Events will also demonstrate how NC GreenPower helps individuals make a powerful difference for the state through participation in the program. NC GreenPower speakers will be found from the mountains to the coast on college campuses, in town squares, at local civic groups, in stores and businesses and in parks and recreational sites.

Events will culminate with Earth Day celebrations in a number of cities statewide, most of them scheduled during the weekend of the annual April 22 observance. But appearances will occur throughout the month and into May, representing the largest mobilization of volunteer and staff speakers during a single month in the history of the NC GreenPower program.

While events occur throughout the year for the Speakers Bureau, April is the busiest month for activity. Earth Day has traditionally been at the core of that activity. But as the week of that observance has grown more popular each year, many new groups have established events at other times throughout the month. The effect has been to make April more of an “Earth Month” celebration and as a result, helped to extend the NC GreenPower message farther across the state and sustain it for a longer period.

“It is really an exciting time for us,” said Maggy Inman, NC GreenPower program manager. “It is always good to be out in the community talking about the program. And April provides an opportunity for all of us – staff, volunteers and participants – to get involved at a level that is really amazing.”

A coordinated effort
Speaking events are not the only activity going on in April. In fact,
NC GreenPower has developed a multi-layered strategy for reaching out to individuals across the state through print and radio ads, news stories, public service announcements and giveaways, all geared to reinforce the message of the many public exhibits across the state.

One of the most effective forms of reaching out to citizens statewide has been through electric utility bill inserts, which arrive with customer bills and provide a means for individuals interested in NC GreenPower participation to sign up through their utility. Bill inserts are provided by participating utilities at no cost to NC GreenPower and can result in significant increases in program participation. This year, each major investor-owned utility in the state, as well as a number of electric cooperatives and municipalities, will be sending NC GreenPower bill inserts to their customers. It is hoped that the combination of advertising, media and events, in combination with electric utility bill inserts, will result in substantial growth for the NC GreenPower program.

It takes everyone
While the volunteers of the NC GreenPower Speakers Bureau make their way across the state staffing the many events scheduled in April, there is work that can be done by everyone to help grow NC GreenPower. Tell a friend or family member about the program and remind them to look for an NC GreenPower bill insert in their April electric bill. Schedule a speaker to make a free presentation to your local club, church or other organization. Give the gift of renewable energy with the NC GreenPower gift card. Have your next meeting or event powered by NC GreenPower. And consider increasing your participation in the program, to help NC GreenPower provide even more benefits to our environment and energy supply.

Whichever way you choose to celebrate April and Earth Day, remember how precious is the world that all of us share. Each of us makes choices every day, and in celebrating the earth, we are reminded that every choice we make comes with a price. This Earth Day, make the choice to improve our environment and to help make the energy we use every day more abundant and better for everyone.   

Earth Day
Saturday, April 22, 2006