Green Club promotes wind power

The Blair Green Club is launching a new campaign to encourage the Blair community to replace traditional forms of energy with wind power through Clean Currents, a small Maryland-based green energy company.

Clean Currents offers Chesapeake Green (C-Green), a new carbon-neutral electricity option for people in the Chesapeake region. The product is only available for Pepco customers in Maryland and Washington, D.C. or BGE customers in Maryland, according to Green Club co-sponsor Karen Shilling. C-Green combines standard electricity from the Mid-Atlantic grid with Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from wind farms located across the United States. The product is distributed by Washington Gas Energy Services (WGES), a licensed provider.

Switching to C-Green is simple and affordable, according to Shilling. "There are four different options for your energy plan," she said. "It's through Pepco, so there is no extra work for you." Customers must choose one- or two-year plans and 50 or 100 percent wind power. "[Clean Currents] is cheaper than Pepco rates," Shilling said. For a two-year plan with 100 percent wind power, the cost is 11.8 cents per kilowatt per hour. Customers will still receive a bill from the original electric utility, and there are no sign-up fees.

This bundled product helps fight global warming by offsetting the carbon emissions from electricity with wind energy. Changing to clean, renewable wind power makes a big difference, according to Shilling. "If you take the house off the grid, it's the equivalent of taking four cars off the road for a whole year," she said.

The Blair Green Club hopes Blazers will use this product to make a positive impact on the environment. "The idea is that energy consumption is really high, and the Blair community needs to be involved, not just the school," Green Club co-sponsor Lisa Hack said. "This is a chance to make bigger changes."

Blazers can also raise money for the school by making the switch to wind power. "List us as your Green Neighborhood Effect Community as we get 10 bucks for a green project for each account number," Shilling said. "We hope to have 100 sign-ups."

For information and to sign up, visit the Clean Currents web site.