By Kelly RichmondGreen Neighborhood Challenge
Leader – Cathedral Heights
D.C. LibrariesNovember 2011
OverviewD.C., a green city?Freedom of ChoiceUnderstanding Your PowerWhy Wind?D.C. Wind Power ProvidersThe Green Neighborhood ChallengeIt’s SO Easy to Sign UpDon’t BLOW IT!
D.C., a green city?YES
D.C. government ranked 4th in Oct. 2011 on EPA’s list of Local Government using green energy sources50% of power comes from wind or a total of
244,267,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh)Also, in Oct. 2011 the EPA ranked the entire city
of D.C. FIRST in the nation for most green power used annually. D.C. businesses, residents, and City Government
use 772 million kWh of green power or 8.5 % of total electricity use
Are YOU doing your part?
Freedom of ChoiceD.C. is a competitive electricity marketD.C. is one of 16 open competition statesAnyone who pays an electricity bill to PEPCO
each month can choose a competitive supplierYes! Even apt/condo residents can switch as
long as units are individually metered and utilities are not bundled into your rent (But I am lobbying buildings like this in the area too!)
YOU are emPOWERed to choose your preferred source!
Understanding Your Power
Why Wind?The operation of wind farms emits no CO2 and on average can payback the emissions used during manufacturing in three to ten months
Wind energy production requires no water!
A 20 turbine wind farm in a square kilometer area will only use 1% of the surface area— the other 99% can be used for things like farming!
The average annual CO2 emissions of a single coal plant is equivalent to cutting down 161 million trees
A 500-megawatt coal plant draws an annual average of 2.2 billion gallons of water— enough water to supply a city of 250,000 people
Surface coal mining in West Virginia has destroyed forested areas equivalent to half the size of Rhode Island
Thanks to the Union of Concerned Scientists and RenewableUK for helping us with such great facts.
Why Wind?
Example of destruction caused by Mountain Top Removal
By changing to wind power, you as a consumer no longer support harmful practices. Go to www.ilovemountains.org to see how your power is sourced now to Pepco.
D.C. Wind Power Providers
For residential customers in the District your three provider options are:Clean Currents Next Era Energy ServicesWashington Gas Energy Services
You can visit this dc.gov site for more info http://green.dc.gov/green/cwp/view,a,1244,q,463844.asp
Wind Power OptionsNearby Wind
SourcesNational Wind
RECsCombine national
wind certificates with local electricity to give you a green power option that is very affordable and still has a positive impact.
Visit www.aweawindworks.com
for a national wind farm map
Green Neighborhood ChallengeIt’s makes sense to switch to wind power, but what’s
the Green Neighborhood
Challenge?
No more polluting coal, when you switch on the
lights…What do you think?
Green Neighborhood ChallengeChallenge runs from October 1, 2011 to April
22, 2012 (Earth Day!)I’m the Leader of the Green Neighborhood
effort for Cathedral Heights, but all neighbors in the area can sign up!
To participate:Sign up to wind power via Clean CurrentsMention “Cathedral Heights” when signing upClean Currents will make a $25 donation per
sign up (SPECIAL FOR NOV: $50 given for all new sign ups)
Donations go to the Rock Creek Conservancy
Seamless Sign UpFree to switch providers
No equipment to installNo need to contact the utility company eitherNo, you don’t need to install a wind turbine on
your roof!Same flow of powerContinue to receive one billDepending on the provider you select, you
can lock-in a competitive, fixed-rate for generation & transmission for up to 2 years
Don’t BLOW IT!Act today to make this simple, but significant
decision for yourself, your community, and for the environmentIf you change to Clean Currents, you just need
your PEPCO account number and five minutes to make the change
Go green, go localSupport domestic industry & innovationSecure your energy rate over timeHelp your community become a Green
Neighborhood!
A Final Thought“The answer, my friend, is blowing in the
wind”~Bob Dylan
I say Bob was close to being right, but really….“The answer, my friend, IS the blowing wind!”
Thank You
Any questions?
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