diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d2753f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# .env
+**/.env
+
+# stop checking in pycache files
+**/*.pyc
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b8c5284..7a801f0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ And two local data sources:
 - [Speed-Test NPM package](https://github.com/sindresorhus/speed-test)
 - [Rubik font](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Rubik) ([Raspberry Pi font installation instructions](https://raspberrytips.com/install-fonts-raspberry-pi/))
 > Any font may be used instead of Rubik, but not all fonts will look good on the display, especially in smaller sizes.
+- [python-dotenv](https://pypi.org/project/python-dotenv/)
 
 ## Hardware prerequisites
 - Raspberry Pi (this dashboard was run on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B but will probably work on any version)
@@ -34,12 +35,13 @@ And two local data sources:
 
 ## Code configuration
 - The assets used in this dashboard were chosen from [flaticon](https://www.flaticon.com/) for their aesthetics and appearances on the low resolution e-ink display used. The repository includes an icon for the US flag, if you would like to display Covid-19 data for a different country, an appropriate `<country_name>.jpeg` flag icon must be added under `dashboard/assets/covid`.
-- The repository includes a `Config.py` file which holds all the configurations required to run the dashboard. In order for the dashboard to run correctly, all of the properties must be provided:
+- This project uses a `.env` file to store user specific values that you would not want to include in your git commits. An example of this file and format can be found in the `dotenv-example` file. 
 	- `lon` and `lat` are used to gather weather information for the desired location
-	- `units` used to determine which temperature units will be used in the weather request. Options are `imperial` for Fahrenheit and `metric` for Celsius
-	- `unit_letter` used to determine which temperature letter will be used in the display. `F` for Fahrenheit and `C` for Celsius
 	- `open_weather_map_api_key` is the openweathermap.org API key.
 		> An account is required to access the openweathermap.org weather API, you can register **for free** [here](https://home.openweathermap.org/users/sign_up).
+- The repository includes a `Config.py` file which holds all the configurations required to run the dashboard. In order for the dashboard to run correctly, all of the properties must be provided:
+	- `units` used to determine which temperature units will be used in the weather request. Options are `imperial` for Fahrenheit and `metric` for Celsius
+	- `unit_letter` used to determine which temperature letter will be used in the display. `F` for Fahrenheit and `C` for Celsius
 	- `country` is used to query Covid-19 data and to load the flag icon so it **must** match the `<country_name>.jpeg`
 	- `[small\medium\large]_font_[size\name]` were chosen to fit the size of the e-ink display
 
diff --git a/dashboard/dashboard/Config.py b/dashboard/dashboard/Config.py
index 9bbc356..3810a01 100644
--- a/dashboard/dashboard/Config.py
+++ b/dashboard/dashboard/Config.py
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
+from dotenv import load_dotenv
+load_dotenv()
+import os
+
 # weather
 icon_base_url = 'http://openweathermap.org/img/wn/'
-open_weather_map_api_key = 'your_api_key'
-lat = '40.71'
-lon = '-74.00'
+open_weather_map_api_key = os.environ.get("open_weather_map_api_key")
+lat = os.environ.get("lat")
+lon = os.environ.get("lon")
 units = 'imperial'
 unit_letter = 'F'
 
diff --git a/dashboard/dotenv-example b/dashboard/dotenv-example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..19ba5ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dashboard/dotenv-example
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Example .env file
+# To use this - save & rename this file as `.env` after updating the appropriate values below
+
+# Open Weather Map API Key
+open_weather_map_api_key = 'YOUR API KEY'
+
+# Home Lat / Lon
+lat = 'YOUR LATITUDE'
+lon = 'YOUR LONGITUDE'
\ No newline at end of file
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