Green Energy Buying Club

Join the Green Energy Buying Club

Promote Clean, Renewable Energy

The Green Energy Buying Club is an opportunity to buy 100% wind power for your electricity.

In New York State, you can now purchase electricity from sources other than the utility company that delivers electricity to your residence or business. The Green Energy Buying Club will work with wind power generators to support their effort to build more wind generators. When you sign up, you agree to pay a few extra cents - 2.25 cents - for each kwh of electricity you use each month. Your purchase enables energy from NEW WIND SOURCES to be added to the electrical grid in New York State. The more people we sign up, the higher the percentage of wind power we will use to meet our electrical needs in New York.

Will I notice any difference in my electrical service?

No. Your existing utility will still be the one that provides service to your residence. They will still be the ones that will come out and repair downed power lines and other such services. The electricity you receive will be no different from what your neighbors will receive. What you will be doing is paying a little extra on your bill in order to develop more wind power in New York.

How much is this going to cost me?

The average household uses about 600 kwh a month, meaning that you will pay an extra $12 to $15 a month to support wind power. Smaller households and tenants tend to use less; check your utility bill to find out how much you use. The minimum purchase is two 100kWh blocks/month ($4.50)

Isn=t My Utility Company Offering Similar Services for ARenewable Energy?@

Some utility companies (e.g., Niagara Mohawk and NYSEG) are starting to offer this service as part of Aenergy deregulation@ and all utilities will eventually offer it.

The main difference with the Green Energy Buying Club is that we want to promote the development of new renewable energy sources, so that more new wind generators, solar units, etc. are added to the electric grid. Some of these companies are selling electricity from Anongreen sources@ such as garbage incineration. Others do offer true clean, renewable energy but sometimes buy from existing power sources, such as existing hydroelectric systems, in order to reduce the cost of the green energy package. We want to help increase the amount of clean, renewable energy being generated so that we can reduce the amount being produced from nuclear power, coal, oil and fossil fuel plants.

You can participate in the Green Energy Buying Club even if your utility does not presently offer this service directly to other residential customers.

Are there any advantages to joining with the Green Energy Buying Club rather than dealing with a good company directly?

The Green Energy Buying Club is planning to recruit 600 new customers, which would allow us to receive some discounts in pricing that we can pass on to our members. You also have the advantage that we will monitor the performance of the companies we deal with to ensure their environmental and labor practices meet the highest standards. We will also alert you to other ways you can promote clean energy, such as buying solar units, energy conservation; keep you informed of when we need letters to state and federal officials to help promote clean, renewable energy; and to keep you informed on conferences and workshops we will organize on energy and other environmental issues.

600 customers would support the creation of one new large scale wind generator.

We also hope to recruit colleges, hospitals, nonprofits, governments, and other large institutions to join with us to build clean energy.

Who is the Green Energy Buying Club?

We are individuals who are involvement in the green movement, which is committed to the principles of ecology, grassroots democracy, nonviolence, and justice. We are a project of the Green Education and Legal Fund, Inc., which is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) charitable and education organization. We are nonpartisan.

Whom is the Green Energy Buying Club obtaining its energy from?

We have entered into a relationship with Community Energy Inc. (CEI), which is a for-profit company that is selling wind power in New York and other northeastern states. You can learn more about them at www.NewWindEnergy.com CEI is working with the Fenner Wind Mill Farm in Madison County, just east of Syracuse.

Why should I support clean, renewable wind energy?

Conventional electricity generation is a leading contributor to smog, global warming, acid rain and unhealthy air quality. These plants are a major factor in the increasing rate of asthma, especially among children. Emissions from fossil fuel plants result in thousands of deaths from respiratory disease and other illness. We are also rapidly running out of fossil fuels. Nuclear power plants pose enormous environmental and safety concerns, including the need to store its radioactive wastes for tens of thousands of years and are especially vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

Wind energy creates jobs and revenue for rural communities. Wind is already almost cost competitive with other energy sources and would probably be among the cheapest if it received the same level of government subsidies that coal, oil and nuclear energy currently receive from the government.

For More Information:

contact Mark Dunlea, 518 286-3411, Dunleamark@aol.com, 1556 Big Toad Way, Poestenkill NY 12140