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 It seems these days everyone is talking about global climate change – and it’s not just Al Gore! Newsweek, Time Magazine, Vanity Fair, Outdoor Magazine and a host of other leading national publications all featured cover stories on climate change over the past month. It’s incredibly exciting to see that the message is finally getting through that everyone must do something to protect our environment.
One benefit to all of the media exposure is that it is helping to break through the inertia that has been holding back the clean energy market for too long. As our consumer market research has shown us, the four main barriers the consumer faces when considering the purchase of clean energy are (1) reliability – will it actually keep the lights on? (2) Availability – where can I actually sign up for clean energy? (3) Cost – does signing up for clean energy mean I have to “buy in” to an entire lifestyle? And (4) inertia – quite frankly, it’s easier to do nothing!
But thanks to Al Gore, the flurry of media coverage, and a convergence of issues both global and national, we are seeing the fourth barrier being slowly chipped away.
While this certainly helps our cause, it makes our efforts to break through the first three barriers all the more important. The “climate” for marketing clean energy has never been better, and thus the onus is upon us to break through those first three barriers and create a robust market for clean energy.
And breaking down these barriers is what we’ve been doing! As you’ll read in this issue of the Clean Energy Current, we’ve been<br /> undertaking a flood of activity to convince people that clean energy is available for them to use right now!‘. From our new partnership with the National Theater for Children to our on going and dramatically successful 20% by 2010 Campaign, we are taking huge strides in bringing clean energy to the regular consumer.
Let’s keep the momentum moving! Log on to www.smartpower.org to learn how you can sign up for clean energy for your home, your community and your business.
And remember, clean energy is real. It’s here. And it’s working!
Brian F. Keane |
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Clean Energy Gone Wild!
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Powered Swinsuit, photo from Treehugger.com |
Who says buying Clean Energy means living with less? The one-piece swimsuit is fully equipped with solar panels on the front, as modeled here by Spanish swimming champ Gemma Mengual. These panels will capture enough energy to charge up an iPod or cell phone during a summer beach stroll for maximum convenience and entertainment. This suit was featured at an underwear fashion show in Valencia and will be produced commercially and available in shops soon. Just double check those electrical wires before you go swimming.
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SmartPower’s Pennsylvania State Director, Molly Tsongas, has just completed a training session on climate change offered by Vice President Al Gore. This training was offered in Nashville, Tennessee, and is based on the slide presentation from the Oscar-winning movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” A team of climate change scientists, educators and the former Vice President provided this training, under the auspices of an organization called “The Climate Project.”
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Former Vice President Al Gore delivering “An Inconvenient Truth” lecture.
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Over 1,000 “Climate Change Messengers” came to Nashville for this intensive training and Molly was in the most recent class, which numbered 175 people. They came from different walks of life – a professional football player, a former Miss America, teachers, scientists, and a clean energy proponent like Molly – but they all left with the same profound sense of mission and purpose.
“This was one of the most emotional and powerful experiences of my life,” said Molly. “Tremendous responsibility comes with the power of the training that I have received. We must reverse the life-threatening impacts of global warming and we must do it quickly. The catalyst for my taking this training was that I wanted to be able to offer this climate change expertise to complement the clean energy education that SmartPower provides to municipalities committed to the Pennsylvania Clean Energy Communities Campaign. Global Warming is the problem, but using clean energy is a real part of the solution,” Tsongas concluded.
Brain F. Keane, SmartPower’s President said, “We are proud of Molly’s accomplishments and pleased that this training is now part of what she can offer to the cities, townships, and boroughs of Pennsylvania who want to learn about clean energy. This training is another important item in SmartPower’s ever-growing toolkit of advice and assistance that we offer to communities all across this nation.” |
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to learn how to sign up in your state. |
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 In the fall of 2006, SmartPower partnered with YouTube in an effort to challenge the online YouTube community to create the “next great clean energy ad.” SmartPower correctly believed that some of the talent and creativity on display on YouTube could match the PR and advertising genius that has created previous award winning ads for SmartPower. We believed that a clean energy buzz would be created and clean energy would become a visible piece of YouTube.
Now, 9 months later, the promise of the YouTube community to meet our $10,000 challenge has been realized. Additionally, the hope we had that a clean energy buzz would be realized by the SmartPower-YouTube Clean Energy Challenge also met our expectations, as the SmartPower page on YouTube has become one of the featured “communities” of YouTube. Simply put, together with YouTube, we demonstrated that marketing clean energy can and does have a significant impact.
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SmartPower-YouTube Challenge web page on the YouTube website. |
As promised, SmartPower closed the ad challenge on Earth Day and we are now beginning the process of selecting the ad that will earn the creator $10,000. We anticipate that the chosen add will also become a part of the arsenal of ads that SmartPower has at its disposal when considering marketing tools in different markets across the country.
Our YouTube page boasts videos that range from those featuring the public messaging power of Times Square to powerful illustrations of the importance of working with future generations on understanding clean energy. Other videos use simple images to demonstrate that clean energy sources are a part of today’s electricity grid while others talk about the needed ‘clean energy revolution.’ The creativity has been remarkable and it only got better as the ‘buzz’ surrounding clean energy accelerated.
Although the contest is closed and the evaluations have only just begun, the clean energy message on YouTube and elsewhere continues. As we lead into our announcement of a winner, we encourage everyone to visit the SmartPower/YouTube site and provide your own feedback on which ads you like best. You can utilize the standard YouTube 1 to 5 star rating system to help us determine your favorite advertisements on the SmartPower-YouTube Clean Energy Challenge.
In the meantime, SmartPower looks forward to Friday, May 25th when our winner will be announced! |
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As more and more Pennsylvanians turn to clean energy, it is powering not just breakfast, but also lunch and dinner.
The Pennsylvania Clean Energy Communities Campaign is heating up faster than you can say ‘global warming’! Since April 24th, six more communities have committed to purchasing 20% clean energy by 2010 and getting 7% of their community to sign up for clean energy! On May 1, 2007, the campaign was proud to announce that the 20th municipality committed to clean energy, reaching a landmark goal in Pennsylvania. This campaign will now focus on assisting these communities with marketing clean energy to their local residents and businesses so that they will qualify as official Clean Energy Communities. These qualified municipalities will receive a FREE 1kW solar energy system from the Pennsylvania Sustainable Development Fund and SmartPower as a symbol of their leadership. With global warming, energy efficiency, and clean power at the forefront of news today, local communities are aggressively looking for ways to begin using clean energy. SmartPower is looking forward to its first solar ribbon cutting in Pennsylvania!
John Butler, Marple Township Commissioner stated, “Marple is happy to be one of the 20 towns in our region that have made the commitment to purchase 20% of our energy from clean renewable energy being generated in PA. It is important that government set the example so we can generate more of our energy needs locally and reduce imported oil.”
An example of the energy and enthusiasm this program has generated in the PECO territory of Southeast Pennsylvania was the Watts for Breakfast brunch on March 24th, local officials and community members flocked to learn more about clean energy and hear what their neighboring communities are doing to get out the word that clean energy is real, it’s here and it’s working!
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Roger Clark, Sustainable Development Fund’s Manager for Technology and Policy speaking at the Watts for Breakfast brunch. |
At this event, community members shared examples of their accomplishments and community outreach efforts. Commissioner Jules Mermelstein inspired the audience with his story about Upper Dublin Township’s decision to purchase 100% clean energy. Students from Swarthmore College also spoke about how they formed the student group “WE CAN” and canvassed door-to-door to help Swarthmore Borough get its 200 new customers.
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Dave and Bill Mettler of Quiet Riot. |
To help the audience become more familiar with their clean energy options in Pennsylvania, representatives from Community Energy, NativeEnergy, and the Energy Cooperative introduced their companies and answered questions regarding their resources and products. Finally, the local performance group “Quiet Riot” regaled the crowd with storytelling and sound effects to create a vision of the world powered by clean energy. Altogether, Watts for Breakfast was an exciting event that helped to inform, engage, and inspire communities towards reaching their goal of becoming Clean Energy Communities!
“Thanks to the hard work of SmartPower, the Pennsylvania Clean Energy Communities Campaign is doing much to build awareness and support for clean energy in southeastern Pennsylvania,” said Roger Clark, manager for technology and policy at the Sustainable Development Fund. “SmartPower is doing a great job growing the demand for clean energy in southeastern Pennsylvania by helping local municipalities and their residents sign up to purchase clean energy and by working cooperatively with the clean energy marketers.”
Recognizing Pennsylvania’s unhealthy dependence on fossil fuels, municipalities are taking the lead to help turn Pennsylvania into a model clean energy state that promotes healthier communities, energy independence, and a solution to the global climate crisis. |
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During much of April and May, SmartPower is proudly sponsoring the National Theatre for Children (NTC) to perform a live theatrical production focusing on clean, renewable energy. This exciting new program is being offered to over 60 schools with over 130 showings throughout Connecticut at no cost to the schools.
The program, featuring Aberdeen Jean, Boomerang Jack and the Great Waster, is designed for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The theatrical performance is a fun and stimulating way to educate young people about clean energy. We are confident that these students will in turn become ‘young educators’ by talking to their parents about clean energy and how they can do their part by signing up their home to support clean energy.
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Some of the nearly 200 students who attended one of the performances of 'Boomerang Jack and Unseen Green Machine' at the Metacomet Elementary School in Bloomfield. |
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The speakers at the press conference at the Metacomet Elementary School in Bloomfield included State Representative Faith McMahon, Jonathan Edwards of SmartPower, members of the Bloomfield Clean Energy Task Force and a Teacher from the Metacomet Elementary School. |
Last week, SmartPower and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund attended the kickoff performances at Davenport Ridge Elementary School in Stamford and Metacomet Elementary School in Bloomfield. An example of the community spirit being realized by these performances was when Stamford Mayor, Dannel Malloy attended the Stamford event and expressed his enthusiasm for the performance and reaffirmed the city’s commitment to reach the 20% by 2010 clean energy goal.
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, The National Theatre for Children specializes in writing and performing educational programs for children nationwide using simple sets and audience participation. In addition to the performance, grade appropriate workbooks and teacher guides are also provided to reinforce students’ learning. SmartPower is thrilled to be partnering with NTC and we are certain that students experiencing this unique type of performance will retain the valuable lessons and educational messages as well as enjoy the lively entertainment.
This spirit has continued with leaders in the classroom as glowing reviews of the NTC performance have received so far, including the following comments:
- “This program is fabulous! The students and staff, as well, greatly enjoyed the play. It was a wonderful learning experience for all the students grades K-5. Both actors were amazing. They knew just how to keep the kids attention and teach them the 4 key ideas about energy. The time frame and information presented was perfect. As a whole school we enjoyed the presentation and would love to have them come back again!”
- Ms. Russell from Southwest Elementary School, Torrington, CT.
- “My class was so excited to discuss the material presented. The students were discussing how they could be smarter with our environment. Our new motto is 'Why waste?' We are all going to do our part in helping our environment by promoting the use of clean energy!”
- Ms. Leibert from Metacomet Elementary School, Bloomfield, CT.
The pinnacle of the spirit is reached as students throughout the NTC performance are called on to proclaim, “Clean Energy. Let’s make more!
The work of the National Theatre for Children in Connecticut is just one example of the SmartPower marketing toolkit currently in place to build public awareness for the bill inserts that are currently being sent to most households across Connecticut.
In the months of both April and May Connecticut residents who are customers of Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) or United Illuminating (UI) will be receiving in their electric bills the most recent bill insert giving customers the opportunity to sign up for and support clean energy through the CTCleanEnergyOptionssm program.
This year’s bill insert was simplified to help customers more easily understand each provider’s clean energy product. Sterling Planet’s content is composed of 33% National Wind, 33% New England Small Hydro and 34% Mid-Atlantic Landfill Gas. Community Energy’s content is composed of 50% Mid-Atlantic Wind and 50% Mid-Atlantic Low-impact Hydro. There is little doubt that this bill insert is an easy and accessible way to sign up for this very popular program and supporters of clean energy should not let this opportunity pass them by. To date, approximately 12,000 of your friends and neighbors in Connecticut have signed up for this program, with many of them using this utility bill insert as their method for taking action.
Again, please be sure to pay attention to the bill inserts in your April and May electricity bill and sign up for CTCleanEnergyOptions. If you have questions on this insert or the clean energy options program, please do not hesitate to contact SmartPower at (860) 249-7040. If you miss the insert in your April or May electric bill, please visit us at www.gocleanenergy.com to sign up.
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| "What the Presidential Candidates are Saying about Clean Energy in NH." |
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Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR): “America needs to become more energy self-sufficient. We have to explore all types of energy options such as wind, solar, hydro, biomass, ethanol and, as Europe is doing, look at small nuclear” – “Conversations with a Candidate,” at WMUR TV Studios, 3/14/07. |
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Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS): “I am from Kansas, a corn-growing state. Wouldn’t you rather be dependent on the Mid-West rather than the Middle East for your energy? I support using renewable energy in the US. But I also want to use our reserves of oil, and to drill in a very limited area in ANWR in Alaska, not more than 15 square miles. We also need to at least consider nuclear power, “ – Conversations with a Candidate” at WMUR-TV Studios, 3/19/07. |
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Senator John McCain (R-AZ): “Global Warming is a huge problem and we must do something about it now. We need to become more energy self-sufficient and that means more fuel-efficient cars and conserving electricity. It may also mean we have to drill for more domestic oil, look at nuclear power, as well as exploring all types of renewable options such as wind, solar, biomass and ethanol, “ – WMUR TV Studios, 3/26/07 |
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Former Senator Mike Gravel – (D-AK): “I want to cap Carbon Emissions as a means to end Global Warming. I want to employ a WPA-like national program to wean the US off of our dependence on fossil fuels,” – “Conversations with a Candidate,” – WMUR TV Studios, Manchester, 4/2/07. |
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Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH): “I am a true environmentalist. In 2003, I put forth a national plan for the United States to use 20% Clean Energy by the year 2010. I strongly support any and all genuine and truly renewable non-polluting forms of energy,” – “Conversations with a Candidate,” – WMUR TV Studios, Manchester, 4/4/07. |
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Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT): “I am one of the only major candidates who has the courage to call for a carbon tax. I want this money to go into a fund to support renewable energy and cleaning the environment. Let the polluters pay. We absolutely need to expand our renewable capabilities and usage. I do not support nuclear options and want to encourage wind, water, solar and biofuels expansion,” – “Kitchen Table Discussion” – Nashua, NH 4/20/07. |
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