Registration has opened for an 11-week course that teaches individuals to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases.

The 30-hour, noncredit "Climate Master" course will start Jan. 6 at Oregon State University. It was developed by the University of Oregon's Climate Leadership Initiative to educate individuals on how to help curb global warming. The program made its debut last year when it was offered in Eugene. January's event is the first time the course will be offered outside of Eugene.

The program encourages participants to make changes in their homes and lifestyles. Some of these changes require more effort, like buying energy-efficient appliances or installing double-paned windows. Others are easier, such as turning down the temperature on their water heater, installing compact fluorescent light bulbs, cleaning the dust off the coils on their refrigerator, and keeping car tires properly inflated.

Two people will teach the majority of the $66 course: Theresa Brand, who helped develop it, and Viviane Simon-Brown, the director of the National Network for Sustainable Living Education. Simon-Brown is also the OSU Extension Service's specialist in sustainable living.

The program is modeled after OSU Extension's Master Gardener and Master Recycler programs, in which participants are expected to spread their new knowledge to the public by volunteering in areas related to the subject.

After completing the course, graduates must also fill out a survey every month for a year that describes what changes they've made in their homes and lives as a result of the course.

To register, call the OSU Extension Service in Benton County at 541-766-3556 or download a form at www.cof.orst.edu/cof/extended/sustain.

Registration is open only to residents of Benton and Linn counties, and it closes Dec. 19 or when the 25 slots are filled. Scholarships are available.