EnergyCare provides energy services and information for the low-income elderly, ill, disabled and young children in St. Louis County and St. Louis City.
EnergyCare helps keep St. Louis residents safe during cold weather by providing heaters, blankets, and other energy-related services.
EnergyCare offices are located at:
2758 Wyoming Street
St. Louis, Missouri 63118
(314) 773-5900
By Officer Nancee Nocchiero, Second District
Although police believe they have arrested the people who have been breaking into homes and garages in the area, please always be alert and follow these general safety tips to help keep yourself or your home from becoming a target for burglars:
• Keep your doors locked and/or closed while working in the basement, garage or front or backyard
• Keep garage doors and windows closed and locked even when you are at home
• Keep your car locked at all times, even when parked in the garage
• Use outdoor lighting to illuminate the outside of your home
• Turn your front and back porch lights on every night
• Keep shrubs and trees trimmed away from the windows and porches
• Try not to walk alone, particularly at night
• When approaching or entering your car pay attention to the area
• Have your car door key in your hand and ready to use
• When you get in the car, lock the door
• Never keep anything in your car that can be seen from the outside, such as CDs, presents, computers, etc.
~ St. Louis EarthWays Home ~
Emily Andrews, United States Green Building Council-St. Louis Chapter Coordinator, and staff member at the EarthWays Home, spoke to Lindenwood residents at the December 3, 2007 general membership meeting about ways to make our homes more Earth friendly, energy efficient, and cost effective.
The EarthWays Home, a three-story Victorian residence built in 1885 at 3617 Grandel Square, was renovated in 1994 to showcase practical demonstrations of energy efficient systems, recycled products and waste reduction practices. Today this handsome educational facility houses EarthWays Center, a division of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Systems and products in the EarthWays Home offer visitors a springboard to rethink product design and building operations to achieve affordable resource efficiency. Visitors will experience hands-on applications of sustainable lifestyle choices. Most features of the EarthWays Home are readily available for use in general construction and renovation.
Examples of things to see:
– energy-efficient lighting sources
– recycled and non-toxic products
– water-saving fixtures
– recycling and composting systems
– energy-efficient window options
– blown-in cellulose insulation
– photovoltaic solar system powering high-efficiency
kitchen appliances and exterior lighting
– geothermal heating and cooling
– high-efficiency gas furnace
– native plant landscaping
– water and energy saving Green Roof
– recycled-plastic lumber garden beds
– energy-efficient fireplace options
– on-demand water heating
– sustainable flooring options
The EarthWays Home offers tours, volunteer opportunities, festivals, adult and children’s classes, tax credit information, events, and many educaitonal opportunities for all ages.
EarthWays Public Tour Days – Third Saturday and Sunday of each month. Guided tours begin at 11 a.m., noon, 1, and 2 p.m. $3 per person, free for Garden members and children under 12. No reservations needed for public tour weekends. Group tours for adults or youth require advance booking.
Simple Ways To Go Green
AT HOME
• Recycle your newsletters
• Swith to compact flourescent lightbulbs
• Clean the coils on your refrigerator
• Wash clothes in cold water
• Plug air leaks in your walls and ceiling
• Tune up your heating and cooling system
• Join the city recycling program
• Fix leaky faucets
• Switch to a reusable coffee filter
• Use baking soda, vinegar or bleach for cleaning
• “Flash dry” your dishwasher instead of using the dry cycle
• Replace old appliances with Energy-Star appliances
• Program your thermostat for heat and cooling
• Use reusable plastic containers instead of disposable plastic containers
• Use fewer paper plates and plastic cups
• Buy recycled products
• Reduce the amount of water you use
• Turn the lights off when you leave a room
• Never pour chemicals down your drain … all water leads to the ocean!
IN YOUR YARD
• Grow your own vegetables
• Use a push lawnmower
• Compost your leaves and garden waste
• Collect rainwater for the garden and lawn
• Use native trees, flowers, and bushes
• Put up birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths
• Take extra plastic and rubber pots back to the nursery
AROUND TOWN
• Bring your own bags or canvas bags to the grocery store
• Take the bus or MetroLink
• Buy from local businesses
• Help clean up your block, park, or stream
• Eat sustainable fish and ask restaurants to serve it
AT WORK
• Bring a coffee cup from home (don’t use styrofoam)
• Print on both sides of the paper
• Turn off lights in offices
• Use scrap paper for informal notes to yourself & others
• Re-use manila envelopes and file folders
Protect Yourself Family From Carbon Monoxide
Carbon Monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is produced whenever fuel is burned. The danger of CO is increased during the winter because we spend more time indoors and keep the windows and doors tightly closed. Exposure to low levels of CO can make you sick. Low levels of CO Poisoning can result in symptoms commonly mistaken for a common flu and cold symptoms– shortness of breath, mild headaches, and nausea. Higher levels can kill you!
To protect yourself and your family, follow these tips:
– Have a qualified person check all furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, wood stoves, space heaters and any other fuel burning appliances at the beginning of each heating season.
– Install a CO detector on every floor of your home.
– Make sure you can hear detectors in all parts of your home.
– Check the detectors and change the batteries regularly.
– Never leave your car to warm up in an attached garage, even with the garage door open.
– If a CO detector sounds, get everyone out of the house as quickly as possible and call the Fire Department at 911.
Fire Safety Tips
Winter is the most common time for house fires to occur. Half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. The U.S. has one of the highest fire death rates in the industrialized world. Is your home ready if there is a fire?
The main causes of house fires are:
1. Cooking
2. Careless Smoking
3. Arson
4. Heating
Prevention
What can you do to prevent a fire from becoming deadly?
– Install smoke detectors. Test them often and replace the batteries at least twice a year at daylight savings time.
– Have a home fire escape plan. Have a pre-arranged meeting place somewhere outside the house. Practice the plan during the day and at night.
– Check your house regularly for hazards. Check every room in the house for overloaded outlets and extension cords.
– Don’t leave candles unattended, especially around children.
– Check the area around space heaters to ensure there is nothing near that could catch fire – curtains, clothing, or bedding.
– Holiday lights should be UL approved and do not overload.
– Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children.
– Have your fireplace chimney inspected by a professional before every heating season and cleaned if necessary.
Car Safety Over The Winter
Don’t be a victim!
As the weather gets even colder, remember, it is illegal to leave your car running in the street unattended to warm it up.
It is ILLEGAL to warm up your car on the street! Thieves set out early in the morning looking specifically for cars running unattended in the street. These cars are easy targets! Don’t let your car get stolen on a cold winter morning!
Here are a few items you should always carry in your car, especially during the winter:
– small rain gear
– blanket(s)
– granola bars
– towels(s)
– canned fruit
– bottled water
– socks
– gloves
– hat
– scarf
– emergency blanket
– flash light
– wiper fluid
– extra batteries
– sand/kitty litter
– rope