Pittsburgher to Ring in the New Year by Fighting Global Warming

Pittsburgher to Ring in the New Year by Fighting Global Warming;

Future of Pittsburgh Run on Clean Energy Sponsored by Sustainable Pittsburgh, PennFuture

Pittsburghers were fighting global warming while celebrating the New Year, thanks to clean energy sponsored by Sustainable Pittsburgh and Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture). When the giant ball named The Future of Pittsburgh, was raised above the crowd as the clock struck 12 on New Year’s Eve, the energy used to power and light it came from clean renewable energy, with no contribution to global warming.

“The future of Pittsburgh is green in more ways than one,” said Court Gould, executive director of Sustainable Pittsburgh. “The ball itself was constructed out of green and recycled materials, symbolizing Pittsburgh's rising leadership in environmentally-friendly initiatives. The ball was powered by green energy, made in Pennsylvania from a poop-to-power methane digester on a farm. And of course, Pittsburgh itself is in the leadership of green technology.”

“Global warming is a worldwide crisis, but we have to fight it here at home,” said Jeanne K. Clark, director of communications for PennFuture. “Pennsylvania contributes more pollution that causes global warming than 105 countries combined – and nearly all of it is made by energy use. The New Year gives us a great opportunity to take the first step toward energy independence. Whether you are like nearly every Pittsburgher who starts a new diet with the New Year, let’s all pledge to go on an energy diet, using energy more wisely and replacing dirty, coal-fired power with clean, non-polluting renewable energy.”

The Future of Pittsburgh ball, 6^{1/_{2
feet in diameter and festooned with 48 surface strobe lights, 72 internal
halogen bulbs and 1,100 light emitting diodes, requires more than 6,000 watts to
illuminate. Sustainable Pittsburgh and PennFuture purchased
renewable energy credits through NativeEnergy to substitute for the coal-fired
electricity most often used in this area. By purchasing these credits, all of
the greenhouse gases associated with the energy used to light and raise the Future
of Pittsburgh ball have been offset. These credits help to fund
waste-to-energy digesters right here on Pennsylvania family dairy farms, and
they reduce methane gas and generate clean renewable energy.}}

Buying renewable energy credits is standard method for organizations and individuals to make their activities climate neutral, which means that an organization, corporation, governmental entity, household or even rock band commits itself to balancing the CO2 (carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas) it releases –through energy use like driving, flying, heating, lighting, shipping, etc., – by reducing energy use, by replacing the energy used with new clean renewable energy and by adopting carbon dioxide absorbing actions such as forest planting.

All of Sustainable Pittsburgh’s conferences are climate neutral, as is the organization’s office. PennFuture became totally climate neutral in all activities in early spring, and has had its own solar power plant on the roof of its Harrisburg office since 2003.

Individuals and organizations can join the fight to stop global warming by changing what kind of energy they by and how they use it. One resource for help is www.cleanyourair.org.