Doing our part as Mainers for the environment

When my family moved from Virginia to Maine last year, we were proud to become residents of a state with such a well-known and respected record of citizen activism on social and environmental issues. Once in Maine, we were inspired to contribute to its great tradition and to take all the actions we could to combat the biggest environmental and social issue of our age: climate change.

We “relamped” completely – every bulb in our home is a compact fluorescent. We switched from the “standard offer” electricity to green, renewable power. This choice has been available in Maine for several years, yet only about 3,000 Mainers have signed up. That is very surprising. I believe that if Mainers had more information about what “green power” means and exactly how to make the change, that number would go way up.

Any Maine consumer or small business can switch from the “standard offer” electricity supplier, which produces carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, to a 100 percent renewable energy source that does not cause any pollution at all. Zero air pollution. According to Maine Renewable Energy, under the standard offer, each year a typical Maine household produces 4,500 pounds of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide; 17 pounds of sulphur dioxide, causing asthma and other respiratory problems; and 11 pounds of nitrogen oxide, contributing to acid rain and ground-level ozone that causes unhealthful “red alert” days. Who wants to pay to do that?

Look at a copy of your electricity bill from Central Maine Power or Bangor Hydro-Electric. Notice that the amount of the bill is the sum of “delivery services” and “electricity supply.” What you will change is the supply. Supply of green power now costs about 3 cents per kilowatt hour more than the supply of standard power. Your delivery charges will not be affected. There is no fee to switch, and there is no break in your electricity service.

The choices of green energy supply are called “Maine Clean Power” and “Maine Clean Power Plus.” Maine Clean Power is a 100 percent hydro product that is generated entirely within Maine by Low Impact Hydro Institute-certified generators. These facilities have reduced the impact of their dams on local wildlife and the watershed by installing fish ladders, for example.

Maine Clean Power Plus is a 100 percent hydro product with at least 80 percent generated by Low Impact Hydro Institute-certified generators located in Maine. In addition, at least 20 percent of the electricity will be matched by wind generation renewable energy credits from wind facilities in the eastern half of the United States.

The average Maine residential consumer uses 500 kilowatt hours of electricity each month. Under the standard offer electricity supply, that would cost 9 cents per kwh, or $45. Using Clean Power Plus, at 12 cents per kwh, the cost of supply would go up by $15, to $60 a month. That’s an increase of about 50 cents a day. This may not be comfortable for everyone, but if it is affordable for you, it is a great way to contribute to a better environment and increase our energy independence. If you want to go even further, challenge the other members of an organization to which you belong to make the switch. Our family plans to use the increased cost as an additional incentive to redouble our efforts to conserve electricity.

So please, go to www.energymaine.com. Click on “green power,” then click on “sign up now,” and follow the three easy steps. Or, if you don’t have access to the Web, call Maine Renewable Energy in Portland at 866-408-4591.

On the national level, there is one more important thing that Mainers can do to support renewable energy and energy efficiency, reduce our reliance on foreign oil, reduce air pollution and create new jobs: Tell Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins that we expect them to work for passage of Senate Bill 309, the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act. The bill would freeze global warming emissions in 2010 and then gradually reduce emissions each year, reaching about 83 percent below current levels in 2050.

Barbara McLeod is a green power consumer who lives on Mount Desert Island.