"This week's fourth annual DuPage County Environmental Summit focused on how to save energy and help the environment along the way."

""We use nuclear power here," said Kay McKeen, founder and president of School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education."

"But McKeen isn't suggesting we start living in the dark. Instead, switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use about 75 percent less electricity than a standard bulb."

"Or even better, she said, look for LED lights bulbs, which use 97 percent less energy and do not produce any heat."

""If you aren't using it -- just unplug it," McKeen said of unused or extra appliances."

""And open the blinds during the day and close them at night," she said. "It sounds old-fashioned, but it works.""

"While McKeen talked about how to make an existing home energy-efficient, Marko Spiegel, president of Conservation Technology International, Inc., spoke during the summit at Benedictine University in Lisle about how to build an energy efficient home."

"Specialized design guidelines and materials are used in the construction of a One Watt House to make it climate dependent, meaning minimal heating or cooling, if any, is needed."

""It's one of the more meaningful investments a person can make in a lifetime if you think of all the benefits," Spiegel said."

"Those benefits not only include drastically
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