How to Use 100% Renewable Energy Immediately and Save Money

I have been enlightened and it feels great! For so long I have heard the word, "Renewable Energy Credits, RECs," etc. and it sounded like a great project for me to add to my list of future 'to-do's, so add it I did. I added it right to the bottom of the list.
Most of my procrastination on RECs stemmed from the assumption that I'd probably have to pay more to jump onto this environmentally-friendly option because usually I do have to pay more for my eco-friendly addiction. I pay the premium for my eco-habit and suck it up because I believe in the ideal that supporting 'green' will change the world one consumer at a time. I buy organic food, natural & plant-based skincare, recycled products, organic bedding, solar chargers for my small electronics, etc. and it doesn't come cheap. I love my planet and am willing to pay whatever price necessary to support green companies if it will make a real difference but the reality is I'm not rich. Therefore, I have to prioritize my eco-ambitions. The RECs have been so foreign to me that they fell to a spot pretty low on my list of to-dos.
Fast forward to this weekend - I attended a Grassroots Leaders conference yesterday and met some amazing people representing fascinating organizations that are champions of the environment. The biggest gain that came out of the the conference was a new awareness of just what it means to buy Renewable Energy Credits. I can switch to 100% renewable energy by tomorrow and not only does it not cost a penny more but will actually REDUCE the money I pay for electricity beginning Day 1! I couldn't believe it. I've been kicking myself since yesterday for my ignorance. I could have had my family consuming only renewable energy from the sun or wind years ago but didn't because I didn't have the right information or knowledge about it.
Don't let this happen to you. Here is what you NEED to know: the United States has 23 deregulated energy states and the District of Columbia. You can check here to see if you live in one of them http://twurl.nl/fxkjes. A deregulated energy state means the residents are assigned a default power company but has the freedom to choose any power supplier it wishes to supply its home or business electricity. You have the freedom to choose an 100% renewable energy source! If you live in a deregulated state, your default power company typically burns coal and/or uses nuclear energy to power your electricity. In these states, you can switch the source of energy the default energy provider bills you for to solar or wind energy. For example in the state of Maryland, many residents have the power company, PEPCO. PEPCO's energy source is over 50% coal and much of the remainder is nuclear. Maryland residents can actually switch their power to 100% wind energy through CleanCurrents. All they have to do is go to CleanCurrents' website and fill out the information to switch their home. There is nothing else to do. CleanCurrents' takes over sourcing your power and coordinates with your default power company (PEPCO). You still get your electricity bill from the same power company, PEPCO, because they are the default but it shows that 100% of your power is coming from wind energy! Here's the kicker: PEPCO sells their electricity for ~12.1¢/kWh (predominantly sourced from coal & nuclear). If you buy your electricity from CleanCurrents, 100% USA wind energy, the cost is ~10.9¢/kWh! It really is that simple. You switched to clean energy, you cut the cost of the energy and there's nothing else involved. If you live in Maryland, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Connecticut this works exactly as described. Who would've known it was so easy in a deregulated energy state?
Each state has slightly different options. If you're a resident of other deregulated energy states you will need to research what is available there. To locate a renewable energy provider in your state, google the following search words: [Name of Your State] RECs provider ie. New York RECs provider. You can add the words "solar" and "wind" to your search for more options. What you especially want to look for is the cost per kWh of the renewable energy being offered. This will allow you to make an informative comparison to the current cost per kWh you are paying. Committing to purchase the solar or wind energy credits for 1 or 2 years is common so don't let this scare you.
Of course, if you live in a regulated energy state there are less options available and probably a much longer road ahead of you to get proper access to clean energy. My home state of Florida is a regulated energy state. For my friends in Florida, I would recommend each of them to contact the power company and ask what percentage of the energy portfolio is renewable solar or wind energy. Remember not all hydro-energy is clean and you would need to research your region's hydro-energy power to determine its impact on the environment. Knowing the percentage is valuable information because you want this number to be as high as possible. Whatever the answer, if the number is less than 90%, inform them that you would like to see their portfolio of energy include more renewable energy sources. Some power companies will give you an option to buy your energy source from solar or wind at a premium. Here again, if you want to pay more and have the peace of mind of knowing you did your part, then it's completely worth it. Pushing for deregulated energy in your state however, will bring the country another step closer to allowing more people to exercise their individual might to choose a cleaner future.

Don't Be Fooled by Newsweek's "Green Rankings"

Newsweek has finally decided to rank businesses, in Fortune 500-esque style, on their green-ness. They call this list the Green Rankings and they call these companies, "America's Greenest Companies." This seems to come as the right kind of scrutiny for the right kind of target. After all, how long have businesses been saying that the environment is part of the 'new' triple bottom line. It's only right that if there is a rank for how much money a company makes then there's a rank for how large an environmental impact it makes.

However, there is a serious flaw with these rankings. It creates the illusion that the companies on the list are practicing good environmental stewardship. Most of them are far from achieving these lofty goals and stilll sit in the realm of wishful thinking. This ranking system doesn't evaluate the most environmentally friendly businesses out there, it only evaulates the largest companies out there. Intel ranks in the Top 4 on this list. Intel is one of the major players in the electronics and technology industry. This industry is the source of 2.2 million tons of waste electronics each year and approximately 80% of that ends of in landfills. 70% of the heavy metals found in landfills come from electronic products. Heavy metals that include mercury, lead, cadmium, etc. and other toxins such as halogens and PVC. These toxins contribute to air, land and water pollution and at low concentrations can be fatal to humans and wildlife. Activists have been requesting the industry make design changes so that the recovery and recyclability of the toxins and wastes of electronic products can become reality. None of the large tech companies have stepped up to the plate. It seems to be far more urgent to develop a laptop that's slimmer than a cereal box than to address the accumulation of waste and toxins from their products in the environment. This list should be renamed America's Top 500 Companies That Have Considered the Negative Consequences of the Environmental Degradation They are Causing and Have Created a Plan to Combat the Damage with a disclaimer that these businesses do not represent the most green companies in the nation.The only real requirement for inclusion on this list is a bank roll to buy a spot on the list (if it ever comes to that). If your a big business you're in. If you are the most environmentally friendly business in the country but you don't have thousands of employees and billions in the bank you're out.

What about the real green businesses? Clif Bar, Earthbound Farms, Preserve, Greenerprinter --these are just a few of the many businesses whose environmental performance far exceed those on Newsweek's list. These are businesses built by real Americans, contributing to real improvement in America, standing on the real efforts of American toil. If Newsweek wanted to make real news by releasing a Green Ranking they should have ranked real green businesses. When is mainstream business and their cronies going to quit the antics and face the fact that there is no escaping the real work that would merit their inflated egos? If they want to put forth the sensational newsworthy claims that they make, they should just do the unglamourous self-sacrificing groundwork to back it up.

Organic, Fair Trade Coffee Beans

My newest quest, which I must admit I have many of these from week to week, is the one that I decided I will launch my first ever blog post with. It is my quest to locate and buy the strongest coffee beans that are also ethically and organic farmed. I must have my coffee strong; maybe due to living in Miami, Florida for many years; and if any of you know what it's like to drink Cuban coffee than you may understand me better when I say strong. Above all I am an eco-ist and I want to support the right organizations with the dollars I spend. Therefore, these next beans I purchase will ideally be ethically traded and organic. What a predicament.
We all know how wonderful Twitter is nowadays so I start there with my search. I put the call out for recommendations on said elusive beans. I get a reply from 3 "tweeps": @pulpologist, @raelinn_wine and @GreenWholesale [thanks girls!]. I also do my own little quick search and come up with some additional options. My methodology involves heading straight for the dark roast section of each roasters'/vendors' internet page. Some beans are also organized by region of origin and I don't know why but I have a predilection for African beans. I heard they were the best. Am I misinformed, crazy, maybe both? Anyway, it is the birthplace of coffee and a quite impoverished part of the world so I wouldn't mind sending some of my dollars that way and also pay respects to the historical roots of coffee (please inform me if I'm making a mistaken preference). Here are some of the suppliers I found.
I've located a bean called Organic French Roast from Allegro Coffee. Supposedly all the co-ops that Allegro works with are paid a premium for their beans. The Organic French Roast isn't really a bean from Africa. It's a blend of beans from different origins some of which are from Africa. It's dark, it's a little bit smoky--it sounds like a bean I might like. They also have a bean called Organic Espresso Sierra, also a blend of beans and with no beans of African origin. No matter, it says the beans are roasted dark, oily and the coffee has hints of chocolate, cardamon and caramel to the taste. This may work. Lastly, there's a bean called Rwanda Karaba, a single origin bean. I called the company and spoke to Dawn who explained that the beans although not certified organic could get the certification without making any changes if the farmers had the money to do so. Even though it says it is a light roast I read a review online and the taste-tester rated it to have a very full body with much acidity (translates to good for someone who likes strong coffee). That taste-tester is Ken Davids, supposedly a coffee expert and cofounder of Coffee Review. I'm easily persuaded so I'll add it to the list. Allegro has over a dozen different beans but these are the only ones that caught my attention. Well then, let's look up the ordering info. Darn it! They require a minimum 5 lb purchase for online orders. That's more coffee than I originally wanted to buy. I'm looking for about 12 oz. to 1 lb. Shipping the 5lbs to me costs about $15. I'm not entirely ruling it out but let's keep looking.
I next checked Jennifer Stone's Stone Cup, which was a recommendation from Twitter, but I didn't find any organic beans that were strong enough and there wasn't much of a selection on the dark roasts. Other groups I checked, although all great organizations fostering great causes, didn't really have a bean for my purposes for the same reasons: Grounds for Change and Yummy Coffee. I felt these were worth mentioning because they all had considerations for social responsibility.
Then I found one bean by Nectar of Life Coffee called Happy Place. Yup, this one is supposed to take you to that place. If it delivers on its promise to being full-bodied, dark and slightly smoky and chocolatey, then it just might do that. Shipping for 12 oz. is about $8.50.
From the next roaster, Intelligentsia Coffee, the Black Cat Organic Espresso caught my attention. It is described as a heavier, smokier espresso; but what they are comparing it to I don't know. I notice the price of these beans are almost double the others I have looked at. They also don't give you a shipping quote before you have to enter a bunch of personal info. The FAQ section says it will cost approximately between $5-9. Without a more technical rating of the flavor on these beans I'm not too certain I'd spend more here.
Finally, I discovered a group called Sacred Grounds. I am very intrigued by this roaster and they describe in detail the interaction they have with their small farmers under each bean. The one that seems most suitable for me, after looking through many beans and hoping one of the more exotic ones would fit the bill, turns out to be the commonplace Fair Trade French Roast. Alas, the African beans they offer are really enticing but not convincing me that they will make the strong coffee I desire. Then through some bizarre stroke of luck I stumbled upon The Arcata Eye, an exotic dark blend of organic coffee they purport to be strong. However the description is more comical than it is informative so I'm going to have to give them a call and really get the technical low-down on the flavor. After talking to Tim, who was very warm and helpful, I discovered the Arcata Eye was not going to be the right fit and if I want a strong, full-bodied coffee I had best go with the Costa Rica Double Dark or the Guatemala French Roast. Both are organic coffees according to Tim though no mention of such on the webpage. The shipping for 12 oz. is not bad at approximately $7.75 (when I say not bad I'm using the term lightly since 12oz. of Organic coffee at my local Publix costs $7.99).
So what is a girl to do? Right now I've narrowed it down to a bean from either Allegro Coffee, Happy Place, or seeing as how it's currently on sale, Costa Rica Double Dark from Sacred Grounds. The Rwanda Karaba is just tearing at my curiosity and since Whole Foods is one of the carriers of their beans I think I will stop in during my errands run today and see if I can get a small sample of a few oz. However, the best impression was left by Tim of Sacred Grounds and I have decided the Costa Rica Double Dark has best captured my vote. I'm going to cross my fingers and go with an order of a 12 oz. pack, as they sell them on their website.