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• St. Croix County puts out the smoking light in foster homes
• Local co-op distributes 10,000 free bulbs
• Promotion offered for Country Splash

By Gail Winship, RiverTown Staff

All foster homes in St. Croix County were required to be smoke-free by May 1.

The county instituted the smoke-free policy for county foster homes after surveying foster parents and getting impatient for the state to pick up the issue.

There was strong support from foster families around the county to implement the no smoking policy, according to John Bretzel, alternate care coordinator for Family and Children's Services of St. Croix County.

"After surveying the families," Bretzel explained, "it really became a non-issue, since so many were behind it and many were already keeping their homes smoke-free."

There is a bill at the state level to ban smoking in all foster homes, but it has been tied up in the legislative process far too long, according St. Croix County officials.

Director of Health and Human Services Fred Johnson said that although the state Department of Health and Family Services is in the process of updating the foster parent licensing codes to include a smoke-free environment, they weren't moving fast enough.

"We did not feel that we (St. Croix County) could wait what is expected to be a lengthy period of time and moved forward with our policy," Johnson explained.?

"John (Bretel) does an excellent job working with our foster parents and there was voluntary participation with no smoking in the foster homes, so we just formalized what was already working," he added.

The new policy adopted May 1 states that foster parents licensed by St. Croix County Family and Children's Services are "prohibited from smoking in their home when a foster child is present or within 12 hours prior to a child's expected placement."

The policy also addresses transportation of foster children by not allowing foster parents to smoke in their vehicles while transporting a foster child, or for 12 hours prior to a foster child entering the vehicle.

The county kicked off the new policy by distributing educational materials to all foster parents and potential foster parents.

The materials discuss the dangers and health risks associated with exposure to second hand smoke.

The policy also offers to help locate smoking cessation programs for all foster and prospective foster parents.

Contact Gail Winship at gwinship@rivertowns.net or at 715.246.6881.

In April customers of the Hammond-based St. Croix Electric Cooperative gave out a total of 10,000 free fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs to its customers.

The company made the move to help slow the growth of energy demand and save its customers some money.

"If each of the 23,410 homes in St. Croix County switched one 100 watt incandescent bulb to a light-equivalent 23 watt CFL, we would save 1,973,814 kilowatt hours per year. At today's rates, that saves about $197,381," said Bill Peavey, chairman of the board of directors for St. Croix Electric.

He added that the co-op encourages everyone to switch to the CFL bulbs.

"Working together, we can make a big difference in today's energy picture," Peavey said.

The CFL bulbs were distributed at town halls throughout the county on alternating Saturday mornings.

In addition to the bulbs, customers picked up recycling information from the county and well water test kits from the State Lab of Hygiene.

St. Croix Electric's Twist and Switch CFL program is part of a region wide initiative sponsored by Dairyland Power Cooperative which is St. Croix Electric's wholesale electricity provider.

Dairyland is distributing 300,000 CFL bulbs in four states throughout 2008.

Dairyland officials say that the 300,000 bulbs will conserve enough energy to power more than 1,200 homes for a year, will reduce the demand for electricity by eight mega-watts and will save more than $20 million in energy costs.

The U.S. Department of Energy projects that over the next 25 years the demand for electricity will increase by 40 percent.

The cost of that electricity and other energy sources including natural gas, fuel oil and propane is expected to climb steadily due to environmental regulations, the cost of raw materials such as coal and the global fuel market.

St. Croix Electric Cooperative supplies electricity and energy efficient products to over 10,000 member accounts in the St. Croix County area.

Pepsi and Diet Pepsi Max, major sponsors of Apple River Country Splash in Somerset, have announced a special ticket promotion.

The "Diet Pepsi Max/Country Splash Boost Your Energy, Boost the Economy" economic stimulus package is designed to make the June 19-21 concert weekend more affordable.

When concertgoers buy one ticket at the regular price, they will get another ticket of equal value free.

Officials say the offer is for a very limited time.

Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Float Rite Box office at 1-877-FLOAT-08 or online at www.CountrySplash.com.

Discount tickets are also available at all Freedom Valu Centers (buy one get one free also applies for discount tickets at Freedom.)