We have a windy, rainy Monday, November 09, 2009 in Bellingham, WA. Our presently displaced Whatcom Middle students are home until at least Thursday while administrators iron out the details of placement. At present, it has been determined that the 6^th Grade students go to Geneva Grade School, 7^th graders go to Fairhaven Middle School and the 8^th graders to Bellingham High. A meeting with  the parents and students of Whatcom Middle School is scheduled for this evening at 6:30 in the Bellingham High School theater. 

•  Lower the thermostat. Turning it down by a degree or two can reduce heating bills by 4 percent or more.
• Use ceiling fans in winter. Changing the direction of the blade to counterclockwise pushes hot air down and helps keep rooms warm.
• Look for appliances with Energy Star ratings. Compared to a refrigerator built in 1990, a new Energy Star model saves enough electricity to light an average home for more than 4 1/2months.
• Fix drips. One drop per second from a leaky faucet can waste as much as 10 gallons of water each week.
• Install low-flow shower heads, faucets and toilets.  Low-flow faucets reduce water consumption and heating by as much as 50 percent. Low-flow toilets could save Americans 2.1 trillion gallons of water and $11.3 million daily.
• Choose green flooring made from renewable resources like bamboo.
• Look for furnishings that are made from biodegradable or recyclable materials, so when they wear out, they don�t create waste.
• Check local guidelines for disposing of paint cans and other toxic and hazardous materials. Recycle packing and shipping materials.