Garden State of Mind
Image by Rootsweb.com/USGenWeb
Best. Gristmill. Post. Ever.
From Adam Browning:
Like most people, I enjoy mocking New Jersey as a toxic miasmatic wasteland. Yesterday, New Jersey responded by serving me a double portion of shut-the-hell-up. By a 4-0 vote, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved one of the most robust renewable-energy standards in the country. By 2020, 20 percent of the electricity the state’s utilities sell must come from renewable resources. And there’s more: 2 percent must come from solar, making New Jersey, on a solar-per-capita basis, the nation’s solar leader. Take that, you California hippies.
I may have moved to Jersey City only because it was cheaper to commute to Manhattan than actually live in Manhattan or any of the other boroughs, but ungauche as it is, I’ve begun to think the Boss’s turf as home. Which is why, in addition to buying monthly green tags to offset our carbon emissions, my diminutive household is part of the New Jersey CleanPower Choice Program, which enables us to support the development of clean, renewable energy that gets channeled back into the Mid Atlantic power grid. (The more people who take part in the program, the greater the proportion of clean energy gets pumped into the energy mix.) And all it involves is an extra charge of $6 to $10 that appears as a separate line on your monthly electric bill from your current utility.
Other hurrah-worthy news: On Monday, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (we gots Jimmy Hoffa!) announced plans to build a 5-megawatt solar energy array, according to them “larger than any system currently existing in North America,” on its properties. (I’d like to think that my … ahem… empassioned form-email plea made some difference. I’ll try not to let it go to my head.)
To learn more about buying clean energy in your area, check out the National Resources Defense Council’s consumer’s guide.
Now to give my mayor another prodding over the phone about signing up for the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement so we can give global warming a good walloping.
Cara said,
April 14, 2006 at 5:24 pm
NEW JERSEY ROCKS! I never thought I would, but I’ve lived here for fifteen years already and I’m not moving anytime soon. Besides, puts me one step closer to Bruce. ;-)
Liz said,
April 15, 2006 at 11:15 am
Who woulda thunk that NJ would green up so much AFTER I moved away? Gave the state 30 years of my life and this is how it repays me?
Hmmm….maybe I should move back? ;)
The Worsted Witch » It’s Getting Hot in Here said,
May 2, 2006 at 3:20 pm
[...] 5. Opt for clean, renewable energy if offered in your area. [...]