“The Cloud” eats up so much electricity; it’s good that places like Facebook are starting to realize it’s in their best interest to use less.

For one more week, Home Depot will recycle your old Christmas lights and give you a coupon for $3–5 off LED lights. LED lights use 80% less energy and can last ten times longer than regular lights.

Thanks to Green Lifestyle Consulting for the tip!

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted links, so there are a lot. Enjoy!

Update: Marjorie Decker’s pulled ahead, with 6 more today! I can only assume she forgot to mail them until now…

Our doorbell was ringing constantly this weekend, and not just on Halloween. The election for Cambridge City Council and School Committee is coming up on November 8, and the candidates (or their staffers) are really doing their due diligence in going door to door. I’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t answer anymore. Is this how people in New Hampshire feel during the primaries? The sheer amount of paper wasted is ridiculous!

That's a lot of paper.

So I decided to count up exactly how many flyers we received in our mailbox (or on our porch…or inside our front door). I know this is a minor thing, but it seems like an interesting thought experiment, since the candidates all say they care about environmental issues.

City Council

• Marjorie Decker – 8
• Henrietta Davis – 7
• David Maher – 5
• Denise Simmons – 3 (in a plastic bag!)
• Minka vanBeuzekom – 3
• Tim Toomey – 2
• Leland Cheung – 2
• Ken Reeves – 2
• Charlie Marquardt – 2
• Craig Kelley – 2
• Matt Nelson – 1
• Larry Ward – 1
• Sam Seidel – 0
• Tom Stohlman – 0
• James Williamson – 0
• Gregg Moree – 0
• Gary Mello – 0
• Jamake Pascual – 0

Ultimately, I don’t think it’s going to change who gets my #1 vote. I’m too passionate about Henrietta Davis, Minka vanBeuzekom (a Pragmatic Environmentalism reader!), and Leland Cheung—and now Merven Osborne—to decide on someone else based solely on their literature. However, some people I was lukewarm about did get bumped down the list because of it (I’m looking at you, Denise Simmons).

Some pieces really impressed me as being something more than just junk mail. Henrietta Davis sends out updates quarterly, with great information that we actually put on our refrigerator, like farmers market dates and locations, useful phone numbers, and local discounts. David Maher’s flyer unfolded into a window sign. Way to make it do double duty!

If you want to do your own research on the candidates, Robert Winters has some great profiles on each of them, as well as voting records for the incumbents. His busy site gives me a crazy old man vibe, but I think he does a better job covering Cambridge politics than Cambridge Chronicle.

The Sierra Club is holding a contest for a free energy audit. And if you don’t win that, you can always get a free audit from Mass Saves.

• Win a Free $600 Value Energy Audit from Sierra Club Green Home – Inhabit. Enter before October 31.
• A Chimney Balloon will Keep Your House Warm, Save You Money – Energy Circle. Fireplaces suck for energy efficiency, but chimney balloons can help.
• Weatherize Baby Weatherize – Complete Home Evaluations. DeWitt has now done energy audits for 250 homes in Maine.
• Meal Planning in the Digital Age – Half-Assed Housewife. I used to be great at meal planning; now I’m trying to relearn it. I hope these websites will help.
• Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup – Not Eating Out in New York. It’s that time of year…
• How To Speed Up Your Website And Be More Eco Friendly – Eco Living Advice. I doubt these tips actually save much energy, but they’re common sense that I need to keep in mind.
• 6 Ways To Drink Wine Smarter – Huffington Post. My friend Lesley really recommends Yellow + Blue.
• 5 Easy Car Repairs Anyone Can Do (Even You) – Cheap Like Me. I’ve never done an oil change myself, but I’ve watched my sister do it many times.
• Go Slow To Go Fast – Slate. Reducing speed limits not only saves gas, but can also reduce traffic jams.
• EPA Launches “Greener Products” Portal – Energy 2.0. A new online guide for EPA eco-labeling  programs.