December 08 eMail update

Mpower Local Green Guide

To help you fulfill the Isthmus’ Buy Local: Pledge to Spend $100 at Local Merchants this Holiday Season and win local gift certificates we have put together a local green gift guide:

• Support a green cause in the name of an individual and get a green gift. For any individual that makes a contribution of $100 or more to Sustain Dane during the month of December, they will receive one FREE Madison area MeGoGreen Guide (a $20 value) or a FREE copy of "Energy in America" by local author, Ingrid Kelley (a $30 value).
• RainReserve^TM Rain Barrels from local non-profit Sustain Dane are ideal gifts for gardeners and homeowners concerned about storm water runoff and groundwater conservation.
• Indoor water conservation saves water, energy and MONEY! Sustain Dane’s easy to install water conservation fixtures for kitchen and bath come in an economical $30 kit that makes a great stocking stuffer for homeowners and apartment dwellers alike.
  
• Give the gift of Green Power! Visit MGE or Alliant Energy  for more information.
  
• Is someone very lucky on your list going to receive a car? Consider an electric car; check out Green Auto’s for more information.
• No budget for a car this year? Give a gift certificate to Community Car or the gift of an easy commute by public transport.
• Many of the Mpowered Businesses have products or services that would make great gifts too.
  
  

Reduce the "stuff" you give this year! Memberships and tickets can be enjoyed by all:

• Olbrich Garden Membership
  
•  Henry Vilas Zoo Membership
•  Sierra Club Membership
• Overture Center Tickets
  
• Madison Children’s Museum Membership
  
• WPR’s Member Card
  
• MREA Membership
  
• Treat someone to a night out with a gift certificate to some of Madison’s tastiest locally sourced restaurants like: Harvest, RP’s Fork and Spoon, The Dardanelles or the Weary Traveler.
  

Still need more ideas? There are hundreds of Green Gift Guides on-line, so go ahead and Blackle (Google’s search engine on a blacked out screen, saving over 944,500 kWh of energy since the engine's launch in 2007) “Green Gift Guides 2008” and see what you find – we found Tree Hugger’s Green Gift Guide to have gift ideas for everyone and Great Green Goods to live up to their promise of only showcasing products that are created from recycled material.

CO2gether website launched!

Co2gether.org, a local website providing a collaborative network and tools for people who have an interest in climate change and want to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (aka YOU). It allows you to:

• Calculate your carbon footprint based off your electrical, natural gas and transportation data
  
• Track your emissions overtime
• Download your data into an excel spreadsheet
• Journal your actions
• Participate in discussion groups - like the Mpowering Madison discussion group
  
  Thank you 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin, MG&E and UW-SAGE for bringing us this website
  
  

Madison Lights Out Update

Please update your Mpower pledge if you choose to support MLO, use the email address you get your monthly updates with. 

Download signs at the MLO website.

Purchase yard sings at the following locations
East side:

Ground Zero
744 Williamson St # 1
 
Willy Street Co-op
1221 Williamson St
 
Off the Grid
(Across from Target East)
4261 Lien Rd

West side:

Cargo Coffee
1309 S Park St

Capitol Center Market
111 N Broom St