Everyone is energy conscious these days, or ought to be. You can't miss the impact of soaring oil prices, either at the pump or if you are indulging in the luxury of keeping warm in our Northeast winter.

Wise fuel use is everyone's responsibility, even patriotic duty, regardless of how much they can afford.

Walking and cycling are a part of the solution. As Lewis Mumford said, "Restore human legs as a form of travel. Pedestrians rely on food and need no special parking places."

Most car trips are less than three miles and a substantial number less than a mile. Replacing half of those trips with human power would make a monumental difference in our fuel consumption, not to mention burn off a few Christmas cookies.

The other approach to energy conservation is how we stay warm. Like many of us, I was shocked when I got my fuel oil estimate for this year's heating season. After pulling myself off the floor, I thought there must be some way other than spending thousands of dollars that I would never see again.

Back when my beloved, albeit high maintenance, Victorian was built in 1885, seventy per cent of the country stayed warm with wood. Rather than viewing its five fireplaces as nostalgic throwbacks, good for occasional romantic ambience, they became a practical resource. It seems the original architects (Babb, Cook and Willard) knew what they were doing.

In spite of dire warnings of, "Do you know how much work wood is?" we made the great leap backward to wood heat. Dollars that would have gone up in oil smoke went to local labor to rebuild and line the chimneys, to ensure safety.

They went to local woodstove dealers. They went to local woodsmen. This year we didn't save a dime, but we sure felt better about how the money was spent.

Wood is one of many renewable bio-fuels. It produces tons of oxygen as it grows. Tree stands ensure preservation of open space. It is a homegrown asset that is a boon to the local economy.

Like everything, wood heat comes with responsibility. Land cannot be stripped willy-nilly. Wood stoves must comply with EPA emission standards. The stoves or inserts are not garbage dumps.

Just because something is combustible does not mean it is suitable for burning- painted or pressure treated wood, for example.

The warnings were on target- wood is work. I've been sore in placed I didn't know I had muscles. The local wisdom is that wood heats you four times- when you cut it, when you split it, when you stack it and, finally, when you burn it. We have established a new rule that no one enters the house without a stick of stove wood.

Whatever the effort, it is more than offset by the calorie burning exertion, the cozy warmth, the connection to the land surrounding us, and the peace of mind that comes of self-reliance and keeping the dollars local.

Brenda Berstler is the founder of the Walking Example Group (WE-GO) a non-profit organization encouraging walking and walkable communities. Visit their website at www.we-go.org.