12.04.2008 - 10:12am ET

(CSRwire) MIDDLEBURY, VT -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 12/04/08 -- This holiday season, eco-friendly consumers can give the gift of carbon-free living for a day (also called carbon neutrality) with a click of the mouse. The ONE DAY campaign (http://oneday.brighterplanet.com) is designed to reduce and offset U.S. CO2 usage at a time when emissions skyrocket. By visiting the Web site, anyone can request one day of carbon-free living and will then be able to pay the gift forward by emailing personalized links to their friends. Recipients of the ONE DAY gift can then pass it along to others by forwarding new links -- virally increasing the impact of the gifts.

ONE DAY was conceived of by Brighter Planet(www.brighterplanet.com),a Vermont-based company that helps people reduce and manage their dependence on environmentally harmful CO2-emitting activities. For each participant in ONE DAY, Brighter Planet will donate 136 pounds of carbon offsets (the CO2 emissions for an average person in a single day). These offsets are used to fund renewable energy projects in communities throughout the U.S.

Offsetting CO2 emissions is not the only way to reduce one's carbon footprint during the holidays. Flying and travel make up 51 percent of the average American's carbon footprint, followed by general consumption at 23 percent, and home energy use at 15 percent. According to AAA (www.aaanewsroom.net/Main/Default.asp?CategoryID=8&ArticleID=587), 65.2 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more from home during the Christmas-to-New Year holiday period last year. This large volume of travel, combined with higher consumption patterns and a seasonal spike in home energy use all drive people's carbon footprint upward. To address this issue, Brighter Planet developed 12 tips to help individuals and families make clear-cut, conscious choices for the environment, available at http://blog.brighterplanet.com/2008/12/03/top-12-conservation-tips-for-the-holidays/.


Ideas include:

• Lighten up on lighting. Use more efficient LED holiday lights, which require only 10 percent as much energy, or install an automatic timer that turns the lights on only when needed -- between dark and bedtime.
  
  
• Cool your house; cool the planet. Turn down the thermostat when possible -- 1 degree will save 136 pounds of carbon emissions in 2 months;5 degrees will save 136 pounds in just a few weeks.
  
  
• Give Green. Give creative gifts like donations to charity in someone's name or EnergyStar rated electronics. The method of shopping (online vs. driving around) and wrapping gifts (recycled paper, newspaper,blankets) can reduce waste, too.
  
  
• Audit your Energy. Turn a home energy audit into a fun family activity. Have the kids search the house high and low, and compete to find the most inefficiencies. An audit that saves just 1 percent of home energy usage would reduce a home CO2 footprint by 215 pounds annually.
  
  
• Cook carbon-light. Consider a lower-impact vegetarian holiday meal, cook dishes together in the oven, run the dishwasher only when full, and cool foods outside to achieve major energy savings.

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