Resident asks public to consider a clean energy supplier

I am writing because I would like to offer your readers information that will allow them to act in a way that would enable them to be part of the solution for a better environment.

Today, much of our electricity comes from power plants that spew toxic gases into our air, harming our health and the health of our environment.

Much of the acid rain that is destroying our lakes and forests are a byproduct of those power plants using coal to produce much of the electricity that many people rely on. There is however a choice.

There actually has been a choice now for several years in New Jersey when it comes to purchasing electricity. You can decide to purchase electric that does not add to the destruction of our air, environment and overall quality of life.

There is a company that supplies our local electric providers with energy produced solely from renewable energy sources for each kilowatt of electricity used by its customers. The name of that company is Green Mountain Energy, and it has been in New Jersey for several years.

In 1999, its customers prevented 9,689 tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide) from entering our atmosphere. In 2000, 22,251 tons of CO2 were prevented from entering our atmosphere, and in 2001, it was projected that its customers would prevent 41,000 tons of CO2 emissions from entering our atmosphere. This has meant that our air is a little cleaner, our lakes are a little less polluted, and the destruction of our forest has slowed.

The cost of the electricity that Green Mountain Energy provides currently costs more than offered by your local utility company. The reason for this is simple. It costs more to produce clean energy.

However, as more people switch to energy produced cleanly with the use of renewable energy sources, we can all expect to pay less in the future for this electricity.

For more information on what the costs would be to switch to electricity produced from renewable sources, I am including the telephone for Green Mountain Energy: 1-800-286-5856. Green Mountain Energy is the only company operating in New Jersey that I am aware of that provides electricity produced from energy from renewable sources.

I would just like to say that the costs facing all of us with the continued use of electricity from nonrenewable sources should be too apparent.

Our air quality will continue to suffer, and our streams, lakes and forests will continue to die a slow death. This does not have to be.

You can become part of the solution for a better quality of life and a healthier environment by switching to electricity produced from renewable energy sources.

After all, what actions we take today will ultimately decide what kind of future our children inherit.

James Darrar

Jackson