1. Every week between Thanksgiving and New
Years, the U.S. creates 1 million TONS of addi‐
tional waste. That is the equivalent of
100,000 garbage trucks each carrying 20,000
pounds of garbage. Every week.
This represents a 25% increase in waste dur‐
ing the holidays. 600 Million pounds a week
of this waste is simply the packaging that
these products came in. Pretty amazing!
There are so many steps we can take to help
reduce these staggering numbers. Maybe too
many to know where to start. This month I
wanted to share just a few that I thought you
might enjoy giving...and getting.
Better yet, each one of them you can get from
where you are right this very minute.
Increased driving during the holidays is re‐
sponsible for over 3.25 Billion pounds of CO₂
emissions. If just 30% of us would stay home
and shop online we could save 1,000,000,000
pounds of CO₂ emissions. That is the same as
557 homes with an average carbon footprint
of 1,794,385 pounds each.
Take a look and see what you think about
giving a different kind of gift this year. There
are local ideas and ideas that span the globe.
On the subject of CO₂ emissions I am also
throwing in some things we can do around
the house to help save a few tons as well.
There won’t be a green home tour this
month, but we will be back in January with a
great 4‐star built green home. Thank you for
all of your interest over the course of the last
year. There are some very exciting things
coming in 2009…...Stay Tuned.
Happy Holidays ‐Matt Muhsam
Source: www.epa.gov
GreenDwellingSeattleIt’s Not Just Where You Live, But How You Live
December Newsletter
Cool Gift Ideas From Around the Globe
Carbon Neutral and Climate Friendly gifts
Adventure Travel, Hiking Trips, Bike Tours
Micro Loans‐Loans that Change Lives
Ending Hunger, Caring for the Earth
Reduce What you Can,
Offset What you Can’t
Gifts That Do Good
And From Our Own Backyard
Give the Gift of Great LOCAL food
Give Experiences
Instead of Stuff
The Gift of Action

2. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
12/3 Inside Green Event at ecoHAUS
12/5 Confronting the Food Crisis Teach‐In
12/6 Polar Bear Plunge
12/9 December Greendrinks
12/11 Sustainable Kirkland Monthly Meeting
12/13‐14 Piper’s Creek Salmon Watching
12/20 Green Seattle Partnership
Year Round Farmers Market Schedule
Household CO₂CO₂CO₂CO₂CO₂ Emissions
Do It!...If you can Save
Install Low‐flow fixtures 325#
Swap for 10 Energy Star CFL’s 1,000#
Thermostat Down 5°F at Night 231#
Drive 83 Miles Less/Month 1,000#
Install Energy Star Furnace/Boiler 3,011#
Use a Clothesline 700#
Reduce Garbage by 10% 1,200#
Clean your Furnace Air Filter 350#
Buy an Energy Star Refrigerator 521#
Improve Gas Mileage by 3 MPG 3,000#
Source: www.epa.gov, www.climatecrisis.net
Just a couple more things I wanted to say about
this last year and GreenDwellingSeattle. It is
such a satisfying and rewarding experience to
meet and talk with everyone and I hope that
the information you are getting is interesting
and helpful. If you have questions about any‐
thing relating to green building or the greater
green community please don’t hesitate to ask.
This is intended to be an interactive resource
and your participation is key to all of our suc‐
cess. Secondly, Seattle’s markets have suffered
along with the rest of the country and the Real
Estate market is no exception. Green builders
are working hard to make better homes and I
want to do what I can to promote their work.
If you have an interest and would like to know
more about many of the great green projects
coming down the road, let me know. I would
be happy to help. Also, check out this new web
page from King County Ecoconsumer. Very
cool for the remodelers out there.
And It Seems a Perfect Time For: