Posted: February 05, 2007 08:07:34 PST
As a United Nations report draws international attention to global warming, the City of Bellingham is gaining national attention for efforts already underway to curb pollution that causes the planet to warm.
The City of Bellingham's purchase of 100 percent "green" power for all city operations places our community among the top green power purchasers in the nation, and, when combined with green power purchases by Western Washington University and Whatcom County, prevents nearly 34,000 tons of carbon dioxide pollution - the equivalent of taking 3,700 cars off of the road for the entire year.
Research shows that buying 100 percent green power is the most significant step the City of Bellingham can take to protect the climate, eliminating more than 65 percent of the global warming pollution caused by municipal operations.
The city's purchase, approved by City Council last summer and started in January, places Bellingham alongside Fortune 500 companies, national retailers, and U.S cities from coast to coast that are taking a lead role in pollution prevention and climate protection.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced updated national Top 10 lists for various types of organizations purchasing green power. Bellingham ranks 7th among local governments, and is topped only by local governments serving larger populations. Bellingham is among the largest local governments in EPA's partnership to supply 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. For more information on EPA's Top 10 local government list, visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/top10localgov.htm.
City officials expect many benefits from this purchase in addition to reducing its own pollution. It also displaces demand for conventional electricity and creates a greater market for development of additional green power sources, and helps raise awareness and encourages people in Bellingham to take similar actions in their homes and businesses.
"Scientific data clearly indicate that global warming will affect the lives of Bellingham residents in the future," Bellingham Mayor Tim Douglas said. "Sea elevation changes and protecting our drinking water supply are just two examples of the challenges that lie ahead. We need to take thoughtful, deliberate steps to help reduce our impacts on our planet. Purchasing green power is one of those steps."
With this purchase, the city joins Western Washington University as a national leader in climate protection. Western Washington University is eighth on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of the nation's top 10 green energy purchasers in higher education.
The Bellingham City Council voted unanimously in August 2006 to buy enough green power to supply 100 percent of the city's electrical usage beginning in January 2007. The city's purchase will amount to approximately 25 million kWh annually.
Bellingham City Council member John Watts, referencing last week's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, said leading energy and climate experts say this latest report underscores the need for a massive effort to slow the pace of global warming.
"The city's purchase of renewable energy for 100 percent of its municipal electrical energy use strongly acknowledges our role in accepting responsibility for and addressing this global problem at a local level," Watts said. "We encourage each and every household to take similar action."
In 2005, Bellingham joined the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign. This project begins with an inventory of municipal and community actions that contribute to global warming pollution, followed by the development of an action plan to reduce pollution from the various municipal and community sources. This research showed that buying 100 percent green power is the most significant step the City of Bellingham can take to protect the climate, eliminating more than 65 percent of the global warming pollution caused by municipal operations.
"Green power" includes electricity that is partially or entirely generated from clean, renewable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. Green power is considered cleaner than conventional sources of electricity and has lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a greenhouse gas linked to global warming. Green power purchases accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide.
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Media Contact:
Janice Keller, Communications Manager
Mayor's Office
City of Bellingham
360-676-6979
jkeller@cob.org
