CRANDON - The Forest County Potawatomi is taking steps to reducing its carbon footprint and trying to get others to do the same.

The Forest County Potawatomi Community is on a mission to do what it can to protect our natural resources.

So far, what they're doing seems to be working.

If you watch tv, it's hard to miss these ads from the Forest County Potawatomi discussing how important it is to protect the environment. The Potawatomi community's not just talking the talk, they're walking the walk. Huge changes are happening at buildings like the Health & Wellness Center in Crandon.



Gordon Tuckwab, the Manager of Maintenance at the Health & Wellness Center, says "We have 300 of these fixtures and each fixture, all 300 have 900 bulbs within the facility which we're changing over to more energy efficient ballast 40 fixture."

37 windows and a skylight in the lobby also help cut down on electricity. The Tribal Chairman says most members of the tribal government now work 4 10 hour days. Annual 4 day work weeks save the amount of electricity used in 78 homes for a year, but that's not the only perk.

Philip Shopodock, the Chairman of the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe, says "We seem to be getting more work done in 4 10 hour days than we did in 5 days."

By doing simple things like turning off the computer monitor at the end of the day, to making sure they turn off the lights when they leave the room, employees have really managed to reduce their carbon footprints.

Philip Shopodock says "It's probably one of the simplest things we can do to conserve energy. I think because it's in the workplace now, it has filtered into the homes as well. It's just getting to be common practice for people to do here."

Lights in the pharmacy no longer need to be turned off thanks to this motion sensor. Even the vending machines are "green."

Gordon Tuckwab says "Our vending machines in the building are Energy Star rated also and the temperatures maintain at 36 degrees."

According to the tribe, small changes like these have cut energy use by 34%, and reduced the rate of CO2 emissions by 28% in the past year. So the next time you see one of these ads, know the Potawatomi community is practicing what they preach.

The Tribal Chairman says protecting natural resources is part of their culture, and they hope to instill that value in children and other people they meet.

He says not only is this good for the environment, but the Northwoods as a whole.

He says keeping the outdoors in tact will help bring tourists to the area.