THE GREEN CORNER - Janice Kurkoski

"Green" Electricity?

There has been much discussion about the proposed "woody" biomass
burning electric plants for Western Mass, and its effects on our
forests, roads, and air. This brings home a question that we should not
ignore - where does our electricity come from? National Grid uses
natural gas, nuclear, "imported power", oil, and coal - in that order
(and a tiny bit of biomass, municipal trash, and large hydro). Certainly
there is an urgent need to stop using fossil fuels, but burning our
trees without using the heat seems shamefully wasteful, and calling it
"green" adds insult to injury. I am thankful for the reminder that there
is something we can do about it - that these are not our only choices.

17 Warwick households are currently enrolled in either Greenstart or the
Wind Fund (down 2 households from last year). These households choose to
buy all or part of their electricity from renewable sources. Even the
biomass part of the "Greenstart" mix is from methane generators at
landfills, not from the kind of biomass plants that are being proposed.
The extra money that this electricity costs (avg. $7 - 12 per household
per month, or as low as $5 per month with the Wind Fund) is matched by
the MA Technology Collaborative (MTC) and put in our town's renewable
energy fund - currently at $5,648 and growing!! Perhaps a solar electric
system for the library or school is not that far away.

Pick up a flyer at the library or town hall, or call the number on your
electric bill for more info.

An even better choice is using less: choose the clothespin instead of
the dryer, unplug that old freezer or extra fridge, put those phantom
loads on a power strip and turn them off, use the shades and a small fan
instead of an air conditioner, get rid of those dinosaur incandescent
bulbs and use the good low-mercury compact fluorescents instead (the
list is in the town hall), especially in those fixtures that are on for
more than an hour a day, and don't forget to buy only appliances that
have an Energy Star rating. How can you argue with saving money and the
planet at the same time?