Greenbacks promote green Earth

Protecting the Earth is now a possibility for everyday citizens.

Programs such as Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky and Questar's Thermwise continue to grow. They both ask customers to pay greenbacks for a greener Earth.

Blue Sky was launched in 2000 and currently has 21,500 Utah individuals and businesses participating.

"It is a very easy way for businesses and everyday people to actively make a difference," said Sara Baldwin, community programs coordinator for Utah Clean Air. "It helps create jobs, drives economic development, offsets global warming pollution, improves air quality and improves energy security."

Blue Sky participants purchase renewable energy blocks of 100 kilowatt-hours that cost $1.95 each. The average Utah household uses from 700 to 800 kilowatt-hours per month, according to Rocky Mountain Power. Most of the money used to purchase the energy blocks goes to the production of renewable energy sources. The energy bought does not go directly to the buildings of the block buyers, but rather to the production of renewable energy that goes onto the general electrical grid.

"Those funds are used primarily to purchase wind energy from Western wind farms to add to the electrical system," said Jeff Hymas, Rocky Mountain Power spokesman. "The wind energy goes onto the grid to offset the impact of other types of nonrenewable electrical generation."

Nonrenewable energy sources include coal, natural gas and oil. A pie chart shows that 95 percent of Utah's electricity comes from coal, according to Baldwin.

"By investing in more renewable energy in the region and actively driving renewable energy development, Utahns are helping make that pie more clean and inexhaustible," said Baldwin.

Some participants don't understand that the Blue Sky program's funds do not blow solely into wind energy. The program's administration receives 13 percent, while 24 percent goes to customer outreach and education. The remaining 63 percent flows into the renewable energy projects. The program is regulated by the Utah Public Service Commission, ensuring that every dollar is accounted for.

"The company doesn't benefit from the program," said Hymas. "The growth in customer participation is a testimony that the program is having great success and that Blue Sky dollars are being managed effectively."