Our fifth challenge is chose green lighting & battery options.

Christmas Lights:

The Department of Energy estimates Americans use 6.6 Billion Kilowatt hours with holiday lighting. That's enough to power 800,000 homes for a year.

These simple adjustments can make your lights a lot greener:

·     Use LED lights. They use 70% less energy, last 10 times longer, and do not contain any hazardous materials.

·     Put Your Lights on a Timer. Using timers will target the times you really want your lights lit and will save energy from running longer than needed. Don't leave lights burning through the night. It can be deadly for animals as it disrupts the daily cycle of light and dark.

·     Do NOT Put Light Strings in Recycling - but they can be recycled in an E-waste collection. Now for your recycling tip -- light strings never belong in curbside recycling. Instead bring to an Electronic Waste (e-waste) collection that Indie Cycle offers year round at many locations.

Here is where Indie will be: Upcoming Events

What Indie takes: Accepted Items

·     Light bulbs - NOT go in the recycling either. There are many different types of light bulbs, so check the RIRRC list for how to properly dispose each type. RIRRC A-Z Light Bulbs List