Super Eco

Photo credit: Claude Monet, Wikimedia commons

Back in the early 1900s, Claude Monet painted a series of pictures of his impressions of London. At that time London was a smokier place than it is today because people burned coal for heat, lots of coal! The sky was generally dark with pollution, and Monet recorded that in his paintings. I think he  had soot in his eyes.

About half of all the electrical generation in the US comes from coal fired plants. The EPA can tell you how clean your energy is (or isn't!) Enter your zip code and you'll get immediate feedback about the fuel that's used to generate your electricity. They can also give you a pretty accurate estimate of the carbon impact of your use. When I saw the data I was all, "So what does this mean?" I mean, I wasn't totally confounded, but my power company burns coal. I kinda knew that already. But now what can I do about it?

I could picket the electric company offices, I suppose—carry a sign that says "These people burn coal." I'm not sure anyone would get the message. More constructively, I can take a look at my carbon footprint, and make an effort to be more energy efficient. And—heads up, this was a new idea for me, maybe for you too—I can buy green power. The EPA's green power locator showed me a wind power alternative available here and now from my electric company. For about $100 per year, I can offset my share of the coal fired power plant's emissions by using clean power. For a few bucks extra each month I'll get clean, renewable electricity.

If I pay a small premium to buy green power now, and if I make that effort to become a little more energy efficient, more alternative energy generators will be installed, and less coal will be burned. At this point I can say I've wiped some of the soot out of my own eyes.