Pennsylvania Commits to Clean and Renewable Energy
(Washington, DC) SmartPower announced today that they have commitments and actions from 22 municipalities in Pennsylvania to purchase 20% clean energy by 2010, as part of the Pennsylvania Clean Energy Communities Campaign. Collectively, these municipalities serve a population of 350,000 people. Further, as a result of this campaign, the participating municipalities will increase the number of enrolled clean energy customers by 20% to 400%, dramatically accelerating the expansion of the clean energy market in southeastern Pennsylvania. This effort will keep 35 million pounds of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, which is equivalent to approximately 1.8 million gallons of gasoline burned.
35 Million Pounds of Greenhouse Gases Removed
These clean energy commitments put Pennsylvania at the forefront of the battle against the climate crisis, filling a critical need for leadership in this field. This is especially significant because Pennsylvania contributes 1% of the world’s greenhouse gases, making it the third largest emitter in the United States, largely due to its heavy reliance on coal burning power plants. These local communities have become national leaders in purchasing clean energy, while state and the federal government have been slow to lead on these important issues.
These 22 communities and SmartPower are waging local campaigns to reach their clean energy goals. To spread the word that clean energy is an available and reliable resource, they have launched comprehensive and creative community outreach, through newsletters, PSAs, letters to the editor, community events, door-to-door canvassing, internet outreach, municipal competitions, school-based outreach, educational forums and performances. Some communities have already exceeded their original goals and attained some of the highest clean energy enrollment rates in the US. SmartPower will give each municipality that achieves its goals a free 1 kilowatt solar energy system valued at $10,000, to be placed on a school or municipal building as a symbol of their leadership.
SmartPower designed this campaign to overcome common market barriers that limit consumer demand for clean energy, most notably concerns over reliability and availability of clean energy. By inviting municipalities to prove that clean energy is real, it’s here, and it’s working, this campaign builds consumer trust of renewable energy sources, leading to a greater support and demand for clean energy generation.
About SmartPower:
SmartPower is the “Got Milk” campaign of wind, solar and water energy, a national, non-profit marketing organization dedicated to promoting clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency. With offices in Washington, DC, Hartford and Philadelphia, SmartPower’s award winning marketing campaigns have been credited with creating unprecedented demand for wind, solar and hydropower. SmartPower’s efforts in Pennsylvania are made possible through a grant from the Pennsylvania Sustainable Development Fund. Please visit www.smartpower.org or www.gocleanenergy.com
