It's understandable that with a winter that has featured snow storms and frigid temperatures in London, climate change may not seem so bad. But even in the harshest of weather conditions, it's still important to keep the health of Mother Nature in mind.

The Thames Region Ecological Association will be hosting free workshops to educate people on energy conservation and how to be more environmentally friendly.

There will be six different workshops, each focused on a different energy conservation method. The themes are: geothermal heating, alternative fireplaces and grey water recycling, solar power, wind energy and LED lighting, advanced renovations and community gardens, and leadership in energy and environmental design.

Each workshop is held in a different location that features what is being discussed. For example, the geothermal information session on February 23 will be at the London Clay Art Centre, a building that uses geothermal heating. A panel of speakers, consisting of people who make or install geothermal energy products will be at the workshops. As in other sessions, the experts will describe the conservation method's benefits, explain how it works, how to install it, give a tour of the location and answer questions. According to TREA intern Charlene De Vogel, since these speakers sell and install the energy efficient products, they will be able to clarify prices, and explain how "it's not as expensive as people think."

De Vogel attended the University of McMaster and is currently completing a post-graduate program at Fanshawe. She feels strongly about conserving energy, and thinks that based on what people learn during a TREA workshop, they may begin to share her concern.

"I took a course in university on water and I've always found it interesting how we have all sorts of resources at our disposal and people don't really think about it," she explained. "I didn't think about it at the time either, but when you actually learn about the sort of things that go into, for example, turning on a light, it can be shocking as to how much of an environmental impact it can have."

Although De Vogel is most interested in recycling water methods, she feels that the workshop on LEDs may benefit participants the most.

"Everybody goes to Canadian Tire and sees the LED lights and reads on the package, 'Oh, it's environmentally friendly!' And most people, I would think, see that it's more expensive … and they're trying to do their part, but I don't think a lot of people actually know about the benefits of it," she said.

TREA was established in 1986. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that works closely with the City of London to promote environmental awareness and develop an environmentally friendly future through community activities. The six free workshops will all be held on Wednesdays between now and May from 7 to 9 p.m., and the specific dates and locations are posted on the TREA website (TREA.ca). People with questions can also email though the website, or call 519-645-2845.