HOOSIER ENERGY

ONTHE-JOB training

COOPERATIVE EMPLOYEES GRADUATE FROM SAFETY PROGRAM

The Hoosier Energy Apprenticeship, Training and Safety (HEATS) program held its first in-person graduation program since 2019 this fall at French Lick Resort. The program, which started in 1975 as a way to ensure linemen had proper jobrelated safety training, expanded over the years to include other co-op employees.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 graduating classes never received formal recognition of their accomplishments. That made the 2022 graduation program a threeyear celebration of 103 total graduates across four training disciplines representing not only Hoosier Energy but 17 of its 18 member cooperatives.

Among those disciplines receiving apprenticeship certificates: linemen, metering technicians and substation technicians. This year’s graduation also included the first group to complete the member services representative (MSR) program, a two-and-a-halfyear course that began in 2019 and culminated in 2021.

The first metering technician class graduated in 1995 and the first substation technician class graduated in 2015. The 2020, 2021 and 2022 graduating classes now bring the total number of graduates to 781 since the HEATS program first began. The program continues to grow with no sign of slowing down.

Hoosier Energy Apprenticeship, Training and Safety graduates gathered with friends, family and instructional staff for the 2022 graduation program at French Lick Resort.

THAT’S A wrap Make it a ‘green’ season with eco-friendly gift-wrapping ideas

With a bit of creativity and preplanning, those holiday gifts you bought for everyone can be wrapped both beautifully AND in an environmentally conscious way. Here are 10 eco-friendly tips to try when it’s time to wrap things up!

1Embrace one of the “buzziest” trends in gift wrapping: furoshiki, a Japanese method that uses fabric to sustainably make any item presentworthy. Napkins, tea towels or scarves work well for wrapping smaller gifts. If you have a larger present to wrap, head to the fabric store to pick up the size of fabric needed in a holiday print. Or, you can recycle an old sheet by cutting it into appropriately sized furoshiki cloth. The cloth can be reused over and over again to wrap presents in the years to come.

2Got an old T-shirt or flannel shirt headed for the rag pile? Instead, cut the shirt into ribbon-width strips to use to tie around your package. Or, tie an old tie into a packagebow.

3Another way to decorate your package: use natural elements like evergreen or thyme sprigs, cinnamon sticks, dried flowers or dried citrus peel. Tie them on your packages with twine or recycled ribbon from last year. These decorations can be added to the compost pile after the gift is unwrapped.

4Elevate your gifts with snazzy package tie-ons like thrift shop costume jewelry, Christmas tree ornaments or jingle bells.

5Old maps, colorful pages torn from old magazines, and yesterday’s newspaper can all be used as gift wrapping. Or, use some of your kids’ artwork as gift wrap. (This is a perfect idea when wrapping gifts for the grandparents!)

6Colorful washi tape not only gives packages an artistic flair; the tape is biodegradable and thus environmentally friendly.

7Glass mason jars are a cute, trendy and recyclable container for small gifts and, of course, food items. The jars can be decorated with washi tape and the aforementioned package tie-ons.

8Turn an empty potato chip bag inside out and wipe the greasy residue clean with a towel. Voila! You now have a silver gift bag that no one would guess once held munchies.

9Turn old postcards and the fronts of old Christmas cards into gift tags. You can also cut festive shapes out of corrugated cardboard shipping boxes and use those as gift tags. Try attaching the gift tags with clothespins.

10 A pillowcase can be used as a gift bag that can actually be utilized for its original purpose once the holidays are over. Even novice sewers can make pillowcases from festive seasonal fabric in just minutes. They’d look just as good on a bed as they would stuffed with goodies under the Christmastree.