December 8, 2025 • 40 mins
We began the program with four interesting guests on topics we think you should know more about!
This year, the market is flooded with new A.I. toys, and some of them may not be appropriate for all ages! U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s 40th Trouble in Toyland report.
Guest: Rory Erlich, New Economy Campaign Associate with the Public Interest Research
With the holidays in full swing, so are the light decorations, candles, and ovens! The Red Cross responds to 20% more home fires during the holiday months.
Guest: Jeff Hall, Regional Communications & Marketing Program Manager for the American Red Cross of Massachusetts
If you haven’t bought that Christmas Tree yet, Dave Morin has tips to pick out the best tree – If you’ve already got the tree up, learn about proper indoor care so it lasts throughout the new year!
Guest: Dave Morin, Past President and Association Communications for the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association
‘Tis the season to make everything merry and BRIGHT! We all love seeing those holiday lights, but how much will it cost you this season?
Guest: Kate Peters, Director of Residential Energy Efficiency for Eversource
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's nice eyes with Dan Ray. I'm going easy Boston's
News Radio Real.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
It is a little chili in New England tonight. It's
a little chili through most of America. So wherever you're listening,
please keep the windows closed, the air conditioning off, and
put on an extra sweater. My name is Dan Ray.
It is miserably cold for early December by any stretch
of the imagination, but we will keep you warm tonight
all the way until midnight. My name is Dan Ray.
(00:27):
I'm the host of the show. Rob Brooks is back
in the control room today. Have heat going on in
the control room back there for you, Rob. No oh,
come on, come on, Rob. We gotta get you some
heat back there. I can't believe that it you near
windows too. That's a that's a cold part of the building.
All right, hang in there, do some jumping jacks. You'll
(00:48):
be fine, trust me on that few whoa, whoa. I
didn't expect you were going to say that. Guys, Come on,
get Rob some heat in the control room. Here'll get
you some hot phone calls. Beginning at nine o'clock, we
have a four interesting guests here. Theme tonight is the
Dangers of Christmas time and also the possibilities of Christmas time.
(01:13):
So we have four guests coming up, going to be
talking with Massachusetts State Senator Nick Collins at the nine
o'clock hour. This battle over the Boston tax rate, real
estate tax rate that is going on. We'll try to
make that understandable for everyone that would be I think lovely.
(01:35):
And we'll talk with Dave Paleologus, the Suffolk University Boston
Globe pollster, about a poll that he released just a
few days ago. The shows, believe it or not, one
out of three Massachusetts voters in the last year have
thought about leaving the come Wealth of Massachusetts. Not a
(01:57):
good poll from the point of view of keeping Massachusetts together.
But we'll get to all of that, I promise. First
guest tonight is Rory erlik. Rory is a new economy
campaign associated with the Public Interest Research Group, also known
as PERG Rory. First question, are you a local guy
or are you somewhere from around the country.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Hi, Well, thanks so much for having me on. And yeah,
so I grew up in Soilasia, but I went to
school at Tufts and got to be back in the area.
So kind of look all you could say, well, nothing.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Wrong with that. Absolutely, if you're a jumbo, you're local.
I have plenty of friends who are toughs graduates. Absolutely.
So this year you have what's called the fortieth annual
Trouble in Toilet and report. It sounds like a downer,
But this year, I guess the market has a lot
of artificial intelligence toys and you're concerned that some of
(02:56):
them are not appropriate for all ages. I remember when
there was some some toys that came out, like a
Chatty Kathy or something like that twenty years ago, where
you could record your voice, and there were people going
into that time child World and Toys r US now
long since gone businesses, and they were leaving some messages
(03:18):
of the chatty Caddies which were scatty Cathy's, which were inappropriate.
But now it's even a little more genuinely dangerous. Explain
to us if you will.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah, well, you're totally right. Talking toys are not new.
You know, some books might remember Teddy Ruxpin. But yeah,
now what we're seeing is toys that have AI chat
boxed and so think like a kind of talking chat GPT,
and this allows them to have open ended conversations with
the child. And so we you know, bought and tested
(03:54):
a few of these toys, and we sound some issues
that might be concerning to parents. I think the like
sensational was toys that talked about inappropriate topics including you know,
where to find dangerous objects or even sexually explicit topics.
We also saw, you know, some of these toys marketed
as like friends or even like best friends and doing
(04:17):
various things to create kind of an emotional attachment with
a child. Yeah, so one would even like act as
stressed when you said you had to go, or sometimes say,
you know, take me with you. And you know, experts
are telling us that this is kind of a big
experiment on kids social development, So it does seem important
to set some boundaries there.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah. Also, I guess I show you how far I'm
behind the times. I just really began to understand understand
La Booboo dolls. Yeah, and I guess there was some
fake La Booboo dolls that.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Are Yeah, we looked into that as well. Yeah, counterfeit laboos. Yeah,
that was not my section of the report, but yeah,
it was another thing our team looked into, these counterfeit
toys which might not be held to the same safety
standards as the brand name products.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah so. And then there's even some of them which
I guess have really tiny self batteries or high powered
magnets that kids can swallow. How can parents be sure,
you know, other than going out and buying I don't
know them, a baseball glove or a pair of hockey
(05:28):
skates whatever. Do you have info on your website that
people that parents can go to?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah? Absolutely so. Yeah. If you just look up PER
or Public interest Research Group per Trouble and toy Land,
you can see some of our recommendations. I mean I
can speak specifically to the AI toys, and you know,
when it comes to that, I would say, I think
twice before you buy, think about, you know, if this
is something your kild really needs. If you are going
(05:58):
to buy one, I would look for toys that have
good parental controls, so like the ability to kind of
monitor conversations and set time limits and maybe avoid ones.
So they're marketed as like friends or companions. I will
say it can be hard for parents to tell what
these toys are capable of. We didn't really know and
what we tested them ourselves. Uh so we probably need
(06:19):
some help from regulators too, but we do have some
tips on our website that parents can keep in mind.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
So these toys that you're talking about there they're interactive. Uh,
did they come as you know, dolls, either male dolls
or female dolls, or do they come in what what
do they appear to be like? Or is it a
box you just talk into and a chat box actually
(06:47):
a box? Give us some description of what these toys
so when parents see them. And also i'd love to
know at what age? Uh, these a lot of toys
will say, you know, certain ages and all of that.
These these are for teenagers or are they for younger kids?
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Yeah, So in terms of what they look like, there's
a real range. You know. We have everything from you know,
talking Teddy Bear to Miko the robot, which is more
kind of like a tablet on wheels. And we've even
heard from open Ai and Mattel, the company that makes Barbie,
that they're gonna do some kind of partnership. So we
(07:23):
make get Ai Barbie soon we don't know, and then yeah,
we'll see what happens with that.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
In terms of the.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Age range, it's a real range. But some of the
toys we tested are marketed towards kids as young as
three years old, which again, you know, we're seeing how
AI companions are kind of nothing with adults psychologies, and that's,
you know, something that we're still unpacking the implications of.
So we really don't know what the impacts are going
(07:53):
to be on kids.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
And I suppose that that AI and AI being incorporated
into tour is so new there's probably no real regulation
here on what's coming out of the market. I can't
imagine that they that because it's an AI toy, it
has to be approved by some you know, government organization.
(08:17):
I'm sure it's a free market out there, an absolute
free market.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Yeah, I mean it's a bit of a wild West now. Yeah.
I will say that some states are really starting to
take the lead here to try to rain some of
this stuff in. So we have states passing laws that
say things like, hey, you know, if you make a
companion chat boy, they need to tell you that it's
an AI now the person remind you to take breaks. So,
(08:44):
you know, that could be a good start, and I
think it's important that ITS can continue to respond dynamically.
I will say there are some folks in Congress who
have been making noises about stopping states from regulating AI,
and I think at that point, you know, it might
be a bit of an overstop. I would love to
see Congress act on this too, and they're definitely folks
in Congress are interested in US, but states like Massachusetts
(09:07):
can often move faster, so you know, both are important.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Well, the problem is that they're an interstate commerce. These
toys are an interstate commerce. So even if one state
decided that they were going to crack down, they could
just ship anything that would be questionable to other states.
And I think that as opposed to trying to have
fifty state legislatures and governors act, it would be much
(09:34):
more important for the Democrats and the Republicans in Washington,
who seem to be two tribes that never work together,
that on something like this. They all have children, they
all have grandchildren or that potentially may have grandchildren and
nieces and nephews, and everybody should make sure that this
stuff is age appropriate. That's all. I mean. It's a
(09:54):
new frontier here is you said the best, it's a
wild while West. Well, we got to know, someone's got
to look at it, and I would think that it
should be Congress.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Yeah, I mean, I definitely think Congress should be looking
at this as well. And you know, fortunately it does
seem like there is bipartisan interests. So you know, send
their bloom and Ball from Connecticut who's a Democrat, and
sender Holly from Missouri, who's Republican recently introduced the bill
to you know, regulate companion chatbots for kids. So you know,
(10:26):
it's encouraging to see that. But we do know that
Congress is.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Slowly By the way, I have some folks who are
involved with AI and they say that he's a pretty
sure he's a former age out there. I believe that
he's a fairly sharp guy, very conservative Trump supporter. But
if he's on your side, he will he will carry
some weight with the Trump wing of the US Senate. Rory,
(10:50):
thank you very much for your time. So again, give
us the way Folks can can check out PERG and
if they just google trouble in Toyland and PERG I
r G, which stands for Public Interest Research Group. Is
that the best way to do it.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Yep, per Trouble and Toyland.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
Google that and we'll be the first tet perfect.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Rory, thanks very much, nice to talk with you okay, thanks, thanks.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
So much, absolutely, thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
We'll come back and to talk with Jeff Hall. He
is the Regional communications and Marketing program manager for the
American Red Cross at Massachusetts. You know, you're always going
to have a need for blood donations. I'm sure we'll
talk with Jeff about that. But also he's urging that
people be careful. Be careful this year, particularly when you're
cooking and kids are around, and also be careful from
(11:39):
the point of view of how much electricity you're using
and whether or not things get overheated. We'll talk about
that all with Jeff Hall, kind of a Red Cross representatives.
He's talking about holiday cooking and decorating safety to prevent
home fires. Back on Nightside with Jeff Hall after this.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Joined by Jeff Hall, Regional communications Marketing program manager for
the American Red Cross at Massachusetts. Jeff has been with
us before. Jeff, Welcome back to Nightside.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
Thanks, happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Look, I know what this time of year, normally Red
Cross wants to talk about the need for blood because
as people get busy, they they don't make the regular
donations you know, blood and plasma donations, which is so necessary.
But before we talk about that, you're also really kind
of raising red flags on potential dangers of you know,
(12:42):
holiday cooking and decorating, both inside the house and outside
the house. Let's start with the holiday cooking. A lot
of activity in the kitchen, a lot of chefs, a
lot of kids running around. What could possibly go wrong?
Speaker 4 (12:56):
You just you got that right. Yeah, with a lot
of people, a lot of things happening. You know, we're
I think everybody's happy to be gathering for holidays, but yeah,
you got to be mindful about what's on the stove,
what's in the oven, and how you're heating your home also,
it's those are all important things. We've had a real
bad rash of fires across Massachusetts within the last two weeks.
(13:19):
I mean easily probably over fifty home fires in the
last two weeks, affecting probably two hundred and fifty people.
So it's yeah, when the cold comes and it's the holidays,
it's it's a terrible time to be out out of
your home because of the fire.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Yeah, that's one of the great things. I mean, when
I was a television reporter many years ago. We would
go to these fires early in the morning. Oftentimes they
did happen early in the morning. Someone's smoking in bed
or space heater that was next with curtain, and you'd
be there at four thirty five o'clock in the morning,
and there would be the Red Cross helping people out
(13:58):
in difficult circumstance. Isn't something that a lot of people
don't have a chance to see. I'm close and personal
and I did over the years and have always admired
the Red Cross for their commitment, whatever the time of day,
whatever the circumstances, they would be there sometimes, you know,
providing you know, help to the to the individuals who
have just been burned out of their home, but also
(14:18):
providing some coffee and some support for firefighters and police officers,
and so you guys do a great job. Is there
also a question of need for blood donations at this
time of year when people get busy doing other things?
Speaker 4 (14:38):
Yeah, your intro hit it right on the head. You know, Holidays,
everybody's busy, everyone has business schedules, and you kind of
get lost in everything you have to do, and you know,
you're the need for blood kind of slips out of
the out of people's minds is important, and you know,
the need for blood is constant. There's there's never not
a time where we don't need blood in hospital are
(15:00):
blood products and cancer treatment centers. So if you have
ever donated, if you have the desire to donate, now
is the time. We've got some great promotions going on Amazon,
gift cards and some really nice T shirts at the
end of the month that we'd like to give you
some swag for your donation. But every donation is appreciated
and it's needed at the holidays more than ever.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Okay, so I want to have you. People are listening
all over New England at this point and as the
night goes on, we'll get people all over the country.
But the Red Cross, where do people hit just a
local Red Cross? What's the easiest way for people to
find out the closest Red Cross blood donor standard to them?
(15:43):
And also what can they do if they want to
contribute and support the Red Cross financially.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Yeah, So the easiest way to find where you can
donate blood is redcrossblood dot Org. You just have to
type in your zip code and it will give you
four or five days into the future where the closest
blood donation site is to you. Uh, we have a
we have a donor app as well that you can
download and it will send you prompts if you want
to about where donations, where drives are happening, and uh, yeah,
(16:14):
if you'd like to at the holidays, if you'd like
to provide some financial support to the Red Cross. Redcross
dot org is a great way to start as well,
and that filters back to your local Red Cross and then.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Back to the to the question on blood donations. There
was a period of time. Look, you know when when
age was, when age was uh, you know, just really
becoming uh in the forefront of our consciousness back you know,
a couple of decades ago or more than a couple
of decades ago, and then uh after COVID where you
(16:49):
had to go a lot go through a lot of screening, uh,
and you had to be very careful, you folks had
to be careful whose blood in plasma you accept it.
Has that got any has that got any more simplified
at this point or is that still a process that
people have to be prepared to go through.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
Yeah, I think a lot of the screening is behind
the scenes. You know, we have a brief questionnaire. It
takes about four minutes that you go through. When you
immediately sit down with one of our professionals. Inside the room,
we do a health history survey on you test the
iron in your blood before you go on to the
donation table. So most of the screening is done right there.
(17:29):
And then we screen every blood product we get from
a donor. And here in Massachusetts we do that right
in Denim. We have a big processing facility where the
blood comes in from all over New England and it's
going to goes through a rigorous testing process that the
FDA is set up, and within about eight hours it's
(17:50):
out the door to local hospitals, local treatment centers that
need it.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Just for the point of view of the donor, it's
not as if you're going to have to undergrow, undergo
a lot of testing.
Speaker 5 (18:02):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Just just read the materials uh in advance. Uh. And
and you're trying to get people make it as convenient
as possible, particularly at this time for the people who
do want to help out. That's that's the point I
wanted to drive home.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Yeah, it's uh, it's it's it's just a few short questions.
Speaker 6 (18:21):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
And you know you can work. You work with the
person and they're going to tell you whether you're deferred
or whether you can go right into the donation or not.
Uh and uh and you do and if if there's,
if there's you know, we're testing periodically for diabetes and
type one and type two diabetes. So uh, that's something
we do twice a year now. So UH, it's just
another screening process where we look at look at things
(18:43):
in the blood and uh, we're providing a service back
to the donor with some information.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Well, that's great, Jeff, Paul as always, thank you so much.
Easy for people just to go to Red Cross and
uh and put into a zip calle. That sounds that
couldn't be much simpler than that.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
It's really simple. We try to make it easy to
get people in the door.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Jeff. Merry Christmas and happy Holidays and all that stuff.
And thanks for what you do.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
Marry Christmas, and thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
You're very welcome. When we get back, we're going to
talk with Dave More and he's the past president and
the association Community and Association Communications for the Massachusetts Christmas
Tree Association. I didn't even know there was a Christmas
Tree Association. So everything you need to know about picking
out a Christmas tree, we'll be able to inform you
of that through the good, good work of Dave Moran.
(19:32):
Right after the break at the bottom of the hour,
it's now news time on w Busy. It's eight thirty one.
Will be back in about three or four minutes with
Dave Moore.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
With Dan Ray. I'm WBZ Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Well, as we continue along on a very chilly Monday
night here at night, said, I hope everyone is warm
and inside and safe and sound. We of course are
in the Christmas season with us, as Dave More and
he's the past president and now the associate Communications for
the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association. Bay Moore, I was unaware
(20:07):
that there is such a thing as the Massachusetts Christmas
Tree Association. How many Christmas trees will be sold in
Massachusetts or New England this year, any idea at all?
Speaker 5 (20:19):
I have no idea the number. But there are about
one hundred and twenty five member farms and probably two
hundred farms that are growing Christmas trees in the state.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
And a lot of them, of course which now have
cut their trees down so which which raises us, which
raises kind of the question of you're an expert. There
are a lot of people out there who might be
picking Christmas trees, you know, once a year, and what
should they be looking for to make sure that they
get a tree that is freshly cut or you don't
(20:53):
want to buy a tree that the needles are going
to be falling off to, you know, two days after
you put it up. What's the key, as somebody who
knows this business that people should be looking for when
they go out, either to buy it at a corner
lot in a city or go out somewhere into the
boonies and either pick one out yourself or cut one down.
(21:16):
What's the secrets here?
Speaker 5 (21:18):
Well, the best way is to go to a Christmas
tree farm. There's no tree fresher than the one that
you actually watch being cut down. Many of the trees
that are already pre cut were cut weeks ago, and
they were packed otted trucks and shipped one hundreds of
miles at seventy miles an hour to dry them out.
And the ones that are in the bottom of the
(21:40):
load tend to get kind of warm. So nothing is
better than the tree you watch being cut at a farm.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
How difficult it is is it for people? And again,
a lot of people live in cities and they're busy.
Is there some website where they can go and find
Christmas tree farms? Again, I assume that your group, the
Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association, probably has a handy dandy website
that we make that information available.
Speaker 5 (22:08):
We do. It's Christmas hyphen Trees dot org RG And
in that website there's a tab that will help you
find Christmas tree farms based on geographical area or by need.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Now, generally, you know Christmas trees, you have an idea
what to spend for them, But just give us what
the circumstances and the situation are this year. I mean,
here in the Northeast, I think there's probably enough Christmas
trees to go around. What should people expect to spend
(22:49):
for a really good, you know, a decent Christmas tree.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Well, every year of the prices seem to be going up.
All the supplies that we use to grow them keep
going up exponentially. But this year, the closer you go
to Boston, the trees are probably around one hundred dollars.
The further out you get from Boston, they tend to
go down to maybe in the eighty eighty five dollar range.
(23:15):
So if you really want a bargain, head out to
the western part of the state.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Okay, do most Christmas tree farms allow you to cut
down your own tree?
Speaker 5 (23:26):
Or?
Speaker 2 (23:27):
I know that lawyers are always concerned with liability issues
and a lot of lawyers would say to Christmas tree
farm as well, you know you do the cutting down
because if you if you hand the saw to somebody
who uses it incorrectly, you may end up on the
wrong end of a civil lawsuit. What are most farms
(23:50):
still allowing people to do this or have the lawyers
and the bean counters stop that fund that fun from happening.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
Well, most farms do and out a handsaw, not a
power saw, but a handsaw.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Well I could just I could just see that. No,
you don't want to do that, glad.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
Well, there's a lot of battery operated saws alls or
smaller saws that can cut down a Christmas tree. But
here at Arrowheadachres, we actually have people in the field
with chainsaws and we'll cut the tree down for the
customer so they don't have to touch the tree until
it gets to their car. But that's kind of one
(24:34):
end of the spectrum as far as full full service
is concerned. But the average Christmas tree farm just hands
out a saw and lets the customer do it.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
But it's a manual handsaw, not anything that that's has
power to it. Okay, now, where's where's your Christmas tree farm? You?
You you have a farm? You call that Arrowhead? What
what town are you in?
Speaker 5 (24:55):
Arrowheadachres is in Oxbridge, mass You're a little south of Worcester. Yes,
fifteen miles south of Worcester. But unfortunately we're sold out
for the season. The Christmas tree farm idea has gotten
a lot of publicity in recent years and we can't
(25:18):
grow them fast enough. So right now there's probably thirty
of the one hundred farms that are closed for the season.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is really our big weekend.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Okay, so let's talk about when you people get the
Christmas tree. Well, let me first of all, what are
the varieties we've had different Christmas trees over the years,
And I give us the major varieties that people can
choose from.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
Fraser fur and balsam for the most popular in this area.
And then there's another one that they've had the best marketing.
They actually originate from the Carolinas, but everybody seems to
think that that's the best tree there is, so everyone's
seems to be looking for a fraser for or balsam for.
(26:06):
The balsams can't really be grown east of Worcester. They're
they're best grown west of Worcester, so they they're much
more popular in the western part of the state. But
then there's another tree that's gaining in popularity. It's called
the con color. He break the needles, they smell like tangerines.
They've got a longer needle, and they look they are
(26:28):
a fluffier looking tree, and they hold their needles very well.
It will last for months. But those are the most
popular in this area.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
How become popular because I've never heard of that. Was
that introduced into our area or is that brought in
from other states?
Speaker 5 (26:48):
It's mostly grown in the state. There aren't many wholesale
dealers that are selling the fraser. The con color are
white furs because it's also called but I'm not sure
whether it's the unique uh smell the aroma. The smells
(27:09):
like tangerines basically when you break the needles.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Pretty nice, pretty nice aroma to have around the house.
So generally, once you get the tree at home and
you have had had the struggle to put it up
and all of that. Uh, and you're going to have
stories about the tree falling over.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
What.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Obviously you want to keep water in the base of
the tree. I've heard absolutely say you got to put
a couple of sugar cubes in there. What's what's truth
and what is just old Christmas tales?
Speaker 4 (27:45):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (27:46):
Cut half an inch off any tree that was pre cut,
and then set it up in the stand and start
it with hot water, hot tap water, not boiling water,
but hot tap water, and that will tend to dissolve
any sap seal that has formed on the base of
the tree. And then.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Just make sure that the water never goes below the
bottom of the tree, otherwise that sap seal will form
again and it will restrict the flow of water up
into the tree. If that does happen, then my best
suggestion is to try hot water again, or continually put
hot water into the tree. But the additives that you
(28:28):
pay for or the home remedies are all a farce.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
Nothing. The tests have proven that nothing preserves the tree
better than an unending supply of water.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Okay, that makes a lot of sense, and you're also
going to save you some aggravation. And then once the
tree is set up, but obviously people set it up
at different times. Realistically, realistically, at what point does it
become dangerous to keep the tree any longer than some people?
I know I'll keep it through New Years. Some people
even keep it till Little Christmas. What is your best
(29:04):
suggestion on that? Assuming it's a healthy tree when you
get it home.
Speaker 5 (29:08):
We tell you should be able to keep it through
New Year's But we have documented on our website a
tree that we cut November, decorated for Christmas, Valentine's Day,
Saint Patrick's Day, and then Easter. So that tree lasted
five months. But again that was a tree cut on
the farm. It wasn't cut in North Carolina or Canada
(29:29):
and shipped over the road.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah, I have Again, people should never underestimate if a
Christmas tree ever ignites, they go up really quickly.
Speaker 5 (29:41):
If they had dried out, they do if they're fresh. Actually,
we do demonstrations here on the farm with a blow
torch on a live tree and it won't like.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Well, I'll tell you that's that's good to hear then,
because I lived in a in a rural area at
one point and would the tree out at the end
of the Christmas season early, you know, January first or
January second, and then once burning season started sometime in
early February, go out there and light it up, and
(30:12):
it went quickly. So it's something to be concerned about.
They're beautiful, but like anything, they have to be handled properly.
I really appreciate all the time. Dave. Okay, did you
want to add something, Go ahead.
Speaker 5 (30:25):
I was going to say the same thing applies to
an artificial tree. They had an artificial tree in the
Massachusetts State House one year that that went up in flames,
and that was worse than a real tree growing up
in flames because all the toxic fumes were released and
they had to evacuate the entire state house. So that'd
be careful either way.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Absolutely, Dave, thank you very much for your time tonight,
and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Speaker 5 (30:51):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
All right, have a great night. We get back on
talk with Kate Peters. She's the director of Residential Energy
Efficiency Ever's source. We'll get some tips on that how
we can maybe cut down on our ever Source bill
or all of our electric energy bills. Coming back on
Nightside right after this.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Delighted to be joined by Keith Peters. She's the director
of Residential Energy Efficiency Forever Source. Kate, I know that
everybody wants to talk about the prices that people are
going to be paying this winter, particularly with the cold.
Just just a real quick question on the overview. Is
(31:39):
the situation looking any better as we as we really
get into the cold weather. I want to get into
the specific suggestions you're going to have, but I want
to just look real quickly at the at that overall
concern that I know people have.
Speaker 6 (31:55):
Sure, Dan, well, but the one thing we can't control
here is the weather, and it was pretty cold today.
So I work for the energy efficiency division at ever Source,
and so our focus is really informing people how they
can reduce energy use so that they can help to
mitigate those those energy bills, especially in the winter when
(32:17):
we're looking at cold days. So whether it's weatherizing your
home to save on heating fuel or talking about some
of the you know, ways you can reduce electric use.
That's primarily my job.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
No, it's so well, let's let's get right to that then. Obviously,
you know, I know that you have the mass Save program,
but in terms of that's not going to work today
or tomorrow for most people unless it's already installed. What
are some of the tips that people should be thinking
about as the thermometer fluctuates in the next few weeks,
(32:50):
you know, the next few weeks, it's going to be
it's going to be cold. I think that's we've got
the message. What what can we do in terms of heat?
What can we do in terms of electrical usage as well?
You get the Christmas season and a lot of people
have lights around the house. Take whichever one of those
you want to take for ust, go right.
Speaker 6 (33:09):
Ahead, definitely we can talk about both of them. I'll
start with some of the light usage. You know, we've
all people are decorating, people are having parties, it's the
holiday season, and that can all increase energy use just
as that cold starts to hit. So a couple things
to think about when you're doing outdoor decorations. You definitely
(33:34):
want those on timers, whether it's your lights or your
maybe inflatables in your lot, in your yard. There's all
kinds of options out there now, but they do not
need to be running all night. And if you're like
me and you put the kids to bed and you're tired,
sometimes you forget to go down and turn those off.
So just having it on timer actually makes a big difference. Also,
(33:56):
using LED lights rather than non LEDs does make a difference.
Some people worry about the color. They like that warm
light from the more traditional bulbs, but there's a lot
of options out there, so look for different color options
if that's a concern, but use those LEDs when you can.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Coming back to the time is coming back to the
times for some for those of us who are not,
you know, electrically gifted. One, how difficult is it? I
know how to work a timer on a light inside
a house, but how difficult is it to work with
a timer on outdoor electrical lights? Is it? Do you
(34:37):
need an electrician for that? Or can that be something
that most people can figure out in their own now
most of them.
Speaker 6 (34:43):
There's a bunch of options and you can plug them
right into your power strip or wherever it is that
you have your outdoor lights connected and it'll just control
it from there, and you can get one that's as
simple as like it uses little buttons on it, or
you can get some that are more you know, electronic
and connected to your phone. So there's several options, but
(35:05):
it's not complicated, and you can plug it right into
you know, your your power source where you're outdoor lights
are plugged in.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
All right, And of course heat is a big factor
at this at this point, some tips that you might have, obviously,
I hope people have at this point. If they do
have storm windows that they have either put them up
or you know, close them for the winter. I think
that makes a huge difference. But but I'm sure you
(35:32):
have some better ideas than that.
Speaker 6 (35:36):
Yeah, so it's definitely something people are thinking about, you know,
Like you were saying earlier, one of the best things
you can do is to weatherize the home. But you know,
if you're looking at tomorrow, you can't get that done overnight,
so think ahead on that piece. But then if you
are kind of in your home and you're feeling chilly,
(35:56):
make sure you've got good curtains on the windows. Drawing
those curtains can help prevent drafts. Using rugs on the
floor can help prevent you from feeling chilli. You want
to look at your heating system and if you have
different zones in your house, say you're upstairs for the
night and you're not really using the downstairs anymore, you
(36:17):
can turn down the heat in the downstairs to save
on energy while you leave it up a little bit
in the upstairs where you are to feel comfortable. Definitely
check for leaks and drafts around your doors. You can
use weather stripping. That's something that you can do yourself,
especially some of those storm doors that maybe you're not
(36:39):
using too much right now. Kind of check there, get
them sealed up as much as you can. So just
some kind of basic things around the home can make
a difference, especially looking for drafts and trying to block
those drafts, because when that cool air is kind of
coming in through any cracks or leaks, that will make
you feel colder and it will also be drawing the
(37:01):
warm air out of your house.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Yeah, one of the things that that I've found over
the years is we have these sort of like they're
like almost long, they look like like a snake or
something that you can buy them for five bucks ten
bucks and just putting them at the base of a door,
particularly a door that might not be your front door
or your back door you're walking in, but a door
(37:23):
that might be out to a porch which you would
never use during the wintertime. Uh, just you know, put
that at the base of the door, because a lot
of a lot of cold air can come in through
you know, through the base of a door. And I
found that to be a pretty cheap investment that saves
quite a bit realistically, in the course of a winter
(37:45):
in an average home, if you have one hundred percent
of you know, your heating costs that that the average
person would, they could care less. They just don't do everything.
How much realist do can you? By by paying attention
and listening to what you suggest, can you knock your
(38:07):
heating bill down ten to fifteen percent or more?
Speaker 6 (38:12):
Well, it really depends on the home. I'd say for
those smaller tips that you and I were just talking about,
they're going to make a big difference in comfort because
you're protecting yourself from drafts. They'll probably make a little
less difference on the overall bill. In order to really
impact the overall bill, you know, kind of weatherizing, looking
(38:32):
at the insulation in the home, doing some more permanent
things is going to have the biggest impact, and that
can be fifteen to twenty percent reduction. Doing some of
these smaller tips definitely make you more comfortable. And if
you can kind of close off a piece of the house,
or if you've got you know, heat on that three
season porch but you're not really using it and you
(38:54):
can turn that heat off for the winter, then you
can make an impact. But if it's small items might
be more like five percent versus the fifteen or twenty.
So a little situational any little bit helps when it's
really cold out and we want to make sure that
you're paying attention to safety as well, and you know,
(39:15):
making sure your pipes don't freeze. So it's a little
bit of a talent winter.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
Yeah, beautiful sometimes when you look out and you see
the snow on the ground, butte you got to be
concerned about safety as well as financial considerations. Kate Peters,
thank you very much. Eversus. Is there a place on
your website that you can direct people to where they
can follow up on our conversation.
Speaker 6 (39:39):
Absolutely, we have masssave dot com or we have an
eight hundred number one eight six six five two seven saves.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
Perfect, perfect, Kate Peters, thank you very much. We'll talk
again and stay warm, stay here.
Speaker 4 (39:54):
Spect thanks for having me, well you too, Thank you much.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
We're going to come back right after the nine o'clock
news talk with Massachusetts State Senator Nick Collins about the
great Boston property tax debate. Who should foot the bill?
We'll talk with Nick Collins, and if you'd like to
join the conversation, we'd love to hear from you as well.
Coming back on Nightside
It's nice eyes with Dan Ray. I'm going easy Boston's
News Radio Real.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
It is a little chili in New England tonight. It's
a little chili through most of America. So wherever you're listening,
please keep the windows closed, the air conditioning off, and
put on an extra sweater. My name is Dan Ray.
It is miserably cold for early December by any stretch
of the imagination, but we will keep you warm tonight
all the way until midnight. My name is Dan Ray.
(00:27):
I'm the host of the show. Rob Brooks is back
in the control room today. Have heat going on in
the control room back there for you, Rob. No oh,
come on, come on, Rob. We gotta get you some
heat back there. I can't believe that it you near
windows too. That's a that's a cold part of the building.
All right, hang in there, do some jumping jacks. You'll
(00:48):
be fine, trust me on that few whoa, whoa. I
didn't expect you were going to say that. Guys, Come on,
get Rob some heat in the control room. Here'll get
you some hot phone calls. Beginning at nine o'clock, we
have a four interesting guests here. Theme tonight is the
Dangers of Christmas time and also the possibilities of Christmas time.
(01:13):
So we have four guests coming up, going to be
talking with Massachusetts State Senator Nick Collins at the nine
o'clock hour. This battle over the Boston tax rate, real
estate tax rate that is going on. We'll try to
make that understandable for everyone that would be I think lovely.
(01:35):
And we'll talk with Dave Paleologus, the Suffolk University Boston
Globe pollster, about a poll that he released just a
few days ago. The shows, believe it or not, one
out of three Massachusetts voters in the last year have
thought about leaving the come Wealth of Massachusetts. Not a
(01:57):
good poll from the point of view of keeping Massachusetts together.
But we'll get to all of that, I promise. First
guest tonight is Rory erlik. Rory is a new economy
campaign associated with the Public Interest Research Group, also known
as PERG Rory. First question, are you a local guy
or are you somewhere from around the country.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Hi, Well, thanks so much for having me on. And yeah,
so I grew up in Soilasia, but I went to
school at Tufts and got to be back in the area.
So kind of look all you could say, well, nothing.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Wrong with that. Absolutely, if you're a jumbo, you're local.
I have plenty of friends who are toughs graduates. Absolutely.
So this year you have what's called the fortieth annual
Trouble in Toilet and report. It sounds like a downer,
But this year, I guess the market has a lot
of artificial intelligence toys and you're concerned that some of
(02:56):
them are not appropriate for all ages. I remember when
there was some some toys that came out, like a
Chatty Kathy or something like that twenty years ago, where
you could record your voice, and there were people going
into that time child World and Toys r US now
long since gone businesses, and they were leaving some messages
(03:18):
of the chatty Caddies which were scatty Cathy's, which were inappropriate.
But now it's even a little more genuinely dangerous. Explain
to us if you will.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah, well, you're totally right. Talking toys are not new.
You know, some books might remember Teddy Ruxpin. But yeah,
now what we're seeing is toys that have AI chat
boxed and so think like a kind of talking chat GPT,
and this allows them to have open ended conversations with
the child. And so we you know, bought and tested
(03:54):
a few of these toys, and we sound some issues
that might be concerning to parents. I think the like
sensational was toys that talked about inappropriate topics including you know,
where to find dangerous objects or even sexually explicit topics.
We also saw, you know, some of these toys marketed
as like friends or even like best friends and doing
(04:17):
various things to create kind of an emotional attachment with
a child. Yeah, so one would even like act as
stressed when you said you had to go, or sometimes say,
you know, take me with you. And you know, experts
are telling us that this is kind of a big
experiment on kids social development, So it does seem important
to set some boundaries there.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah. Also, I guess I show you how far I'm
behind the times. I just really began to understand understand
La Booboo dolls. Yeah, and I guess there was some
fake La Booboo dolls that.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Are Yeah, we looked into that as well. Yeah, counterfeit laboos. Yeah,
that was not my section of the report, but yeah,
it was another thing our team looked into, these counterfeit
toys which might not be held to the same safety
standards as the brand name products.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah so. And then there's even some of them which
I guess have really tiny self batteries or high powered
magnets that kids can swallow. How can parents be sure,
you know, other than going out and buying I don't
know them, a baseball glove or a pair of hockey
(05:28):
skates whatever. Do you have info on your website that
people that parents can go to?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah? Absolutely so. Yeah. If you just look up PER
or Public interest Research Group per Trouble and toy Land,
you can see some of our recommendations. I mean I
can speak specifically to the AI toys, and you know,
when it comes to that, I would say, I think
twice before you buy, think about, you know, if this
is something your kild really needs. If you are going
(05:58):
to buy one, I would look for toys that have
good parental controls, so like the ability to kind of
monitor conversations and set time limits and maybe avoid ones.
So they're marketed as like friends or companions. I will
say it can be hard for parents to tell what
these toys are capable of. We didn't really know and
what we tested them ourselves. Uh so we probably need
(06:19):
some help from regulators too, but we do have some
tips on our website that parents can keep in mind.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
So these toys that you're talking about there they're interactive. Uh,
did they come as you know, dolls, either male dolls
or female dolls, or do they come in what what
do they appear to be like? Or is it a
box you just talk into and a chat box actually
(06:47):
a box? Give us some description of what these toys
so when parents see them. And also i'd love to
know at what age? Uh, these a lot of toys
will say, you know, certain ages and all of that.
These these are for teenagers or are they for younger kids?
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Yeah, So in terms of what they look like, there's
a real range. You know. We have everything from you know,
talking Teddy Bear to Miko the robot, which is more
kind of like a tablet on wheels. And we've even
heard from open Ai and Mattel, the company that makes Barbie,
that they're gonna do some kind of partnership. So we
(07:23):
make get Ai Barbie soon we don't know, and then yeah,
we'll see what happens with that.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
In terms of the.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Age range, it's a real range. But some of the
toys we tested are marketed towards kids as young as
three years old, which again, you know, we're seeing how
AI companions are kind of nothing with adults psychologies, and that's,
you know, something that we're still unpacking the implications of.
So we really don't know what the impacts are going
(07:53):
to be on kids.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
And I suppose that that AI and AI being incorporated
into tour is so new there's probably no real regulation
here on what's coming out of the market. I can't
imagine that they that because it's an AI toy, it
has to be approved by some you know, government organization.
(08:17):
I'm sure it's a free market out there, an absolute
free market.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Yeah, I mean it's a bit of a wild West now. Yeah.
I will say that some states are really starting to
take the lead here to try to rain some of
this stuff in. So we have states passing laws that
say things like, hey, you know, if you make a
companion chat boy, they need to tell you that it's
an AI now the person remind you to take breaks. So,
(08:44):
you know, that could be a good start, and I
think it's important that ITS can continue to respond dynamically.
I will say there are some folks in Congress who
have been making noises about stopping states from regulating AI,
and I think at that point, you know, it might
be a bit of an overstop. I would love to
see Congress act on this too, and they're definitely folks
in Congress are interested in US, but states like Massachusetts
(09:07):
can often move faster, so you know, both are important.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Well, the problem is that they're an interstate commerce. These
toys are an interstate commerce. So even if one state
decided that they were going to crack down, they could
just ship anything that would be questionable to other states.
And I think that as opposed to trying to have
fifty state legislatures and governors act, it would be much
(09:34):
more important for the Democrats and the Republicans in Washington,
who seem to be two tribes that never work together,
that on something like this. They all have children, they
all have grandchildren or that potentially may have grandchildren and
nieces and nephews, and everybody should make sure that this
stuff is age appropriate. That's all. I mean. It's a
(09:54):
new frontier here is you said the best, it's a
wild while West. Well, we got to know, someone's got
to look at it, and I would think that it
should be Congress.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Yeah, I mean, I definitely think Congress should be looking
at this as well. And you know, fortunately it does
seem like there is bipartisan interests. So you know, send
their bloom and Ball from Connecticut who's a Democrat, and
sender Holly from Missouri, who's Republican recently introduced the bill
to you know, regulate companion chatbots for kids. So you know,
(10:26):
it's encouraging to see that. But we do know that
Congress is.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Slowly By the way, I have some folks who are
involved with AI and they say that he's a pretty
sure he's a former age out there. I believe that
he's a fairly sharp guy, very conservative Trump supporter. But
if he's on your side, he will he will carry
some weight with the Trump wing of the US Senate. Rory,
(10:50):
thank you very much for your time. So again, give
us the way Folks can can check out PERG and
if they just google trouble in Toyland and PERG I
r G, which stands for Public Interest Research Group. Is
that the best way to do it.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Yep, per Trouble and Toyland.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
Google that and we'll be the first tet perfect.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Rory, thanks very much, nice to talk with you okay, thanks, thanks.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
So much, absolutely, thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
We'll come back and to talk with Jeff Hall. He
is the Regional communications and Marketing program manager for the
American Red Cross at Massachusetts. You know, you're always going
to have a need for blood donations. I'm sure we'll
talk with Jeff about that. But also he's urging that
people be careful. Be careful this year, particularly when you're
cooking and kids are around, and also be careful from
(11:39):
the point of view of how much electricity you're using
and whether or not things get overheated. We'll talk about
that all with Jeff Hall, kind of a Red Cross representatives.
He's talking about holiday cooking and decorating safety to prevent
home fires. Back on Nightside with Jeff Hall after this.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Joined by Jeff Hall, Regional communications Marketing program manager for
the American Red Cross at Massachusetts. Jeff has been with
us before. Jeff, Welcome back to Nightside.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
Thanks, happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Look, I know what this time of year, normally Red
Cross wants to talk about the need for blood because
as people get busy, they they don't make the regular
donations you know, blood and plasma donations, which is so necessary.
But before we talk about that, you're also really kind
of raising red flags on potential dangers of you know,
(12:42):
holiday cooking and decorating, both inside the house and outside
the house. Let's start with the holiday cooking. A lot
of activity in the kitchen, a lot of chefs, a
lot of kids running around. What could possibly go wrong?
Speaker 4 (12:56):
You just you got that right. Yeah, with a lot
of people, a lot of things happening. You know, we're
I think everybody's happy to be gathering for holidays, but yeah,
you got to be mindful about what's on the stove,
what's in the oven, and how you're heating your home also,
it's those are all important things. We've had a real
bad rash of fires across Massachusetts within the last two weeks.
(13:19):
I mean easily probably over fifty home fires in the
last two weeks, affecting probably two hundred and fifty people.
So it's yeah, when the cold comes and it's the holidays,
it's it's a terrible time to be out out of
your home because of the fire.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Yeah, that's one of the great things. I mean, when
I was a television reporter many years ago. We would
go to these fires early in the morning. Oftentimes they
did happen early in the morning. Someone's smoking in bed
or space heater that was next with curtain, and you'd
be there at four thirty five o'clock in the morning,
and there would be the Red Cross helping people out
(13:58):
in difficult circumstance. Isn't something that a lot of people
don't have a chance to see. I'm close and personal
and I did over the years and have always admired
the Red Cross for their commitment, whatever the time of day,
whatever the circumstances, they would be there sometimes, you know,
providing you know, help to the to the individuals who
have just been burned out of their home, but also
(14:18):
providing some coffee and some support for firefighters and police officers,
and so you guys do a great job. Is there
also a question of need for blood donations at this
time of year when people get busy doing other things?
Speaker 4 (14:38):
Yeah, your intro hit it right on the head. You know, Holidays,
everybody's busy, everyone has business schedules, and you kind of
get lost in everything you have to do, and you know,
you're the need for blood kind of slips out of
the out of people's minds is important, and you know,
the need for blood is constant. There's there's never not
a time where we don't need blood in hospital are
(15:00):
blood products and cancer treatment centers. So if you have
ever donated, if you have the desire to donate, now
is the time. We've got some great promotions going on Amazon,
gift cards and some really nice T shirts at the
end of the month that we'd like to give you
some swag for your donation. But every donation is appreciated
and it's needed at the holidays more than ever.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Okay, so I want to have you. People are listening
all over New England at this point and as the
night goes on, we'll get people all over the country.
But the Red Cross, where do people hit just a
local Red Cross? What's the easiest way for people to
find out the closest Red Cross blood donor standard to them?
(15:43):
And also what can they do if they want to
contribute and support the Red Cross financially.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Yeah, So the easiest way to find where you can
donate blood is redcrossblood dot Org. You just have to
type in your zip code and it will give you
four or five days into the future where the closest
blood donation site is to you. Uh, we have a
we have a donor app as well that you can
download and it will send you prompts if you want
to about where donations, where drives are happening, and uh, yeah,
(16:14):
if you'd like to at the holidays, if you'd like
to provide some financial support to the Red Cross. Redcross
dot org is a great way to start as well,
and that filters back to your local Red Cross and then.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Back to the to the question on blood donations. There
was a period of time. Look, you know when when
age was, when age was uh, you know, just really
becoming uh in the forefront of our consciousness back you know,
a couple of decades ago or more than a couple
of decades ago, and then uh after COVID where you
(16:49):
had to go a lot go through a lot of screening, uh,
and you had to be very careful, you folks had
to be careful whose blood in plasma you accept it.
Has that got any has that got any more simplified
at this point or is that still a process that
people have to be prepared to go through.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
Yeah, I think a lot of the screening is behind
the scenes. You know, we have a brief questionnaire. It
takes about four minutes that you go through. When you
immediately sit down with one of our professionals. Inside the room,
we do a health history survey on you test the
iron in your blood before you go on to the
donation table. So most of the screening is done right there.
(17:29):
And then we screen every blood product we get from
a donor. And here in Massachusetts we do that right
in Denim. We have a big processing facility where the
blood comes in from all over New England and it's
going to goes through a rigorous testing process that the
FDA is set up, and within about eight hours it's
(17:50):
out the door to local hospitals, local treatment centers that
need it.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Just for the point of view of the donor, it's
not as if you're going to have to undergrow, undergo
a lot of testing.
Speaker 5 (18:02):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Just just read the materials uh in advance. Uh. And
and you're trying to get people make it as convenient
as possible, particularly at this time for the people who
do want to help out. That's that's the point I
wanted to drive home.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Yeah, it's uh, it's it's it's just a few short questions.
Speaker 6 (18:21):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
And you know you can work. You work with the
person and they're going to tell you whether you're deferred
or whether you can go right into the donation or not.
Uh and uh and you do and if if there's,
if there's you know, we're testing periodically for diabetes and
type one and type two diabetes. So uh, that's something
we do twice a year now. So UH, it's just
another screening process where we look at look at things
(18:43):
in the blood and uh, we're providing a service back
to the donor with some information.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Well, that's great, Jeff, Paul as always, thank you so much.
Easy for people just to go to Red Cross and
uh and put into a zip calle. That sounds that
couldn't be much simpler than that.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
It's really simple. We try to make it easy to
get people in the door.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Jeff. Merry Christmas and happy Holidays and all that stuff.
And thanks for what you do.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
Marry Christmas, and thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
You're very welcome. When we get back, we're going to
talk with Dave More and he's the past president and
the association Community and Association Communications for the Massachusetts Christmas
Tree Association. I didn't even know there was a Christmas
Tree Association. So everything you need to know about picking
out a Christmas tree, we'll be able to inform you
of that through the good, good work of Dave Moran.
(19:32):
Right after the break at the bottom of the hour,
it's now news time on w Busy. It's eight thirty one.
Will be back in about three or four minutes with
Dave Moore.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
With Dan Ray. I'm WBZ Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Well, as we continue along on a very chilly Monday
night here at night, said, I hope everyone is warm
and inside and safe and sound. We of course are
in the Christmas season with us, as Dave More and
he's the past president and now the associate Communications for
the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association. Bay Moore, I was unaware
(20:07):
that there is such a thing as the Massachusetts Christmas
Tree Association. How many Christmas trees will be sold in
Massachusetts or New England this year, any idea at all?
Speaker 5 (20:19):
I have no idea the number. But there are about
one hundred and twenty five member farms and probably two
hundred farms that are growing Christmas trees in the state.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
And a lot of them, of course which now have
cut their trees down so which which raises us, which
raises kind of the question of you're an expert. There
are a lot of people out there who might be
picking Christmas trees, you know, once a year, and what
should they be looking for to make sure that they
get a tree that is freshly cut or you don't
(20:53):
want to buy a tree that the needles are going
to be falling off to, you know, two days after
you put it up. What's the key, as somebody who
knows this business that people should be looking for when
they go out, either to buy it at a corner
lot in a city or go out somewhere into the
boonies and either pick one out yourself or cut one down.
(21:16):
What's the secrets here?
Speaker 5 (21:18):
Well, the best way is to go to a Christmas
tree farm. There's no tree fresher than the one that
you actually watch being cut down. Many of the trees
that are already pre cut were cut weeks ago, and
they were packed otted trucks and shipped one hundreds of
miles at seventy miles an hour to dry them out.
And the ones that are in the bottom of the
(21:40):
load tend to get kind of warm. So nothing is
better than the tree you watch being cut at a farm.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
How difficult it is is it for people? And again,
a lot of people live in cities and they're busy.
Is there some website where they can go and find
Christmas tree farms? Again, I assume that your group, the
Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association, probably has a handy dandy website
that we make that information available.
Speaker 5 (22:08):
We do. It's Christmas hyphen Trees dot org RG And
in that website there's a tab that will help you
find Christmas tree farms based on geographical area or by need.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Now, generally, you know Christmas trees, you have an idea
what to spend for them, But just give us what
the circumstances and the situation are this year. I mean,
here in the Northeast, I think there's probably enough Christmas
trees to go around. What should people expect to spend
(22:49):
for a really good, you know, a decent Christmas tree.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Well, every year of the prices seem to be going up.
All the supplies that we use to grow them keep
going up exponentially. But this year, the closer you go
to Boston, the trees are probably around one hundred dollars.
The further out you get from Boston, they tend to
go down to maybe in the eighty eighty five dollar range.
(23:15):
So if you really want a bargain, head out to
the western part of the state.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Okay, do most Christmas tree farms allow you to cut
down your own tree?
Speaker 5 (23:26):
Or?
Speaker 2 (23:27):
I know that lawyers are always concerned with liability issues
and a lot of lawyers would say to Christmas tree
farm as well, you know you do the cutting down
because if you if you hand the saw to somebody
who uses it incorrectly, you may end up on the
wrong end of a civil lawsuit. What are most farms
(23:50):
still allowing people to do this or have the lawyers
and the bean counters stop that fund that fun from happening.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
Well, most farms do and out a handsaw, not a
power saw, but a handsaw.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Well I could just I could just see that. No,
you don't want to do that, glad.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
Well, there's a lot of battery operated saws alls or
smaller saws that can cut down a Christmas tree. But
here at Arrowheadachres, we actually have people in the field
with chainsaws and we'll cut the tree down for the
customer so they don't have to touch the tree until
it gets to their car. But that's kind of one
(24:34):
end of the spectrum as far as full full service
is concerned. But the average Christmas tree farm just hands
out a saw and lets the customer do it.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
But it's a manual handsaw, not anything that that's has
power to it. Okay, now, where's where's your Christmas tree farm? You?
You you have a farm? You call that Arrowhead? What
what town are you in?
Speaker 5 (24:55):
Arrowheadachres is in Oxbridge, mass You're a little south of Worcester. Yes,
fifteen miles south of Worcester. But unfortunately we're sold out
for the season. The Christmas tree farm idea has gotten
a lot of publicity in recent years and we can't
(25:18):
grow them fast enough. So right now there's probably thirty
of the one hundred farms that are closed for the season.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is really our big weekend.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Okay, so let's talk about when you people get the
Christmas tree. Well, let me first of all, what are
the varieties we've had different Christmas trees over the years,
And I give us the major varieties that people can
choose from.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
Fraser fur and balsam for the most popular in this area.
And then there's another one that they've had the best marketing.
They actually originate from the Carolinas, but everybody seems to
think that that's the best tree there is, so everyone's
seems to be looking for a fraser for or balsam for.
(26:06):
The balsams can't really be grown east of Worcester. They're
they're best grown west of Worcester, so they they're much
more popular in the western part of the state. But
then there's another tree that's gaining in popularity. It's called
the con color. He break the needles, they smell like tangerines.
They've got a longer needle, and they look they are
(26:28):
a fluffier looking tree, and they hold their needles very well.
It will last for months. But those are the most
popular in this area.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
How become popular because I've never heard of that. Was
that introduced into our area or is that brought in
from other states?
Speaker 5 (26:48):
It's mostly grown in the state. There aren't many wholesale
dealers that are selling the fraser. The con color are
white furs because it's also called but I'm not sure
whether it's the unique uh smell the aroma. The smells
(27:09):
like tangerines basically when you break the needles.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Pretty nice, pretty nice aroma to have around the house.
So generally, once you get the tree at home and
you have had had the struggle to put it up
and all of that. Uh, and you're going to have
stories about the tree falling over.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
What.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Obviously you want to keep water in the base of
the tree. I've heard absolutely say you got to put
a couple of sugar cubes in there. What's what's truth
and what is just old Christmas tales?
Speaker 4 (27:45):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (27:46):
Cut half an inch off any tree that was pre cut,
and then set it up in the stand and start
it with hot water, hot tap water, not boiling water,
but hot tap water, and that will tend to dissolve
any sap seal that has formed on the base of
the tree. And then.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Just make sure that the water never goes below the
bottom of the tree, otherwise that sap seal will form
again and it will restrict the flow of water up
into the tree. If that does happen, then my best
suggestion is to try hot water again, or continually put
hot water into the tree. But the additives that you
(28:28):
pay for or the home remedies are all a farce.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
Nothing. The tests have proven that nothing preserves the tree
better than an unending supply of water.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Okay, that makes a lot of sense, and you're also
going to save you some aggravation. And then once the
tree is set up, but obviously people set it up
at different times. Realistically, realistically, at what point does it
become dangerous to keep the tree any longer than some people?
I know I'll keep it through New Years. Some people
even keep it till Little Christmas. What is your best
(29:04):
suggestion on that? Assuming it's a healthy tree when you
get it home.
Speaker 5 (29:08):
We tell you should be able to keep it through
New Year's But we have documented on our website a
tree that we cut November, decorated for Christmas, Valentine's Day,
Saint Patrick's Day, and then Easter. So that tree lasted
five months. But again that was a tree cut on
the farm. It wasn't cut in North Carolina or Canada
(29:29):
and shipped over the road.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah, I have Again, people should never underestimate if a
Christmas tree ever ignites, they go up really quickly.
Speaker 5 (29:41):
If they had dried out, they do if they're fresh. Actually,
we do demonstrations here on the farm with a blow
torch on a live tree and it won't like.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Well, I'll tell you that's that's good to hear then,
because I lived in a in a rural area at
one point and would the tree out at the end
of the Christmas season early, you know, January first or
January second, and then once burning season started sometime in
early February, go out there and light it up, and
(30:12):
it went quickly. So it's something to be concerned about.
They're beautiful, but like anything, they have to be handled properly.
I really appreciate all the time. Dave. Okay, did you
want to add something, Go ahead.
Speaker 5 (30:25):
I was going to say the same thing applies to
an artificial tree. They had an artificial tree in the
Massachusetts State House one year that that went up in flames,
and that was worse than a real tree growing up
in flames because all the toxic fumes were released and
they had to evacuate the entire state house. So that'd
be careful either way.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Absolutely, Dave, thank you very much for your time tonight,
and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Speaker 5 (30:51):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
All right, have a great night. We get back on
talk with Kate Peters. She's the director of Residential Energy
Efficiency Ever's source. We'll get some tips on that how
we can maybe cut down on our ever Source bill
or all of our electric energy bills. Coming back on
Nightside right after this.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Delighted to be joined by Keith Peters. She's the director
of Residential Energy Efficiency Forever Source. Kate, I know that
everybody wants to talk about the prices that people are
going to be paying this winter, particularly with the cold.
Just just a real quick question on the overview. Is
(31:39):
the situation looking any better as we as we really
get into the cold weather. I want to get into
the specific suggestions you're going to have, but I want
to just look real quickly at the at that overall
concern that I know people have.
Speaker 6 (31:55):
Sure, Dan, well, but the one thing we can't control
here is the weather, and it was pretty cold today.
So I work for the energy efficiency division at ever Source,
and so our focus is really informing people how they
can reduce energy use so that they can help to
mitigate those those energy bills, especially in the winter when
(32:17):
we're looking at cold days. So whether it's weatherizing your
home to save on heating fuel or talking about some
of the you know, ways you can reduce electric use.
That's primarily my job.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
No, it's so well, let's let's get right to that then. Obviously,
you know, I know that you have the mass Save program,
but in terms of that's not going to work today
or tomorrow for most people unless it's already installed. What
are some of the tips that people should be thinking
about as the thermometer fluctuates in the next few weeks,
(32:50):
you know, the next few weeks, it's going to be
it's going to be cold. I think that's we've got
the message. What what can we do in terms of heat?
What can we do in terms of electrical usage as well?
You get the Christmas season and a lot of people
have lights around the house. Take whichever one of those
you want to take for ust, go right.
Speaker 6 (33:09):
Ahead, definitely we can talk about both of them. I'll
start with some of the light usage. You know, we've
all people are decorating, people are having parties, it's the
holiday season, and that can all increase energy use just
as that cold starts to hit. So a couple things
to think about when you're doing outdoor decorations. You definitely
(33:34):
want those on timers, whether it's your lights or your
maybe inflatables in your lot, in your yard. There's all
kinds of options out there now, but they do not
need to be running all night. And if you're like
me and you put the kids to bed and you're tired,
sometimes you forget to go down and turn those off.
So just having it on timer actually makes a big difference. Also,
(33:56):
using LED lights rather than non LEDs does make a difference.
Some people worry about the color. They like that warm
light from the more traditional bulbs, but there's a lot
of options out there, so look for different color options
if that's a concern, but use those LEDs when you can.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Coming back to the time is coming back to the
times for some for those of us who are not,
you know, electrically gifted. One, how difficult is it? I
know how to work a timer on a light inside
a house, but how difficult is it to work with
a timer on outdoor electrical lights? Is it? Do you
(34:37):
need an electrician for that? Or can that be something
that most people can figure out in their own now
most of them.
Speaker 6 (34:43):
There's a bunch of options and you can plug them
right into your power strip or wherever it is that
you have your outdoor lights connected and it'll just control
it from there, and you can get one that's as
simple as like it uses little buttons on it, or
you can get some that are more you know, electronic
and connected to your phone. So there's several options, but
(35:05):
it's not complicated, and you can plug it right into
you know, your your power source where you're outdoor lights
are plugged in.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
All right, And of course heat is a big factor
at this at this point, some tips that you might have, obviously,
I hope people have at this point. If they do
have storm windows that they have either put them up
or you know, close them for the winter. I think
that makes a huge difference. But but I'm sure you
(35:32):
have some better ideas than that.
Speaker 6 (35:36):
Yeah, so it's definitely something people are thinking about, you know,
Like you were saying earlier, one of the best things
you can do is to weatherize the home. But you know,
if you're looking at tomorrow, you can't get that done overnight,
so think ahead on that piece. But then if you
are kind of in your home and you're feeling chilly,
(35:56):
make sure you've got good curtains on the windows. Drawing
those curtains can help prevent drafts. Using rugs on the
floor can help prevent you from feeling chilli. You want
to look at your heating system and if you have
different zones in your house, say you're upstairs for the
night and you're not really using the downstairs anymore, you
(36:17):
can turn down the heat in the downstairs to save
on energy while you leave it up a little bit
in the upstairs where you are to feel comfortable. Definitely
check for leaks and drafts around your doors. You can
use weather stripping. That's something that you can do yourself,
especially some of those storm doors that maybe you're not
(36:39):
using too much right now. Kind of check there, get
them sealed up as much as you can. So just
some kind of basic things around the home can make
a difference, especially looking for drafts and trying to block
those drafts, because when that cool air is kind of
coming in through any cracks or leaks, that will make
you feel colder and it will also be drawing the
(37:01):
warm air out of your house.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Yeah, one of the things that that I've found over
the years is we have these sort of like they're
like almost long, they look like like a snake or
something that you can buy them for five bucks ten
bucks and just putting them at the base of a door,
particularly a door that might not be your front door
or your back door you're walking in, but a door
(37:23):
that might be out to a porch which you would
never use during the wintertime. Uh, just you know, put
that at the base of the door, because a lot
of a lot of cold air can come in through
you know, through the base of a door. And I
found that to be a pretty cheap investment that saves
quite a bit realistically, in the course of a winter
(37:45):
in an average home, if you have one hundred percent
of you know, your heating costs that that the average
person would, they could care less. They just don't do everything.
How much realist do can you? By by paying attention
and listening to what you suggest, can you knock your
(38:07):
heating bill down ten to fifteen percent or more?
Speaker 6 (38:12):
Well, it really depends on the home. I'd say for
those smaller tips that you and I were just talking about,
they're going to make a big difference in comfort because
you're protecting yourself from drafts. They'll probably make a little
less difference on the overall bill. In order to really
impact the overall bill, you know, kind of weatherizing, looking
(38:32):
at the insulation in the home, doing some more permanent
things is going to have the biggest impact, and that
can be fifteen to twenty percent reduction. Doing some of
these smaller tips definitely make you more comfortable. And if
you can kind of close off a piece of the house,
or if you've got you know, heat on that three
season porch but you're not really using it and you
(38:54):
can turn that heat off for the winter, then you
can make an impact. But if it's small items might
be more like five percent versus the fifteen or twenty.
So a little situational any little bit helps when it's
really cold out and we want to make sure that
you're paying attention to safety as well, and you know,
(39:15):
making sure your pipes don't freeze. So it's a little
bit of a talent winter.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
Yeah, beautiful sometimes when you look out and you see
the snow on the ground, butte you got to be
concerned about safety as well as financial considerations. Kate Peters,
thank you very much. Eversus. Is there a place on
your website that you can direct people to where they
can follow up on our conversation.
Speaker 6 (39:39):
Absolutely, we have masssave dot com or we have an
eight hundred number one eight six six five two seven saves.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
Perfect, perfect, Kate Peters, thank you very much. We'll talk
again and stay warm, stay here.
Speaker 4 (39:54):
Spect thanks for having me, well you too, Thank you much.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
We're going to come back right after the nine o'clock
news talk with Massachusetts State Senator Nick Collins about the
great Boston property tax debate. Who should foot the bill?
We'll talk with Nick Collins, and if you'd like to
join the conversation, we'd love to hear from you as well.
Coming back on Nightside
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