Green with Children

Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!

I've spent most of the day talking to people at my utility company and poking around their website. Inspired by the Oprah episode (not to mention Home Green Home) where a young couple had someone from their public utility do an energy audit at their house, I'm trying to get one. Even though I'm a renter and won't invest much in home improvement, I will do small, cheap things (like close a window or put on a sweater).

So I pursued the CleanPower Choice program. For an extra $5 to $10 a month, I've signed on to ensure that our average monthly 600 kilowatts are purchased from a clean power supplier. The supplier I chose uses 33 percent wind, 34 percent landfill gas, and 33 percent small hydro. According to SterlingPlanet.com, New Jersey's main sources for electricity are 18 percent coal, 3 percent oil, 28 percent gas, 48 percent nuclear, 1 percent other fossils and 2 percent renewables. My 600 kilowatts will clearly turn that 2 percent% into a 2.0002 percent. Woo hoo! (Who knew New Jersey's energy is nearly half nuclear? Another reason to love the Garden State: it's Chernobyltastic.)

Here's what else I learned today. The actual power that turns on my lights and television won't necessarily change. The entire state of New Jersey is now receiving another 600 kilowatts of clean energy every month thanks to my enrollment. My energy is no different than my neighbors'.

The whole enrollment was easy enough to do. I just needed my utility account number and clicked a few buttons. I went with Sterlingplanet.com, but New Jersey offers clean power through several suppliers including Green Mountain Energy and Jersey-Atlantic Wind. The woman at the Green Mountain call center said nearly every state offers clean power--just go to your power company's website and search clean power or see a complete list of states with programs via our Green Power Utilities Product Report.

Other than a slightly larger bill every month, this is a change that requires no real sacrifice or effort on my part. And the money I'm saving by not buying paper napkins can go to clean power.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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