Astoria Suffers

When I brought to my father's attention that he could switch his home's power supply from the coal plant a couple of avenues over to a windmill farm upstate, his response, to put it best, was indifferent.

"So?"

"So," I tried to explain, "windmill energy is more environmentally friendly."

He looked at me, turned to the basketball game flickering on the TV and turned back.

"What if the wind stops blowing?" he asked.

"All wind power is backed up with coal power. But the coal power only turns on if and when the windmills don't have enough power."

"Oh," he murmered. "You know," he added, "if more people signed up for wind power won't there be less pollution from the power plant?"

"Actually yes." Sometimes I forget the obvious.

"And doesn't," my father asks, "the pollution lead to asthma."

It does. He knows this.

"So," my father concludes, "the more people sign up for wind power, the less pollution, and then the less asthma."

Yes. Yes. Yes.

"OK, sign us up." And with that he turned back to the game. I logged on to the Green Solutions website, filled out the forms, and just like that, our house's power is coming from a windmill in upstate New York. And like that, I breathed a little easier.

FAQ

What is The Green Apple Project?

We are a volunteer organization dedicated to supplying New York's energy needs through renewable resources.

So you're a power company?

Actually, no, we don't make any energy. We just help people change their electricity supply from coal-based power plants to upstate wind and water sources.

And how do you do that?

We just show them how to click a few buttons on their computer. Anyone can do it.

What do you mean on their computer? How can one convert their energy supply to renewable just be clicking a few buttons?

Turns out that ConEd has a program called, of all things, ConEd Solutions. Because of deregulation laws, your house is already hooked up to a system that gives you the option of receiving your home's energy from windmills. Click here to do so.

If it's so easy why doesn't everyone do it?

That's what we're wondering!

No, seriously, why not?

No, seriously. You tell me.

Maybe it's because people are afraid that if the wind stops blowing, the windmills won't produce any electricity and their houses will go dark.

Well, it's the law that all energy supplied by windmills must be backed up by more traditional power plants. But considering that wind is the product of the sun heating the atmosphere, I don't see any shortage of wind anytime soon.

But what if the sun stops heating the atmosphere?

If the sun stops heating the atmosphere we're going to have a lot more to worry about than
windmills.

Like what?

Like a lot things.

How much money do you get whenever someone switches?

$o.oo/customer.

That's not a lot of money.

That's not any money whatsoever.

Then why do you guys do it?

Because windmills are our friends. Also, solar panels. Sometimes, water dams.

What else besides windmills can New Yorkers look forward to?

There are exploratory projects in place to see if we can harness the East River's current as a source of energy. Since the East River is not actually a river, but rather a continental tide, this could be really promising.

No, seriously, you guys don't get anything out of people switching to renewable.

We do not. That's why we're volunteers. Also, that's why we only "volunteer" on the weekends.

What do you do on the weekdays?

We work for the man.

How's that working out for you?

It's working.

I see.

Thanks.

If I were to switch my home to renewable energy, what would I get, besides the warm satisfaction of being a responsible citizen?

$25.00. Well, a $25 rebate. Also, no more taxes! (Well, no more sales tax on the delivery portion of your utility bill.)

That's not bad.

Not bad at all.

Anything else people should know?

Nope. Just make sure to grab your energy bill, log-on to ConEd Solutions, and switch to windmill power: http://www.conedsolutions.com/gp/default.asp The page to switch to residential green energy is here: https://www.conedsolutions.com/ces_enroll/?product=green

The First Post Ever

Go Green Apple!