All I want for Christmas is a safe, habitable world for generations to come - the gift that truly keeps on giving - is that too much to ask? If there was a simple and effective way to take action, today, that will help to ensure that, would you do so?

This holiday season, it seems that a lot of my neighbors have festive lights decroating their houses, more than last year - and some of them have absolutely outlandish displays with thousands of lights. As I look at all those bulbs twinkling, I can't help but think about this on a national scale - how many tons of CO2 are being released for this festival of light across the USA? Myself, I pay extra for my electricity to ensure that all of it is generated with renewable resources, but how many of the folks with dazzling light displays were using the same service? I started toying with the idea of an open letter to my decorative neighbors, but I couldn't pin down my thoughts well enough to make sense of it until I saw a DailyKos.com diary from the incomparable Dood Abides the other day.

The image Dood created, of Santa in the racing boat cruising past the North Pole, crystallized it for me - I needed a hook, and that was it. In a 20 minute bout of extreme creativity, I put this together:

Simple and to the point, it shows clearly what we face in just a few short years. It lays out four compelling reasons to switch to green power, and invites the viewer here for more information.

Now here's the action piece: save the image above and print off a few copies. Bring them to your holiday gatherings and get your families and friends talking about green power. Find out the options in your state, and sign up for them yourself if you haven't already - urge your family and friends to do the same. The added cost is easily offset by using CFL bulbs wherever possible, and make sure you urge that on folks as well - you might even bring a few CFL bulbs to hand out!

The flyer is also available as a PDF at this link:

http://www.ea2020.org/drupal/files/EASanta.pdf

The PDF version may print a little clearer than the image file.

The easiest way to promote the growth of renewable power is to use the power of your own wallet - if you buy your electricity from sellers who use renewable technology to generate it, you're reducing your carbon footprint and helping to save the world. Here's a listing of green power options by state to get you started:

http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml

I want to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season - let's all resolve to work together and solve some of these seemingly intractable problems in the coming new year!