Students planted the trees on the campus of Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis after the annual “Passing the Shovel” ceremony, which marks the transition of the NFL’s Environmental Program from the Indianapolis Host Committee to New Orleans as they prepare for Super Bowl XLVII.   It was a great event and we were honored to be there!

To learn more about Green Mountain’s other contributions as the green power provider for Super Bowl XLVI, visit http://www.greenmountain.com/super-bowl-xlvi.

We believe in using wind, sun and water…for good.  These videos explain what that means to us.

Learn more at www.greenmountain.com/forgood

Here are just a few of the good things on my list: my son’s laughter, holding hands with my husband, weekend naps, going running at sunrise, going camping, ice cream, photographs, waking up to the smell of coffee, Thanksgiving, and traveling to faraway places – then coming back home again.

How about you – what are some of the good things in your life?

For me, I remember first celebrating Earth Day in elementary school and learning why the plastic six pack rings that held our sodas together should be cut before being thrown into the recycling bin at home. As schoolchildren, we committed to doing this because nobody was comfortable with the thought of cute ducks and marine life getting tangled in uncut six pack rings that day. I also remember Earth Day as the one special day when schoolchildren could get away with “eating dirt” by making “mud pies” out of chocolate chip cookies, pudding mix, and gummy worms. While these Earth Day memories of yesteryear are great memories, they also elicit a sense of forlorn nostalgia.

When I was little, I remember how exciting Earth Day was and how everyone truly believed in making a difference from that day forward. However, when I grew old enough to take out the recycling bin, I’m sad to admit that recycling was reduced to a chore I had to remember to get my weekly allowance. Even worse, I seemed to forget about the ducks and fish that needed to be saved from the plastic six pack rings I promised to cut as a child. Before I get too down on myself about growing up, I’ll just propose that we make every day Earth Day.

As of today, we only have one planet that we can call home. Each time you recycle and practice sustainable living habits, you’re celebrating the spirit of Earth Day. With that, let’s make every day Earth Day by making sustainable decisions daily.

For examples of some green living habits you can adopt daily, check out what some Green Mountain Energy employees are doing to make every day Earth Day.

To reduce his carbon footprint, John at our office in New York City rides his bike to work from Ft. Greene, Brooklyn into Manhattan.

Justin at our Austin office gets excited about laundry by using an Energy Star-certified washing machine that uses less energy and water than a standard washing machine.

To be a green shopper, Lizzi at our Austin office uses reusable shopping bags and encourages others to “do something drastic, say no to plastic” to help reduce waste.

Tony at our Austin office regularly takes advantage of our  composting program, to help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.  Composting also helps cut down on CO2 emissions!

To avoid “phantom energy loss” or wasteful electricity consumed by electronic devices left plugged in when not in use, Shannon at our Austin office regularly unplugs electronics when they’re not being used, or plugs them into a power strip.

Emily from our Portland office makes an effort to raise her awareness of environmental conservation every day.  From low-impact hiking, to camping and volunteering for park or forest cleanups, she’s always in a green state of mind.

For more ways to live every day like its Earth Day, browse the Green Mountain Energy Flickr photo album to see all of our employee pictures from Earth Month.

• Get your A/C Unit inspected before summer!  Dust build-up on the coils reduces the cooling effect, causing the unit to use more electricity.
• Replace air filters on a monthly basis.  Especially during the summer, the clogged, dirty filters block normal air flow and significantly reduce your A/C system’s efficiency.
• Replace you’re A/C Unit if it’s too old.  Compared to a 15-year old unit, today’s energy efficient models use 30-50% less electricity. Be sure to look for one with the ENERGY STAR label.
• Properly seal all doors and windows.  This will keep the cool air in and the warm air out. Weatherstripping and caulking are inexpensive, easy and an essential parts of home energy-efficiency.
• Install a programmable thermostat.  These thermostats automatically adjust the temperature while you are sleeping or away from your home.  This can save you up to 10% on your cooling bills.
• Stock up your fridge.  Having more food in your refrigerator prevents the temperature from getting warmer each time you open the refrigerator door.
• Use your stove less.  While rushing from one summer activity to the next, heat up a lunch in the microwave instead of on the stove to avoid heating your indoor living space as well as being late. Microwaves also use two-thirds less energy as opposed to your stove.
• Check and repair duct work.  In the typical home, ducts allow 25-30% of air conditioning to escape into a hot attic.
• Shade your windows.  Put blinds or shades on your windows. Blinds that are highly reflective can reduce the heat gain in your home by almost 45%. Don’t forget to close the blinds and shades on the south and west part of your house during the day.  You can also apply solar film to south-facing windows to prevent solar gain.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs).  CFLs last 10 times longer and use about 72% less energy than a standard bulb. These use 60-80% less energy and also stay cooler than halogen bulbs.

Find more ways to save energy at home by visiting the Green Mountain Energy Saver Center.

Green Mountain is pleased to share information about our company’s markets and products, as well as environmental standards. Some of the 2010-2011 Sustainability Report highlights include:

• Introduction of interactive, easy to navigate format. Online site combines various digital elements that are reader-friendly, visually engaging and invite reader feedback. It also offers more flexibility for Green Mountain to refresh content as it becomes available.

• Largest environmental impact from customers to date. In 2011, Green Mountain customers helped avoid 4.5 billion lbs of CO2!

• Increased recycled materials within business practices. All billing envelopes were transitioned from 30% to 100% post-consumer recycled waste materials.

• Nearly double participation in the employee commuting program. 2011 was the strongest year for employees commuting in environmentally friendly ways to work since the program was launched in 2006. Employees saved over 62,000 miles and avoided nearly 57,000 pounds of CO2 emissions.

Environmental responsibility is at the core of our business and our company culture, as well as our mission to change the way power is made.   We are excited to share such a powerful, transparent report that shows the amazing impact our company and our customers have had for the environment.  Be sure to see how YOU are helping make a difference by visiting the “By The Numbers” chart that displays how much CO₂ has been avoided by Green Mountain customers!

To view the 2010-2011 Green Mountain Sustainability Report, visit www.greenmountainenergysustainability.com.

It’s been a busy month for the Green Mountain Energy^TM Sun Club^TM, but I’m starting to realize one strange fact: Mother Nature doesn’t seem to want me to promote solar energy in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. It’s true! Since taking over the management of the Sun Club in 2006 I’ve competed with the weather in DFW during many Sun Club events: normal, party-dampening rain; torrential floods (on two occasions); a freakish March snowstorm; and now I can add unprecedented tornadic activity to that list.

It was during my most recent trip to Dallas to promote two Sun Club solar donations that I had the displeasure of witnessing two tornadoes on the ground while dodging quarter-size hail and erratically fretful semis. A word of advice: if you’re planning any outdoor events in the DFW area, please check with me first to see if we have any Sun Club events planned around that time.

With that said, the devastation was incredible as I’m sure you all saw. To help those who lost everything, you can easily make a $10 donation to the Redcross by  texting the word REDCROSS to 90999.

Moving on….I’m very proud to announce that during the month of April, typically called Earth Month, the Sun Club made five solar donations to very worthy organizations across  Texas:

Waco Habitat for Humanity Restore

This $30,000 donation will pay for the first solar array on top of a Habitat ReStore building. The ReStore resells building materials to the public which have been donated by commercial businesses and every-day folks. The numbers of tons of materials saved from Waco landfills thanks to this organization is staggering. This organization is doing so much to help the environment it makes me even more proud to be able to help them get greener with solar on their roof. The array will also be incorporated into the science curriculum at Baylor University. http://www.wacohabitat.org/restore/

Dallas Arboretum

The Dallas Arboretum‘s mission of conservation and protection of the environment made them a natural fit for a Sun Club donation. With this gift of $65,000, the Arboretum will be purchasing six solar powered trams which will be used to escort those with disabilities or difficulty walking around the grounds. I love this donation because of its innovative use of solar energy and the massive exposure solar will have to millions of visitors each year as they see these pollution-free solar powered carts go by.  http://www.dallasarboretum.org/

Singularity Solar Energy

This is the type of story I love: a family decides they want to do more to help the disadvantaged and the environment so instead of just wishing things would changed, they form their own non-profit foundation to be an active part of change. Singularity Solar Energy was founded by a father/daughter team in 2010 with the mission to provide free solar panels to low-income families in the DFW area to help lower their monthly energy costs and provide clean energy.  It also assists those who have lost their jobs by training them in solar panel installation. A special source of pride with this donation comes from the fact that the Sun Club is the first major donor and is putting up the funds for the first solar array installation. This $10,000 donation will provide at least one solar array for a deserving family building a home through Habitat for Humanity. http://www.singularitysolar.org/index.html

Wilson Montessori School (Houston Independent School District)

To commemorate Earth Month, the Sun Club donated $50,000 to the Houston Independent School District to build a solar array at Wilson Montessori School (2100 Yupon).  The check was presented on April 12 at the district’s board meeting. The array will assist Wilson Montessori School as it participates in HISD’s Green School Challenge. Through this program, schools pledge to reduce their energy and water consumption, and to increase the amount of single-stream waste recycling. Learn more here.

Rice University Habitat for Humanity Centennial House

The Sun Club presented a check for $20,000 to the Houston Habitat for Humanity Rice Centennial House for a solar installation. The Centennial House is a Habitat home designed and built by Rice University students for a deserving local family. It was designed with a focus on energy-efficiency and is being built by volunteers over ten build dates. One of those build dates, April 14, is when we presented the check and then Green Mountain employees joined Rice student volunteers to work on the house. We put up the roof structure and walls. Read more about this incredible home here.

Now through July 31, 2012, you can enter to win a $15,000 solar array!

One lucky winner will receive a solar photovoltaic array system valued at $15,000 installed on their home.  If your home doesn’t qualify for solar, you could still win free solar electricity for up to 3 years!*

Enter to Win at www.greenmountain.com/solarsweepstakes

–

About Green Mountain Solar

With a Green Mountain Solar® residential solar system, you can harness the sun’s energy to help power your home. Because sunlight is abundant and inexhaustible, solar energy is a valuable renewable energy source. When used in place of traditional fossil fuels, solar energy can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as stimulate the economy.   Learn more about the benefits of solar and the science behind solar photovoltaic systems.

*If the winner does not own or home or their home is not a suitable site for a solar PV system, an alternate prize of $5,000 of free electricity will be awarded from Green Mountain Energy Company, which is enough to cover 3 years based on average monthly usage of 1,000 kWh at a rate of $0.1142 per kWh . See Sweepstakes Official Rules for details.

One entry per household from all methods of entry combined. No purchase is necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not increase your chance of winning. Must be 18 years of age or older. Must be a resident of the State of Texas or New York.

__

Anna Clark, a Green Mountain Energy Company customer since 2002, is also the author of a green book.  In her book Green, American Style: Becoming Earth-Friendly and Reaping the Benefits, Anna shares insights from her journey into sustainability and reasons why “green is good.”  Anna recently spoke to a group of Green Mountain employees and shared the impetus for her personal sustainability journey.  It all started ten years ago when she and her husband, Mike, switched their power provider to Green Mountain.

“It was my husband’s idea to sign up, actually,” Anna said. “He said this new company was offering cleaner energy, so we thought it would be an easy way to make a difference.  Honestly, before that, green wasn’t even on my radar.”

But year by year, month by month, Anna got reminders – in the form of her energy bills – that through the simple act of choosing renewable energy, she was doing something to help the environment.  She felt inspired to do more.  As she explains, “Green Mountain gave me proof that I was able to do something positive as a consumer.  I am still amazed how one small decision could lead to so many exciting things.”

By 2005, Anna had come so far on her sustainability path that she launched EarthPeople, a sustainability consulting and communications firm.  When the company moved into its Dallas office, she signed up for commercial power with Green Mountain, too.   Two years later, Anna and her husband took yet another step towards embracing a green lifestyle when they hired Dallas builder Alan Hoffmann to build their home to meet Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, one of only 29 homes in the State of Texas to achieve this classification according to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).  By 2010, Anna published her first book.  When Anna isn’t speaking to clients about sustainability she’s blogging on eco-leadership for Greenbiz.com and on her company blog, EarthPeople Speak.

“Of all the big things I’ve tried to do on my green journey, using cleaner energy from Green Mountain has turned out to be one of easiest, most significant changes I have made,” said Anna.  “It has made me realize that green living comes out of small modifications in our everyday lives, many of which lead to better health and costs savings. Green is not just good for the earth – it’s good for us.”

Today Anna serves clients and speaks to groups of all sizes, including JCPenney, Inc., The Salvation Army, The Rotary Club, and many more.  “I’m passionate about spreading this message and showing people how to save thousands of dollars a year while making a difference,” she said. “This really isn’t about me. It’s about my kids – and yours.  If I could improve on the definition of sustainability, I would make it simpler because green doesn’t have to be complicated.  It’s really nothing more than the Golden Rule.”

__

Has becoming a Green Mountain customer inspired you to be greener in other aspects of your life?  If so, we’d love to hear about it!  Comment here or tell us your story on our Facebook wall.

HOUSTON

Earth Day Houston at Discovery Green (April 7)

Come out and enjoy or help volunteer at the greenest event in Houston. Earth Day Houston is a one-day celebration focusing on sustainable living while educating and encouraging Houstonians to preserve, conserve and enhance our city and the Earth.

Houston International Festival (April 21-22, 28-29)
Experience diversity and cultures from around the world at the 2012 Houston International Festival! For your enjoyment, there will be 10 music stages, 6 international art markets, 7 entertainment zones, foods from around the world, as well as educational interactive exhibits. Stop by the Green Mountain Energy booth and enter for a chance to win a solar installation on your home!

Conn’s Green 6.2 (April 28)

Grab your running shoes or sign up to volunteer at Conn’s Green 6.2 at CityCentre! It is a BYOB (Bring your own bottle for water) run followed the post festival, where participants can take part in “Plant a Tree for Houston” as well as many other green activities. Volunteers are always needed!

DALLAS/ FORT WORTH

Earth Day Dallas (April 21-22)

Take part or volunteer at Earth Day Dallas! The two day, free admission event features guest speakers, an exhibition, live music, and other various activities to elevate awareness and influence of the environment.

Picnic for the Planet (April 22)

As part of Earth Day Dallas, help the city break the world record of the largest picnic, competing against cities from around the world! Show the Earth how much you care, and take it out to lunch. All you need is a two-item snack, a 30-minute window of time and a healthy dose of enthusiasm at Fair Park.

Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival(April 19-22)

Experience the art, music, and food on Main Street in Sundance Square. Volunteers are always needed! Green Mountain is donating 73 metric tons of carbon offsets to help the festival become 100% carbon neutral, so it’s a truly green event.

SOUTH TEXAS

McAllen Vida Verde Earth Day Festival (April 21)

Vida Verde would not be possible without its volunteers, so sign up to lend a helping hand! Anyone is welcome to come out and celebrate the wonders of Earth at Quinta Mazatlan park.

WACO/CENTRAL TEXAS

Beasts ‘N Blooms & Earth Day Too! (April 21)

Grab your kids and come party with the animals at Cameron Zoo to celebrate Earth Day. There will be children’s activities, gardening and plants, much more for the whole family to enjoy.

NEW YORK

Earth Day Grand Central Station Indoors (April 19-21)

Join New York City in the annual green, environmental wake-up call for Earth Day 2012 helping promote awareness and spread environmental education to the residents, students, and the rest of the general public!

NY Green Festival at Javits (April 21-22)
The Festival will feature an organic food court with an organic beer and wine garden, do-it-yourself green workshops, an eco-fashion show, and products and services from local, regional, and nationals green businesses and organizations.

“Passport to Green” Earth Day New York (March 20-April 21)

Participate in the “Passport to Green NY,” which is a five borough eco-scavenger hunt, highlighting some of the green opportunities the city has to offer. Visit as many locations and collect as many stamps as possible to be entered in grand prizes.

Escape Maker – Green Getaways II (April 14)
Check out the Local Food and Travel Expo to book your next getaway or day trip and take part in eco travel, hiking, and biking workshops.

Volunteer at Earth Day New York (April 21-23)

Take action and sign up to be a volunteer or an EDAY Ambassador for Earth Day New York! Volunteers will help out in Times Square and the Grand Central Station Terminal.