Congratulations to the Columbia, Central Business District and Fairhaven neighborhoods, the neighborhoods with the highest percentage of green power participants, which helped lead the way to Bellingham being recognized as the first city in Washington and the most successful community in the country to be designated a Green Power Community.
Bellingham qualified for this designation by purchasing more than 11 percent of all of the electricity used in the entire city from renewable resources. Mayor Tim Douglas accepted congratulations from the U.S. EPA, Congressman Rick Larsen, Puget Sound Energy and others at an Earth Day celebration on April 21.
“EPA applauds Bellingham for its leadership as a green power community,” said Michelle Pirzadeh, Director of EPA’s Office of Ecosystems, Tribal and Public Affairs in Seattle. “By purchasing green power, Bellingham is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and leading the way for other cities across the Northwest and the nation." Carbon dioxide is the most significant of the greenhouse gases that are causing global warming. The EPA estimates that Bellingham’s use of green power has the same effect as taking 10,000 passenger cars off of the road.
"Bellingham has set a national example as the most effective Green Power Community in the country," said Congressman Rick Larsen. "As Congress works to address these critical issues, we're looking to cities like Bellingham for lessons we need to learn. The time has come to invest the energy of our nation in the energy of our future."
The event celebrated the success of the Green Power Community Challenge, a campaign to increase support for renewable energy through Puget Sound Energy’s Green Power program. Over the last 8 months, local participation increased to nearly 2000 households and more than 110 businesses. The City of Bellingham and Whatcom County governments joined Western Washington University as major supporters of renewable energy, committing to buy 100% their electricity from Green Power.
“We’re proving that locally-engineered solutions to global warming are effective, achievable and good for business. Our Green Power Community Challenge is a success because the business community, city residents and local government have teamed up in an unprecedented partnership,” Belllingham Mayor Tim Douglas said. To underscore that point, he was joined by local partners Michelle Long, executive director of Sustainable Connections, County Executive Pete Kremen, Karen Morse, President of Western Washington University, and Mark Asmundson, Director of the Northwest Clean Air Agency.
As reward for the success of the community-wide effort, Puget Sound Energy is paying for the city to install a 2.4 kW photovoltaic solar panel system on the roof of the Environmental Learning Center in Maritime Heritage Park. That project is scheduled to be completed within the next couple of months. In addition, Cal Shirley, PSE’s Vice President of Energy Efficiency Services, announced the award of an additional $20,000 for another renewable energy project.
As part of the Green Power Community Challenge, Bellingham’s neighborhoods were offered a contest of their own; the neighborhoods with the highest percentage of residents participating would be given $1,000 to support a neighborhood improvement project that will help prevent global warming. Clean Air Agency Director Mark Asmundson awarded the third place prize to the Fairhaven Neighbors. Mayor Tim Douglas Awarded the second place prize to the Central Business District and first place to the Columbia Neighborhood.
The ceremony ended with the unveiling of a new road sign announcing “Welcome to Bellingham, an EPA designated Green Power Community.”
About PSE’s Green Power Program
Puget Sound Energy’s Green Power Program promotes the development of renewable energy sources in the Pacific Northwest. Electric customers can sign up for the voluntary Green Power Program for as little as $4.00 a month by visiting www.pse.com. Sources qualifying as renewable include wind, solar and biomass energy.
About EPA’s Green Power Partnership
EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program helping to increase the use of green power among leading U.S. organizations. The program encourages organizations to purchase green power as a way to reduce the risk of climate change and environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, local, state, and federal governments, trade associations, as well as colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower.
Posted: April 24, 2007
