flowering Teas are beautiful and a lovely gift. Try the Organic Tea Velvet Flowering Tea Chest from Numi Tea available in a beautiful wood and glass showcase box, and offering 12 bundles (including exotic names such as Starlight Rose, Emerald Sun, Flower Jewel and Midnight Peony) that can be steeped up to 3 times each.

Q: I'm in the market for a new TV and really want a flat-screen model. Which type is the best from an earth-friendly point of view?
— Chad

A: Here are a few tips:

• Buck the trend: you probably don't need the 60-inch SUV of televisions in your 12 by 12 family room
• Connect your non-essential electronics to an easily accessible power strip, and reduce your phantom load
• If your old direct-view TV (that's the official name for your conventional bulky model) still has some life in it, consider donating it to a family member or charity
• If you must dispose of it check out Earth911 for your local recycling center

Napa Valley has its first environmentally-sustainable hotel.

New studies suggest that there's greater nutrition value in organically grown fruits and vegetables.

Barney's holiday windows were green this year. 

Rent a green box to pack and move.

Listen online to green radio station "The Globe" out of Washington, D.C.

Green Videos

See video now.

Editor's Picks

Help shift $1 billion in spending to eco-friendly goods and services at The Big Green Purse.

Try out green online channel ViroPOP and their fun news video news channel, ZapRoot.

Solar House Project leads you through the process of building a passive solar home.

See the world and yourself in a different way at RE:Vision, making "What if" "What is"

Apply for a grant for your community project from the EPA's Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program ($3 million available).

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