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Brrrr! It’s Getting Colder, so Winterize Your Home with Tips from CAP

CAP38_GroupHikeThis is a message from the Fall 2013 Community Adventure Program (CAP) located out of New Vista High School in Boulder, Colorado! The Fall 2013 CAP class is striving to better their community through focused environmental practices and ethics. By winterizing New Vista High School, they hope to set an example that will spread value, attention, education and awareness to the students and the greater Boulder community. Their Action Project shows that we can start now and make a difference in our energy consumption for the future.

With winter just around the corner, we all know that those heating bills are also coming around, and they’re not cheap! So how do you pinch a penny in the dead of winter? How can you keep those hefty heating bills low? There are some great ways, with building winterization methods. Not only is it good for your pocketbook, but the environment too. The CAP class at New Vista High School raised money (over $100!) through bake sales to purchase supplies to winterize their school. They are showing students, teachers, and staff how to winterize windows by shrink-wrapping the windows in plastic to keep the heat in and cold winter drafts out! The students also created and distributed energy-saving guides throughout the school. In the words of Aimee, a CAP student, “We wanted to our Action Project to focus on something accessible to the everyday person, not to enforce cynicism and unrealistic goals”.

Winterization isn’t only for big buildings, this is for family homes too. So get ready to save money and energy by doing some winterization in your own homes.

Here are CAP’s Top 10 Winterization Tips:

Window Insulation

1. Insulate Your Windows! Put plastic on your windows to prevent heat from escaping. Green Tip: When taking down plastic covers in the spring, be careful not to tear or make holes so the plastic is reusable for next year! If it’s not reusable, make sure to recycle it!

2. Install Storm Doors and Windows!

3. Seal up Cracks! You can use caulking and weatherstripping wherever you have drafty cracks.

4. Clean Your Gutters! Clean out leaves and debris so snowmelt drains off your roof.

5. Use a Draft Snake Under Your Doors! Put a rolled bath towel under a drafty door, or get crafty and make your own!

6. Remove or Insulate Your AC Unit! You can buy a cover for your AC unit or make your own using plastic, Styrofoam, or plywood.Backpacking CalWood

7. Run Your Ceiling Fan in Reverse! Running your ceiling fan counterclockwise can keep the warm air lower in your living space and circulating.

8. Lower Your Thermostat! You can manually turn down your thermostat at night or when you leave home. Or you can buy a programmable thermostat.

9. Wear More Clothes! Throw on a sweater, even when you’re inside!

10. Check Your Furnace! Get your furnace cleaned and tuned every year to stay safer and warmer.

It’s easy to winterize, especially considering the money you will be saving, not to mention the environment. So winterize this winter to keep cozy and save energy too!

 

Written by New Vista High School CAP Class, Fall 2013

Take a look at photos from all of the CAP adventures from this quarter at New Vista High School by clicking here!

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Categories: Community Adventure Program, Cottonwood Institute News, Updates

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