The Zero Emissions Hosting Company

Every year, more electricity is needed to power our modern lifestyle. But burning fossil fuels for energy depletes our natural resources, pollutes our air and threatens our national security. Can abundant energy exist without these costs?

Inspired by other companies in our community, we made a decision to begin purchasing Green-e certified Renewable Energy Certificates to cover 100% of our energy use.

We feel good about being the first hosting company to be powered 100% by renewable energy sources. That's right - 100% renewable. No fossil fuels here - just clean renewable sources like wind, geothermal, and solar power.

Our commitment avoids 4,000 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution:

This is the same as not not driving over 4,300 miles.

This is the same as not burning over 2,100 pounds of coal.

Aren't Renewable Energy Certificates just a donation?
Most definitely not. Better energy, just like any other commodity, costs more than lower quality energy. The extra amount we pay for wind power goes directly to the wind farms to help ensure that wind energy can be competitive in today’s market and to encourage development for the future

Don’t wind turbines kill a lot of birds?
Once in a while, a bird hits a wind turbine – but new technology allows for longer blades that turn more slowly and there is now more sensitivity to placing turbines outside migratory paths. The Audubon society estimates that 25,000 birds were killed by wind turbines last year, as compared to over 800 million birds killed by collisions with other man-made items like windows, wind shields, buildings and power lines. More birds are killed each year by cats than by wind turbines.

What happens when the wind is not blowing?
Since our electricity is taken from a pool of energy that comes from lots of different sources, when the wind is not blowing, other sources of electricity are used. Most people agree that having a diversified power portfolio is a good thing – we’d just like to see a higher percentage coming from renewable sources.

Is there enough wind power potential for it to be a realistic source of electricity?
Yes! There is enough wind energy potential in North Dakota, Kansas and Texas alone to produce enough electricity for the entire US!

Why Renewable Energy Sources?
From an increase of jobs for local communities to a decrease in smog over big cities, there are countless reasons to support renewable energy.

Protect Natural Resources
It is our responsibility to ensure that we pass on a world in which our children and future generations have air to breathe, water to drink and earth to sow. Over the past century, the increased burning of fossil fuels has threatened the well being of our planet, its resources and biodiversity. By the time your children are raising a family of their own, it is likely that the world’s supply of oil will be depleted.

Lessen Environmental Impact
Did you know that on average it took 900 years for the earth to form the fossil fuels needed to power an American home for one day!? And burning the fossil fuels to create the electricity that supplied your home for one day with this power creates 30 pounds of carbon dioxide, which causes global warming.

Purchasing renewable energy certificates provides a simple option for lessening environmental footprint. Generating renewable energy from sources like wind, geothermal and solar produces zero emissions. With 2/3 of air pollution being attributed to conventional electricity production, isn’t it time to demand renewables?

Stimulate Economic Growth
According to the New York State Energy Office, wind energy systems create 25-70% more jobs than conventional power plants producing the same amount of electricity. Purchasing renewable energy certificates, supports the construction of new wind farms, which will help revitalize rural communities. The best part is, increased development of renewables means communities will have more control over their energy supply. We will decrease our dependence on large fossil-fuel corporations with long histories of environmental degradation.

The movement for renewable energy needs pioneers, like you, to prove that this nation demands clean, safe energy. Although renewable energy is becoming increasingly affordable, expansion and growth of wind farms, and other renewable energy facilities requires investment. A comparison of wind and oil prices over the past twenty years exemplifies that economically and environmentally renewable energies are the way of the future.

Support Domestic Energy
Supporting the growth of renewable energy increases America’s energy independence. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory states that currently over half of the oil used in the United States is supplied from sources overseas. At current projections, by 2010, Americans will be importing 75% of our oil supply. Renewable resources are the first step to breaking this dependence and moving towards a hydrogen economy. As the diversity of our energy supply increases, so does our independence and security as a nation.

"Commitments to purchase wind power help ensure that we are diversifying our energy portfolio. Energy diversity is important for America's energy security."
- U.S. Energy Secretary
Spencer Abraham

Improve Health and Safety
Supporting the growth of renewable energy resources in the United States will increase the quality of America’s health. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, fossil fuels currently account for 85 percent of US energy needs. Burning of these materials produces nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, hydrocarbons, smoke and other particulate matter. Air pollutants, such as these, are known irritators of the human respiratory system. Each year, Americans develop cases of asthma, pneumonia and bronchitis that can be attributed to poor air quality. The health costs of human exposure to outdoor air pollutants range from $40 to $50 billion. (National Center for Environmental Health) Renewable energy resources are a clean, dependable alternative to fossil fuels and related health risks.

source: http://www.renewablechoice.com/m/why.html

Click here to read a great article from Whole Food's CEO, John Mackey. Whole Foods Market, based in Austin, Texas recently made the largest ever purchase of Wind Energy Credits in the United States. Click here to read the press release.

Thank you for supporting a green business.

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