Switch to wind power...it's easy!

Did you know that most electricity providers offer you the option to purchase wind power through an alternate energy services company (ESCO)? For an average New York City customer, the cost is about $10 more a month. Installing energy efficient light bulbs will save the average customer about as much, therefore, the cost factor is lessened or eliminated.

This is an important action that we can take that will deliver immediate impact. When you choose the wind power option on your electricity bill, the extra money you are charged will go directly toward building new wind farms. Your action also helps to create a market. The more we demand, the more the wind power companies will need to supply. They will be able to raise money to develop better wind technology and produce it faster. By selecting the wind power option on your electricity bill, you are becoming an “investor” in wind energy development.

Wind isn’t perfect...not yet. There are still concerns with noise and with bat and bird populations. But this should not stop us from creating the market. Using our voices to demand clean energy and to demand investments in improving current systems is something we all should be doing.

New York Con Edison customers switch here: http://www.newwindenergy.com/switch

Use this link to find out if your provider offers clean energy solutions: http://www.epa.gov/grnpower/pubs/gplocator.htm

Advocate of Green

I took a class yesterday at NYU with other like-minded individuals who are searching for ways to make a positive impact on the environment. I met one woman who has an excellent blog dedicated to educating others on how to be more ‘green’. Check it out..

Great job, Danielle...love the site!

http://www.advocateofgreen.com/

Calculate your carbon footprint

There is a lot of talk about reducing carbon footprints these days, and so many different websites that offer carbon calculators. It gets very confusing and it’s hard to figure out which has the best and most comprehensive calculator.  I’ve discovered that the most useful information from these calculators comes from the questions themselves, not the ultimate score. I suggest that you look a a couple of different versions of calculators, and focus on educating yourself about the ways to reduce your footprint. The value is in changing your habits; the score is just a benchmark to inspire you.

BP calculator (simple and basic): http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/carboncalc/

An Inconvenient Truth: http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/

Count Down Your Carbon (challenges you with actions for each area of reduction): http://www.countdownyourcarbon.org/calculator.php

For a good list of ways to reduce your carbon footprint: http://www.wecansolveit.org/content/pages/20/
For general understanding of the concept of footprints: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=app_carbon_footprint

Eliminate your junk mail

Cutting back on junk mail will have a positive environmental impact by saving trees and reducing the amount of landfill needed for the waste if not recycled. It will also reduce garage collection bills and taxes.

Here’s an easy and free way to start cutting back on junk mail: https://www.greendimes.com/

And another link which was recommended by one of my blog readers...thanks for the tip, MJ! http://www.catalogchoice.org/

2041 Website

For more on Robert Swan, Antarctica, the Voyage for Cleaner Energy and climate change, go to http://www.2041.com/