Just heard from the organizers of the PEC's latest mass-information campaign, and they were excited to tell me about the timeline for their project. These are the folks who've previously brought you the very attractive Buy Fresh Buy Local guide, which is annually mailed to gazillions of households throughout the Piedmont and has been, by all accounts, wildly successful in letting people know about the local food movement.

Now a new guide will be hitting your mailbox. This topic: home energy efficiency. And we're not talking SIPs panels, all-new insulation or thousands of dollars in new windows. No, the friendly PEC folks just want you to use CFLs, open and close your blinds, and seal around windows and doors. In other words, the Energy Smart Solutions campaign will encourage people to do small, affordable things to cut down on their power bills.

All Charlottesville and Albemarle households, and some beyond our borders, will receive the guides in early January. But why wait? There's already a website, complete with an awesome video of Doug Lowe screwing in a lightbulb. (And a lot of other videos too. I personally could learn a thing or two from "Learn How to Install Weatherstripping." Doug Lowe, by the way, owns Artisan Construction and knows whereof he speaks.)

I hope the mass-mailing-plus-website format can be as effective on energy issues as it's been on local food. Stay tuned as these eco-messengers spread the word.