Beaverton - Mayor: Mayor Reports: July-August 2007 (Archived)

Green Power Challenge!

Recently, I reported to you about the City’s actions in support of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and our local efforts to combat global warming. As we begin to actually implement the commitments we made in the Climate Protection Agreement, I am pleased to report we have partnered with our electricity provider, Portland General Electric (PGE), to utilize 100% Clean Wind power for all of our City facilities!

Along with the City becoming a Green Power user and environmental steward, we are encouraging our citizens to join us in our efforts by taking the Green Power Challenge and buying green power from PGE for your home and business use. Between now and September 15, the City and PGE are challenging Beaverton citizens to join the community-wide challenge to increase our resident’s and business’s reliance on clean renewable energy! The goal is to generate 250 new green power enrollments in PGE’s programs. The 90-day Green Power Challenge will officially end in time for Beaverton’s Celebration Parade (Saturday, September 15 at 10:00 a.m.), which is the parade’s 50th anniversary. The City and PGE will also host a celebration for the finish of the Green Power Challenge that same day.

PGE offers two green power products as part of its Renewable Power Options program. The first is Green Source for residential and small-medium businesses who buy 100% new renewable power equal to 100% of their consumption from wind, geothermal and biomass generation. The second source is Clean Wind for residence and small business customers who agree to pay a set fee for a fixed amount of new wind power each month. Medium and large businesses can buy varying amounts of Clean Wind, up to 100% of their needs. The wind power comes from wind farms in Oregon and Washington and helps build new renewable resources in Oregon. In addition, all PGE’s residential and small business renewable power customers have the option of improving salmon and steelhead habitat in Oregon by supplementing their renewable choice with Habitat Support, a contribution that goes directly to a program administered by The Nature Conservancy of Oregon.

Beaverton residents and small business customers who want to participate in the challenge and buy renewable power from PGE can enroll by visiting www.PortlandGeneral. com/Renewable/Beaverton or by calling (503) 228-6322. In addition, we will be promoting the challenge through various grassroots marketing and sales efforts and events, including the four City of Beaverton Picnics in the Park this summer.

PGE is to be commended for its national leadership in renewable power, dating back to the 1990s when the company agreed to purchase the entire output of Oregon’s first major wind farm (Vansycle Ridge). By the end of the year, PGE will complete phase one of the largest wind farm in the nation, the 25,000 acre Biglow Canyon wind farm, also in eastern Oregon. The company was named the 2006 Green Power Program of the year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE). According to the latest national figures, PGE sold more renewable power to residential customers than any other utility in the United States in 2006. There are currently more than 54,000 PGE customers participating in PGE’s Renewable Options program.

Join your city in thinking globally and acting locally by joining the Green Power Challenge!

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