‘Tis the Season to Think Green

I have talked about how it is important to our family to do our part to be green before and some of the small ways we work towards that.

As a family we have worked hard to not use so many paper towels so that we can be a little more environmentally friendly. We repurpose our leftovers, try not to waste water, utilize our public library, and recycle.

This year also worked to be more green in our Christmas decor. All of the outside lights are LED bulbs as well as the bulbs on the Christmas tree in doors.

I had been unplugging the outside lights before I go to bed but a few times I have forgotten to so today I added an automatic timer for the outside lights so they are only on for a handful of hours in the evening.

For our indoor lights I have made a point to not plug in the tree when we aren’t home to enjoy the lights. This means that usually the Christmas tree is only plugged in during the evening and not all day long.

These might seem like small things, but my attitude towards sustainability is that even one small change can make a big impact. I’ve worked really hard to teach my kids this concept.

We are always keeping each other in check with making sure bedroom and bathroom lights are turned off when they aren’t in use and my kids are completely involved in the household recycling.

Our recycle can is always overflowing because recycling is only picked up every other week in our neighborhood. A few months ago Logan told me, when I was being kind of lazy that if I made sure to break down all the boxes I would be able to fit more in the recycle can and not have to throw any away. He was totally right! I love that he is paying attention to these things.

Previously when we lived in New Mexico I often wondered about wind power as an alternative form of energy. For anyone who has spent significant time in the Albuquerque area, you know that it is often very windy there. Especially in the spring. I was curious how we could use energy sources that take advantage of the abundance of wind and sun.

We have a good amount of wind here in Colorado too. I recently learned that Colorado’s Xcel Energy customers have the opportunity to purchase renewable energy through Windsource® (also available in Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and New Mexico).

One of the benefits of using wind as an alternative source of energy is that wind can help to keep energy rates affordable by protecting customers against rising fuel and other costs.

Xcel Energy is the #1 wind energy provider. The American Wind Energy Association has ranked Xcel as the nation’s #1 wind provider. I appreciate that Xcel is offering customers the choice to support renewable energy and that it is so easy to support this.

Windsource® is completely voluntary. If you live in one of the eligible states and are interested in enrolling, you can call Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-4999 or visit ResponsibleByNature.com/Windsource to enroll.

Subscription Amounts:

The amount of energy you’d like to get from Windsource is up to you.

• You can use one block per month, about enough electricity to power the lights in a typical home for a month.
• They can also choose to get 100% of their energy from Windsource.
• The money received from Windsource customers is used to purchase wind energy.
• The premium shows up on your monthly energy bill.

Visit ResponsibleByNature.com/windsource to learn more about enrollment in Windsource.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Xcel Energy. The opinions and text are all mine.