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The holidays dont have to be all about the
stuff. You can adhere to eco-conscious
values and still give great gifts. Check the
list below for some gift ideas that they
might like better than another scarf or tie.
This list is by no means exhaustive. Type
green gifts
into any Internet
search engine and
browse to your hearts
content.
Stocking Stuffers: Compact
Fluorescent Light bulbs
(CFLs) and tire gauges. CFLs
use up to 75% less energy than
standard incandescent light
bulbs and last up to 10 times
longer. A tire gauge helps
keep tires properly inflated,
which saves gas and helps cut
greenhouse gas pollution
Composter: A number of
styles and sizes are available.
Throw in things like junk mail,
fruit and veggie waste, grass
clippings, wood chips etc.,
keep moist for a summer and
youve got soil for the garden
thats rich in organic nutrients.
National Parks Pass: The National
Parks Services new Annual
Interagency Pass offers access to all
public lands across the country that
currently charge entrance or standard
amenity fees offering visitors a simple
and cost-effective way to visit multiple
recreation sites. The new Annual pass
is available for $80 online at http://
store.usgs.gov/pass.
The leaves are just
beginning to turn at Greg
Kelleys place, but the
most beautiful sight is
attached to his house an
electric meter spinning
backwards.
With the sun warming
a roof full of solar panels
and a gentle breeze
turning a 50-foot tall
windmill in his side
yard, Kelleys electric
consumption for the past
30 days drops from 27
kilowatt-hours (kWh) to
26. This is the payback
for a Co-op member who
used to consume over
700 kWh per month and
more than 1,000 gallons
of oil per year.
Kelleys New Durham
home is a showpiece
of alternative energy.
The solar photovoltaic
system is generating 400
kWh of electricity per
month; the Skystream wind
turbine adds another 200
kWh per month; a bank
of solar collectors provides
hot water, part of which is
used for radiant floor heat;
every light fixture contains
Compact Fluorescent Lights
(CFLs), every appliance is
ENERGY STAR® rated;
every window is Andersen®
400 Series Low-E argon
filled glass; the house is
wrapped in R 30 insulation;
the whole house generator
is powered by a tractor that
runs on bio-dieselthe list
goes on and on. Kelley knows
not everyone will make the
investment he has, but he
believes the mindset that
underlies it is becoming more
common.
Were in a momentum
building stage right now,
he says, this is an exciting
growth field. There is an
opportunity for America to
Your Electric Co-ops Newsletter
New Hampshire Electric Co-op
TODAY
NO
VEMBER 2007
n

Watts Happening
n

BOD Election Process
n
Signs On Utility Poles
n

Green Gifts
n

Fred Said
F
eature
a
rticle
:
Alternative Energy In Action
Co-Op Member Greg Kelley Shows How Its Done
The
For member service
please call
1-800-698-2007 or visit us
online at www.nhec.coop
To report an outage
please call
1-800-343-6432
New Hampshire Electric Cooperative
579 Tenney Mountain Highway
Plymouth, NH 03264
FRED SAID:
LEDs (Light Emitting
Diodes) make great Christmas tree
lights. They use one-tenth the current
of incandescent bulbs and last much
longer. The best part? They dont have
a filament inside that can burn out and
take the entire string of bulbs with it!
Give a Green Gift
that Isnt a Thing:
a gym membership

tickets to whale watching trips

a pair of weekend tickets to a

ski area
a museum pass or membership

give an experience (a day kayaking)

a gift certificate for a lesson (tennis,

swimming, drums, for example)
a gift certificate for a dinner for two

donate something in the name of a

friend or relative, in a subject area
of interest to them
a gift certificate to a u

sed book store
a plant or a tree

Green Christmas
This year, give the earth a gift too
BACK PAGE
Who is Fred? Hes Fred Anderson, President & CEO
of the Co-op and hes big on energy efficiency!
Cont. page 2
www.smallSTEPS.coop How Is the Board Elected?
Greg Kelley
cont. from page 1
become a clean, renewable energy manufacturer and every
spike in oil prices will help get us there.
After 25 years in information technology, Kelley founded Sol
R Heat Systems, a renewable energy equipment installer. He
says hes glad to see the Co-op offering rebate incentives on
the installation of solar hot water systems and wind generators.
In fact, hes using his $2,700 rebate check from the Co-op to
help pay for his new windmill. To learn more about the Co-
ops renewable energy incentives or to just pick up a tip about
energy efficiency, visit our new website smallSTEPS.coop.
Whether youre taking big steps like Greg Kelley or small steps
like replacing a standard light bulb with a CFL, the Co-op is
here to help. Call us at 1-800-698-2007 or visit NHEC.coop.
WATTS HAPPENING!
The business and affairs of the New
Hampshire Electric Cooperative
(NHEC) are governed by a Board of
11 Directors chosen by and from the
membership. Directors are elected for
three-year staggered terms, with at least
three to be elected each year.
Q: How are Board members chosen?
A: Board members are elected by a mail
ballot vote of Co-op members.
Q: How can a Co-op member be-
come a candidate for election to the
Board of Directors?
A: In accordance with the Co-ops by-
laws candidates can be nominated by a
Nominating Committee or may peti-
tion to be included on the director elec-
tion ballot.
Q: What is the Nominating
Committee?
A: Each year, the Board of Directors
appoints a Nominating Committee of
not less than five (5) nor more than
eleven (11) members who are selected
so as to give equitable representation
on the committee to the membership
of the Cooperative. In preparing its list
of nominations, the Nominating Com-
mittee meets numerous times to review
resumes and questionnaires and inter-
view candidates. The Committee con-
siders a candidates background, skills
and the value he or she could bring to
the governance of the Cooperative. The
Nominating Committee must prepare
and post its list of nominations for di-
rector at least 90 days prior to the An-
nual Meeting in June.
Q: How many candidates are nomi-
nated by the Nominating Committee?
A: There are no bylaws governing the
number of candidates put forward by
the Nominating Committee. The Com-
mittee may nominate more candidates
than there are open seats, or fewer.
Q: Are there alternatives to the
nomination process?
A: Yes. In accordance with the Co-ops
bylaws any one hundred (100) mem-
bers may make other nominations in
writing over their signatures not less
than sixty (60) days prior to the An-
nual Meeting. Qualified petition can-
didates will have their names listed on
the director election ballot with candi-
dates nominated by the Nominating
Committee. A notation on the ballot
will indicate whether a candidate was
nominated by the Nominating Com-
mittee or by petition.
Q: Where can interested candidates
get more information?
A: A copy of the NHEC Code of By-
laws is available online at www.nhec.
coop, or contact Sharon Yeaton at
603-536-8801 or yeatons@nhec.com.
Board of Directors Meetings

The NHEC Board of Directors meets
monthly at dates and locations that
are available on the Co-op website
at www.nhec.coop/boardofdirectors,
or by calling Sharon Yeaton at
603-536-8801.
U 2 DC 4 FREE!
Attention high school juniors want a
free trip to Washington D.C.? Apply
now for a spot on the 2008 Youth
Tour. A handful of New Hampshire
students will again be joining high
schoolers from across the country for a
week of sightseeing and meetings with
the states Congressional delegation.
The 2008 Youth Tour is June 13-19,
2008. Youve got until Friday, February
28, 2008 to apply, so dont wait til its
too late For complete details, visit
the Co-op website at www.nhec.coop/
community_dcyouthtour, or call Youth
Tour coordinator Audrey Simpson at
603-536-8685.
Signs On Utility Poles: Illegal and Dangerous
Yard sales and political campaigns are
a part of the New Hampshire cultural
landscape. Yet, the seemingly harmless
signs used to advertise yard sales, politi-
cal aspirations and other news can have
unintended dangerous consequences
when hung on utility poles.
Lineworkers at the New Hampshire
Electric Co-op use sharp steel gaffs
attached to their boots to climb util-
ity poles. Hitting a nail, staple, tack or
other object left in a pole from a sign
with a gaff while climbing can cause
the lineworker to fall and be injured.
Also, nails, staples and tacks left in the
pole could tear or puncture the lin-
eworkers rubber gloves. These gloves
are the lineworkers primary protection
against electric shock. Even a hole the
size of pinprick can cause the glove to
fail when it comes into contact with
high voltage and result in the linework-
er being severely injured or killed.
There is also an economic incentive for
not hanging signs on utility poles. The
fasteners allow extra moisture to enter
the pole, causing premature pole rot
and adding to the cost of maintaining
the electrical system.
We underst