Thursday, July 15, 2010

Saving Energy and Money in NC

North Carolina is developing a plan—to reduce energy consumption and save money for our citizens. State Representatives Blue, Tolson, Glazier, and Harrison are the primary sponsors for House Bill 1050, designed to create an independent energy efficiency program.

The Bill is to establish a comprehensive, statewide program, NC SAVE$ ENERGY. This program will lower energy consumption, save energy costs, reduce pollution, and create thousands of 'green-collar' jobs for the State.

The plan to combine weatherization, incentives, and job training will provide healthier, more affordable homes for our citizens. Those thousands of jobs created are the kind that will continue to thrive after they are established. They will include home energy auditors, installers, and materials manufacturing jobs.

Jennie Renner-Yeomans, Harry Taylor, and Kelly Picarsic listen to discussion on the statewide plan at an informational meeting in Charlotte (in photo above).

Charlotte-area environmental group leaders talked about ways to let citizens know more about the benefits of NC SAVE$ ENERGY. As the program reduces home energy costs, it will help consumers decrease their housing expenses.

The bill provides for residents above the poverty line to fund the program for the first year, at two dollars per month for each household. That's about the cost of buying light bulbs, but with far greater results. It will also provide a public benefit fund to receive and use State and Federal grants to improve energy efficiency. Households would be assisted by weatherization of their homes—providing better living conditions, saving money, and saving wasted energy.

Contact your local State Representative and let them know you want them to support House Bill 1050. You can join the voices on NCSavesEnergy.org, or Facebook page. Let them know you want to lower energy bills, reduce the environmental cost of energy production, and create new green jobs for North Carolina.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Plant a tree for free!

You can plant a tree in a North or South Carolina State Park, if you vote for your state with a click.

Odwalla, a juice and snack company, has dedicated $200,000 in trees for this Plant a Tree campaign. You can cast a vote for your favorite state; each vote counts for a dollar to be used to plant a tree in one of the state's parks. At the Plant a Tree site, it is easy to choose your state, plant a tree, and check out information provided by your state's Park System. Afterward, watch the thank-you video. (I like the Barry White voice impersonator on NC's site.)

You need a different email address for each vote. So tell your neighbors, tell your friends - or find Odwalla on Facebook and learn how to start a virtual microforest!