There are plenty of opportunities to shrink your carbon footprint even when you are a Brookline apartment dweller.

Amanda Treat, a member of Climate Change Action Brookline, and Kelley Bradshaw, a nutrition graduate student at Boston University have rented together for three years and found the way. They believe even small changes can make apartment living greener and healthier. "We can't do any major renovations to our apartment since we rent, but we can do little things to make it more energy efficient," Treat said.

Recently, the roommates switched to wind-powered electricity by signing up for NSTAR's special green-energy program, NSTAR Green. Buying clean, renewable, green electricity is the single most powerful action to fight pollution and climate disruption. For the average family, switching to 100 percent green power does as much environmental good as planting 950 trees or driving 20,000 miles less each year. Signing up for NSTAR Green cuts your total household carbon footprint around 25 percent.

While there is currently an additional charge for NSTAR Green, Treat and Bradshaw found a way to reduce their home electricity consumption. "We were initially worried that it would be an added expense, but we haven't really noticed a difference in our monthly costs," Bradshaw said. "That is in part due to how well we conserve." To prevent "vampire electricity," the roommates plug appliances and computers into surge protectors that can quickly be turned off when not in use, and replaced all inefficient light bulbs with compact fluorescents. Their next step is to borrow an energy monitor (available from the Brookline Library) and test their appliances for efficiency. Treat and Bradshaw stay cool in the summer with the old fashioned trick of windows-closed-shades-down during the day and window fans to bring in the breeze at night. In the winter, they save money and energy by conserving heat. Bradshaw bought inexpensive draft stoppers for the doors. By fitting plastic insulation over their windows in November they save an estimated $20 per window each year.

Treat learned tricks for staying warm while living in Japan and continues with the practices now. She says, "In Japan, there is more focus on heating the space directly around the body instead of every molecule of air in the room. So, in the apartment, we use electric blankets while watching TV and space heaters while working at our desks. This allows us to keep the apartment thermostat lower and ensures that we draw our heat from wind generated electricity instead of nonrenewable sources."

Treat and Bradshaw don't stop at energy conservation when it comes to shrinking their carbon footprint. They have discovered that Brookline has many great resources for the eco-friendly dweller. Bradshaw's favorite discovery is the Coolidge Corner Farmer's Market. She describes the benefits by saying, "You can make healthier choices if you know where your food is coming from and talk directly to the people who grow the food, with the opportunity to ask about pesticide use and organic growing techniques. It also helps that the food isn't traveling long distances. It doesn't need chemical preservatives to stay fresh and not as much oil for transportation." Shopping at the Farmer's Market is also more fun. A recent study shows that people have 10 times more social interaction with others when shopping at a farmer's market than at a supermarket. The roommates also shop at nearby Allandale Farm.

Both Bradshaw and Treat are concerned with the impact of industrial agriculture on our nation's health and the global environment. A 2006 United Nations report found that raising animals for food had a more damaging impact on global warming than all the world's cars and trucks combined. Treat opposes the amount of oil used to get meat to the table. Bradshaw takes a stand against plying animals with corn feed and antibiotics.

Both agree that minimizing their meat consumption is the best way to go.

Finally, both Treat and Bradshaw appreciate renting in Brookline where everything they need is within walking distance. "I can walk a few minutes and get groceries, books, fresh bread, a new dress, a bottle of wine," says Treat. "We're lucky to live where everything's so close and where the public transportation is so reliable. Brookline has all these great resources… it's just a matter of finding out about them."

To sign up for NSTAR Green on line:

• Go the NSTAR website at www.NSTAR.com
• In the left column click on Customer Information
• Click on the NSTAR Green tab

Or call NSTAR during regular business hours at 800-592-2000. Have your electric bill and customer number with you.